WOW Submissions and Writers’ Guidelines

Thanks for considering a submission to World of Westchase! The support of residents and business columnists alike help keep WOW the best community magazine in the nation. As you prepare to make your submission to WOW, there are some helpful hints that will help make the process run more smoothly.

In preparing to make a submission, it is important to remember that because WOW has a finite amount of space every month, we can never guarantee that a submission will be run. We nevertheless give neighborhood news the highest priority. WOW also reserves the right to edit all submissions for clarity, grammar, content and length. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, the magazine’s staff cannot contact a submitter about any changes made to any article prior to publication. We greatly appreciate your understanding our limitations and constraints.

Further, while WOW accepts businesses' press releases and newsworthy columns written by professionals, WOW does not engage in “pay-for-play” publication of advertorials. The purchase of advertising within the magazine will not win favorable treatment for editorial submissions nor guarantee publication of a business or group’s press releases or professional columns. With the exception of general press releases for charitable events, it is also WOW's general practice to decline to run articles offered concurrently to other local publications. WOW's readership is accustomed to seeing first-run, original articles rather than articles they can find elsewhere in other publications.

News Articles and Essays

WOW welcomes news articles and essays on various topics submitted by residents. WOW, however, does not currently compensate writers of articles or essays that have not been specifically requested or assigned by the editor. We nevertheless love to hear about neighborhood events and gatherings and the personal accomplishments of family members and neighbors! The ideal way of submitting your article is to type it in Microsoft Word and e-mail it as an attachment to Editor@WestchaseWOW.com. You can also simply cut and paste your article into the body of your e-mail.

In general, most articles are written in the third person and should avoid use of the pronouns I, we and you. Instead, write up the article as if you were an outside observer of all the fun.

Most WOW pages are half pages. Without photos, they can fit approximately 350 words with a photo. Because space is at a premium in the magazine, contact the editor at 920-9809 to discuss any article that exceeds the half page word/photo limit.

Finally, always remember that a reader is brought into a story by a good photo. Whenever a story can be accompanied by a photo, be sure to submit one.

Photos

The easiest way for photo to be submitted to the magazine is by sending a high-resolution digital copies via e-mail. Never send a photo that has been cut and pasted into a Word document or e-mail already. Its resolution will be too low to reproduce in the hardcopy magazine.

Instead, send high resolution JPEGs to Editor@WestchaseWOW.com by attaching them to your e-mail. Generally, photos that are smaller in memory size than 1 MB will not reproduce well (To determine the memory size of your photo, right click on the file in Windows Explorer and select Properties.)

Send a few more photos than you would like included; doing so allows the magazine staff to pick those that will reproduce best in the magazine. While some darker photos can be lightened a bit, avoid sending any photo that is excessively dark, is at all blurry, is remarkably off center or has its subjects cut-off. If you have more than 10 photos you would like to send, it generally is better to burn a CD of them and drop it, sealed in a plastic bag, in one of the black WOW drop boxes at the swim and tennis centers.

Include captions of all photos at the end of the article. Precede the caption with the actual name of photo file (JPEG).

With the exception of Pet of the Month, WOW generally does not run photos that are not accompanied by an explanatory article, however brief.

Professional Columns and Business Press Releases

WOW currently runs a number of different professional columns depending upon available space. While professionals are welcome to submit such columns for consideration, WOW does not guarantee that they will be run. It is therefore advisable to first explore with the editor WOW's level of interest in the potential piece before its writing and submission. Columns should be newsworthy and not promotional, particularly with regard to the columnist’s own business or products. They should run 350 words in length. An editor’s note generally follows the piece and identifies the writer, his/her business name and relevant certifications and/or licensure. Column length should take the length of the editor’s note into consideration. Given the popularity of the magazine, the number of its monthly contributors and space constraints, WOW can never guarantee publication of any submitted piece. Further, some professional columns run monthly; others run as space allows.

While general press releases about a company are also accepted for consideration, business owners are advised that such releases are very rarely run due to space limitations. WOW does, however, give greater weight to stories about local businesses engaged in charitable work that solely benefits Westchase charities and schools. Due to the number of press releases WOW receives, however, staff generally does not e-mail confirmation of their receipt.

WOW also does not engage in “pay-for-play” publication of advertorials. The purchase of advertising within the magazine will not win favorable treatment for editorial submissions nor guarantee publication of a business or group’s press releases or professional columns. Unlike other publications that simply are venues for advertising and which often get immediately tossed into the recycling bin by Westchasers, WOW's goal is to provide the most popular, newsworthy and entertaining content possible for our readers. This helps ensure that advertisers' ads are seen.

Please contact WOW Editor Karen Ring with any questions at 920-9809 or via e-mail at Editor@WestchaseWOW.com.

Thanks for your interest in World of Westchase!

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