How should I submit copy to a magazine or newspaper – by fax, email? Is a Word document generally acceptable – and are there any conventions to follow?
No-one wants to re-key a piece that already exists. So while faxing may be useful as a safety measure (not all editors are familiar with technology), most editors will prefer the file to work from. There are two possibilities – emailing it, or sending it directly through the Mercury system straight to a paper’s computers. You will know if your commissioning editor wants you to use the direct input system because you will be given a number for your modem to dial up. In both these cases plain text is wanted. That means not a Word document, and not html either – so make sure your email software is set to send plain text only. Also known as ASCII, plain text is a standard format which not only can be read by all computer software, but – just as importantly – can travel across the internet without being coded and decoded. But plain text means just that – letters and spaces. No formatting is carried or needed. So if you (itals) really (unitals) need to put things in italics or bold, your onl
