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Handling Clips (Writing Samples) 1. Obtaining Clips: To get a clip, you have to write something and have it published. 2. Keeping Clips: Save originals of everything you publish. Never send an editor your only copy of something or send an editor a clip and request it back. Everyone develops his or her own filing system. It is advisable to keep at least one complete copy of the magazine your story appears in and one copy of the complete page for newspaper stories. You can also keep a file of photocopies of stories that you use frequently for clips. If the story is one that you will want to submit to writing contests, it is wise to obtain extra original copies and keep them on hand. 3. E-Clips: When a publication posts your article on its website (the Cleveland Free Times does, as does Crain's Cleveland Business in their news archives section), print out at least 2 copies of it. Keep one in your article copy file and use the other for making clips. It's much easier to make copies of an 8 1/2 x 11 article than it is the weird sizes of magazines/newspapers, and they're easier to mail too. Sometimes you may need to fax clips, for instance for electronically posted jobs, and these also fax much better than the printed versions. Keep in mind that you may need to print these stories promptly after publication, as some articles only stay on the publications' websites for a short time. 4. Purpose: To demonstrate excellent writing to an editor you want to write for. 5. Quality: Editors do not expect original copies of newspaper or magazine stories. It is important, however, that copies be high quality and very legible. Make sure the pages are in the correct order. 6. Quantity: Two to four clips is usually all an editor will want to spend time looking at. 7. Source Annotation: All clips must be clearly marked with the name of the publication and the date the story was published. 8. By-line (Author's Name): Ensure before you write the story that you have agreement from the editor that your name will appear as the author of the story on the final published copy. 9. Appropriateness: Clips going to an editor along with a query should match the topic of the query wherever possible. Clips going to an editor at his/her request without a query should match the tone and content of the publication as closely as possible. 10. Getting Clips Back: You can include a self-addressed, stamped envelope large enough to return your clips in relatively good shape, but editors often stuff them into smaller envelopes, and they are unusable another time. Generally, the cost of making new copies is less than the cost of postage for returning them. 11. Clips for Sources: Be respectful to interviewees, thank them for their time, notify them of the publication date, and provide them with a copy of the article, if they don't have access to the publication. Whenever possible, send a thank you note in writing. Sometimes the editor of the publication will also arrange to send a copy of the article/publication to your sources (ask if he/she does this or has an assistant who does). ©Susanne M. Alexander, Western Reserve Writer's Mini-Conference, March 23, 2002 [an error occurred while processing this directive] |