N.B. Write It Sideways publishes original articles by established and emerging writers who have a verifiable publication history or clear connection to a writing community and ongoing personal practice (e.g. traditionally published authors, self-published authors, established fiction bloggers, active members of community writing associations, creative writing teachers, MFA students, etc.). We do not publish guest posts that have been published elsewhere at any time, including on your own website. We do not respond to guest post submissions or queries from content writers promoting a third party website. Advertising options on Write It Sideways, for legitimate writing-related products and services, are available exclusively through BuySellAds.com.
Since its humble inception in mid 2009, Write It Sideways is now firmly established with a rapidly-growing community of readers who expect a high standard of writing advice.
Now, to help us gain a variety of fresh perspectives, I’d like to extend an open invitation for guest contributions to Write It Sideways.
Who Should Contribute?
I’m looking for those who are eager to give back to the same community that provides them with inspiration and support for their writing.
You might be a published or aspiring author, an agent or editor, a freelancer, copywriter, web writer, or maybe even a reading addict … you’re the type of person who has knowledge, experience and advice to share.
Why Should You Contribute?
Contributing to other websites is a great way to gain exposure for yourself and your work. Think of it as free advertising!
In addition (and perhaps more importantly), by contributing to Write It Sideways you will:
- Help other writers achieve their goals.
- Actively contribute to a community of responsive readers.
- Gain valuable writing experience.
How Should You Contribute?
- Check the Content and Style Guidebelow, to make sure your article will be consistent with this site.
- Send your article to me via email, attaching the article as a plain text attachment, formatted as HTML. In addition, please paste your article into the email itself to allow me to review it quickly.
- Unsure about step 2? Follow the How to Submit Guest Posts in HTML Using WordPress tutorial.
- Have you checked the Content and Style Guide? Ok, just checking!
Content and Style Guide
I’m committed to running original, well-crafted, engaging articles on fiction, non-fiction, publishing, productivity, editing, and language.
While I appreciate the time and effort that goes into every submission, your chances of acceptance greatly improve if you:
- Follow the guidelines posted below
- Review recent posts so you don’t duplicate a topic
- Give your article an attention-grabbing headline
- Submit an article that hasn’t been previously published elsewhere (including your personal blog)
- Refrain from using affiliate links in your article and byline
Please note, I am unable to accept an article until I have read it in full. Please feel free to send a pitch first, but I cannot guarantee acceptance until I have seen the completed article.
- Introduction: Please introduce posts with at least a couple of paragraphs to hook readers’ attention.
- Readability: Break up long paragraphs into shorter chunks, and use subheadings and lists where appropriate.
- Headers: Please use the style Heading 2 (in the WordPress editor) for all subheadings.
- Lists: Bullets and automatically numbered lists are good, but you are free to manually number lists if needed.
- Word Count: Articles should be a minimum of 600 words, with a preferred length of 700-1200 words.
- Spacing: Please use only one space after punctuation.
- Images: You are free to suggest an image for your post by sending me a link, but I may or may not use your selection. Licensing is a key consideration for images.
- Titles: Give your contribution an eye-catching and relevant title.
- Byline: Please send a short byline describing who you are and linking to your website, RSS feed, Twitter and/or book. This will appear at the end of your article. No affiliate links, please.
- Proofreading and Editing: If accepted, I will proofread your submission for spelling, grammar, and concise language. I may also change your headline and formatting if I feel it is necessary.
- Plain Text only: Please do not send your article in Microsoft Word, or OpenOffice formatted attachments. Due to the excessive time (and frustration!) required to re-format these documents into WordPress, I am not able to accept documents in formats other than Plain Text.
- For Extra Bonus Points: While not essential, if you send a plain text file with the HTML of your WordPress article, I would be grateful. This makes previewing the post online so much easier. Please see this tutorial: How to Submit Guest Posts in HTML Using WordPress.
Remember, if you have any questions at all, please email me using the Contact Page or send me a message via Twitter. I will be happy answer any additional queries you may have before you send through your article.