The editors at Learning Solutions receive many article pitches seeking publication every week. Unfortunately, nearly all of them fail because the would-be author has not taken the time to research what Learning Solutions is, understand the kind of content we publish, or create an effective proposal. I am writing this article to help you succeed if you work in the eLearning field; if you have a story to tell that will help others create better eLearning applications; and if you take the time to create an effective proposal.
What makes a proposal stand out?
Learning Solutions is the online professional publication of The Learning Guild. Content comes from designers, developers, managers, and executives in the field of eLearning for adults, or from our editors. We neither seek nor accept “guest posts,” and we do not provide link trades in return for content. An important question the editors have about an article proposal is: Does this author have a connection to the eLearning field as a designer, developer, manager, or executive?
Readers of Learning Solutions are members of the eLearning community; in enterprises, government organizations, and in higher education. Another important question about any article proposal is: Is this about eLearning, and will it be helpful or of interest to our readers?
Learning Solutions is not a blog. Content goes through vetting and editing before publication, and receiving your query is the first step in that process. The editors will consider whether a proposal appears to have any support from research, best practices, others in the eLearning field, or whether it has current relevance. Proposals must also be vendor-neutral, non-promotional, and well-written. Spelling, grammar, and style count. A query must be specific; simple bullet lists of generic topics or requests to have us name topics for the author to write about are not acceptable queries. We cannot accept content that has been previously published online or in print.
Ideally, articles are 700 to 1,000 words in length. Proposers should keep this in mind, and should not pitch multi-article series. Queries that deal with certain kinds of content tend to get “bonus points” from editors. These include technical insights, how an eLearning team solved an important business or professional problem, and ideas and tips that are not trivial or a rehash of the latest popular conversations in social media.
The ideal query
The ideal query consists of three short paragraphs. The entire proposal should fit on less than a single printed page.
The first paragraph should approximate the first paragraph of your article. This is the “hook.” It should tell the readers (including the editors) what the article is about, arrest the reader’s attention, and give the reader a reason to read the article.
The second paragraph should provide a brief summary of the content of the article, including any important information about the type of article and the nature of the content (for example, case study, lessons learned, a new idea or theory, a design model, an interview, a product review). The second paragraph should also indicate who within the eLearning community would most likely be interested in the article.
The third paragraph should give the editors information about the author and the author’s connection to the field of eLearning.
Send it in!
That’s it! Send your query to editor@learningsolutionsmag.com. We're looking forward to hearing from you!