Every week, roughly 1,200 unsolicited submissions arrive at The New York Times via e-mail, fax and the U.S. Postal Service. All are vying for valuable space on the op-ed page, the page next to the editorial page that includes divergent views on timely topics.
Many of the submissions are first-rate. Yet most get turned down simply because the newspaper just doesn’t have the space to print everything it would like. So what kinds of columns end up being chosen?
Thanks to Publicity Hound Christine Hohlbaum of Paunhausen, Germany for alerting us to this article written by David Shipley, the Times’ op-ed editor, who explains what they look for when deciding which columns get placement. To read it, you’ll have to sign up at the website.
If you want more tips, check out “How to Use Newspaper & Magazine Editorial Pages,” a recording of a one-hour teleseminar I conducted a few years ago. I walk you step-by-step through all the opportunities for publicity on the editorial pages, and I even tell you how to meet with editors on the powerful editorial board at your newspaper and persuade them to support your cause. You can read more about it.