Contributors to The North Star Monthly
Feature Article Editorial Guidelines
We are pleased you have an interest in writing for The North Star Monthly. For your information, we have listed some of our editorial considerations below:
- Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope if you wish the material returned. Deadlines are always the 15th of the month. Writing should be sent to P.O. Box 319, Danville, VT 05828 or, better yet, to our e-mail address.
- If we think your article is appropriate for publication but don’t have room in a particular issue, we will ask your permission to keep it until space opens up in the future.
- We reserve the right to edit an article for grammar, spelling and style if necessary but make every effort not to change the “voice,” intent or context of the writing. Cutting an article for space purposes is always a possibility; a 1,500 word feature article is the typical maximum length we publish, however, exceptions are made. Please contact us about your needs as we believe that an article should find its own length above or below some predetermined limit. Two other thoughts: 1. Within the parameters of available space we prefer story richness over the contemporary and questionable trend to abbreviate to short bursts of highly summarized information. 2. Generally there is a reason why the story is being told at this time. Let us and the reader know why that is. Finally, good photos improve any story when it is printed. Perhaps we can help with photography. Don’t be afraid to ask.
- We look for story ideas in the intentionally loose categories of people, places, things, institutions and examples of change. Maybe you’ll find one there, too.
- Headline suggestions are welcome, but we reserve the traditional right of the editor to write our own.
- For the most part, we prefer to print non-fiction; occasionally we publish poetry. We also are pleased to receive good photos with captions and historical material.
- All writing submitted by a free-lance writer will be given a by-line and is considered as the property of the author. We assume, unless we are told otherwise, that material submitted has not been published before and that we have the opportunity to publish it for the first time within the limitations of our monthly schedule.
- Payment will be made upon publication.
Press Release Guidelines
Format:
- Please list the organization for which you are writing, its location and a name and phone number so that we can call if there is a question concerning something in the article.
- We prefer typewritten material but will accept clearly written, double spaced writing.
- The deadline for all press releases is the 15th of the month prior to publication. Call if you have questions about our timing.
Style:
- Your goal should be to convey information to the reader as clearly and quickly as possible. Put the most important things first. If you are announcing a coming event, be sure to say what it is and where it will be early in the article, though not necessarily all in one sentence. If you are reporting an important bit of news about your organization, put that at the beginning. There should be a logical progression from the most important material to the least important. Keep in mind that we may eliminate material to make the copy fit; therefore you should put the material you would least mind being cut in the end.
- The North Star Monthly strives for unity of tone in its news columns, and this principle is applied even to the shortest items and press releases. This doesn’t mean your submissions should be dry and colorless, but it does mean that we will apply our standards of objectivity to everything that appears in the paper as “news.”
- Try to confine superlatives in your article to facts. If you want to say that the dance is going to be a great success, that opinion should be attributed to someone: “‘This will be the entertainment of the year,’ says Henry Foster, President of the Club.”
- Be conscious of the political implications of what you write. If a particular opinion or point of view is expressed in an article without being attributed to a someone, readers will assume that it is the opinion of the editors. If you are writing a report of a club meeting, for instance, try to quote people directly or else paraphrase their statements and add “So-and So said,” or “she said,” rather than presenting those statements as if they were facts.
- Long lists of names often present a problem for us. Try to keep the size of the list under control by including only the more important items.
- You are welcome to suggest a possible headline, but please don’t be dismayed if we change it. Writing headlines is both a chore and a privilege traditionally reserved for the editors.
- We firmly believe that press releases are important to our paper. The community wants to know what is going on in your organization, and it is information that needs to be shared. Thank you for adding your voice to The North Star Monthly.
Remembrances
- The North Star has deep respect for members of the greater Danville community who are willing to write a description of their experience with or knowledge of a departed friend or relative. We welcome these remembrances for publication in the North Star.
- If we find your remembrance suitable for publication we will make every effort to print it in as a timely a manner as we can. Clear photos are always helpful and add to the appeal of the written piece when it is published.
- We reserve the right to edit for grammar and style if necessary but make every effort not to change the intent or context of the writing. Shortening an article for space purposes is always a possibility. However, 750 words is a maximum length to bear in mind.
- Preference is always given to writing of this kind which is unique to the North Star.
- There is no fee charged nor is there payment made by The North Star for a remembrance.
Memorials, Announcements and Cards of Thanks
- We welcome your memorial, tribute, announcement or “card of thanks.” An item of this kind will be published in a space of 4 column inches. We will include as much information in that space as we reasonably can. The fee for composition of the piece and one-time publication is $13.00.
Write to us...we look forward to hearing from you!
Letters to the Editor:
Write to The North Star Monthly and let us know what's on your mind. Your point of view or observation is important to us. Letters must be signed.
Articles:
We don't have a big staff of writers, so we look forward to you sending us your writing. If you have questions or ideas and want to ask us first, please call. See our feature article guidelines at left. No fiction, please.
Photos:
We'd like to see your photos and welcome them with a story or without. They can be black & white or color, but they must be clear.
Press Releases:
We prefer press releases that are unique to The North Star. See our press release guidelines at left.
Deadline:
The 15th of the month prior to publication.