elitefts™ Sunday edition
How to Get Published
Since I get this question all the time, here are some do's and don'ts regarding the process of publishing articles on elitefts™ and elsewhere. Actually, this is going to be more of a list of DON'TS – shit people do that keeps them from getting their work published. After I tell you what not to do, I'll tell you what to do instead. I hope this helps.
DON'T: Write an e-mail outlining your accomplishments and career and then ask an editor to "assign" you something. They have enough writers and experts, and nobody is going to publish you, or send you a check voluntarily. If you just say, "Here I am! Use me!" nobody will. Never tell an editor what you can do for him. Just show him by doing it, and he'll be more likely to use and pay you.
INSTEAD: Send specific pitch ideas, and make them long enough to show an editor what you're talking about, while also demonstrating that you're capable of writing at a decent level. If it's for this site, send a completed article with an e-mail explaining what you're trying to say.
DON'T: Submit an article and then tell an editor it's already "proofread," but that it's okay if he edits it.
INSTEAD: Just submit what you have to submit. If you need to have your material copy edited by someone else, by all means do so, but by saying the above (and more people say this than you'd think), you're showing editors that you have no idea how the process works, which makes them less likely to want to use you. If the guy (or girl) is a douche, he or she will also be irritated with you for telling them how to do their job.
DON'T: Send in regurgitated shit about how bands and chains make you faster, or GHR's are an awesome hamstring exercise, or how you've discovered this thing called the Prowler that makes people puke.
INSTEAD: Come up with a new angle on that stuff, or pitch something entirely new that hasn't been seen or published before. Writing a piece about how "chains are hardcore" and goatees and tattoos are the coolest thing in the world is thinly veiled plagiarism of stuff that's already been done to death. If you have a topic you want to write about, do a search to see how it was covered in the past. If you DO want to write about something that's been churned out a thousand times, explain WHY you're revisiting it, and don't try to come off looking like you've just discovered it.
DON'T: Send in your first draft.
INSTEAD: Go over it a few times for spelling, grammar and punctuation. Again, if you have to have someone look it over for you and copy edit your work, do so. If you have shitloads of mistakes on your page, it's not something editors want to deal with no matter how good your information is.
DON'T: Crack stupid or tasteless jokes...unless they're actually funny. Because of the "attitude" taken by this site (and many other publications), a lot of guys think they're in on the joke, but they're often five beats behind, and the results can be painful.
INSTEAD: If you want to crack a joke, say it out loud. If you or your friends would actually laugh at it, you're golden. If not, leave it out. Know your limitations. If you're not a funny guy in real life, chances are you won't be funny in writing.
DON'T: Make your trainer "bio" longer than the article itself, and don't crack jokes in your bio if it's
- Obviously written by you
- Intended for consumption by people who don't know you, and don't care about your affinity for farting and rottweilers.
INSTEAD: Tell us where you work, tell us what your certifications are (if they're important to you), and include a link to your Web site. If you've trained an athlete of note, list him/her, but consider putting that in the copy of the article itself. Let your information and your writing style tell us who you are, rather than your bio.
I hope this helps. If I think of more, I'll post them.