If you think you can never get anything published, you may be surprised by how easy it is if you try.
Editors are always short of new, fresh copy and are constantly looking for submissions from new writers who are enthusiastic about their subject.
You can write an article on any old-time radio subject you choose. First, you need to decide on a topic. What do you feel enthusiastic enough about to want to share with others in print? Do you have a favorite series? Do you have any episodes in your collection you think are rare? Do you have a theme such as suicide, murder, romance, war, humor, horror or prophesy that you would like to base your article on? Would you like to write episode summaries of a favorite series that carries a story line from one day or week to the next? As a former editor, I assure you that these will interest any current editor.
When you have decided on a subject, one of the most important things to do is outline your article before you write it. It is the outline you will submit to an editor, which will determine whether he is interested enough to encourage you to proceed. It does not need to be a formal, textbook outline but can instead be a simple list (1-through-10, for example) of what you plan to cover in the article itself.
The first step in composing the article is to write an introduction describing your subject and stating what you intend to say about it. Then, when you write the article, devote a paragraph to each of the topics you want to include in it, and finish by writing a conclusion.
You may need to do some research to provide background and essential facts to buttress your article and make it more impressive to editors and readers. By far the best research tool is John Dunning's On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. It is presently available on Amazon with a price range of $16.85 to $54.45. You may also be able to borrow a copy from a local library or ask one to obtain one for you through an inter-library loan.
If you try this and are successful, you may find getting published to be one of the biggest thrills of your life. Also, don't worry if your writing is not perfect. You are responsible for the spelling of words, so you can use spell-check or consult a dictionary for that. Editors are all good proofreaders and will correct any errors in grammar or sentence logic to make you look as good as they can.
If you need any help at any point along the way, send me a message at maupin1966@yahoo.com and I will be happy to assist you in every way possible. I have a copy of On the Air in case you can't find one.
Now you are ready to send your outline to an editor. It should include an introduction that explains what the article is about, a list of the major points you intend to cover, and a conclusion which wraps it up. You should only send the outline to one editor at a time. If he does not respond in one week, send it to another one, and so on until you get an acceptance. Charlotte Bronte sent the manuscript of The Professor to numerous editors wrapped in a brown paper parcel. Every time she got it back with a rejection slip, she crossed out the name and address of that editor and wrote in the name and address of the next. Finally she sent it to Smith & Elder, a London publishing firm. Smith wrote her back and told her The Professor would never sell, but that he did find her writing not entirely devoid of merit. He encouraged her to submit the manuscript of a a two-volume romantic novel which she had mentioned in her cover letter that she was working on. Two weeks later, Smith received Jane Eyre in the mail. He asked two readers to look it over. They both stayed up all night reading it, and came to work the next day raving about it. The first edition was published, and sold out in two weeks. After that, the firm could not print subsequent editions fast enough to keep them on the shelves of the bookstores that sold them. The book has never been out of print since it was first published in the middle of the 19th century.
As for your choice of editors, Mark Anderson prints only very short articles in Gather 'Round the Radio. His email address is lefty49@attnet.net. He likes "quirky, humorous" material and will print any information about you that you send him. Serious, brief articles are also welcome. Ryan Ellett has room for everything that he deems worthy of inclusion in each issue of Old Radio Times, and especially likes to print material submitted by members of the Old-Time Radio Researchers Group. His address is oldradiotimes@yahoo.com. Patrick Lucanio is the most affable of editors, and tends to publish longer articles in Radiogram. His address is radiogram@sperdvac.com. Tom Cherre prints material of any length in The Illustrated Press. His address is lucydog144@yahoo.com. All of them welcome new authors and are always looking for material written with enthusiasm and on subjects that will be of interest to every reader, not just scholars. I am not well acquainted with Jeff Hoerth, the editor of Air Check, having published only one article in it myself. Radio Recall is looking for a new editor and tends to be booked up for months at a time. If you submit there, expect to wait about six months before you see it in print.
If you have any questions or need my help in any way, write me at maupin1966@yahoo.com and I will reply as soon as I have read your message.
