Update to March MSDN Magazine Editor’s Note
My March Editor’s Note column contains a how-to if you want to ensure you don’t get your article into the magazine. As I was looking it over, I felt a clarification was in order.
In it, I talk about the proper way to query us about your story idea. “Brevity is key here—short, sweet and clear.” I should have elaborated on this point. “Short and sweet” does not mean I’m looking for five-word descriptions. It does mean that I need the minimum information on which to base a publication decision.
If your topic is complex, for example, you may need to include more description than a more straight-forward article will need. If you believe that more information is necessary, by all means include it.
What I’m really saying, then, is to use as few words as possible while writing up your query. If I believe we need more information to make a proper decision, I’ll let you know. I just don’t want you to be afraid to make your query on the long-ish side if you feel it’s absolutely necessary to your proposal, and I don’t think that came across in the note.
Thanks.
Editor in Chief