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Rules? What Are These Rules Of Which You Strangely Speak?

July 20, 2025 | By Women Writers Women Books | Reply More

By Christina Hamlett

I was a relative newcomer to the dizzying blogosphere realm ten years ago. I’d click on Facebook links if a particular blog topic interested me. I’d even leave comments and occasionally find myself in a cyber conversation with kindred spirits. According to statistics at http://www.worldometers.info, almost four million blogs are being posted worldwide on a daily basis, oftentimes at the invitation of those with websites who are seeking fresh content. For those who are authors, it’s a promising fit for earned media versus paid advertising, something I’ve always encouraged my students and clients to explore as a way to share their expertise.

It wasn’t until I started three of my own websites, however, I became aware of what little attention prospective contributors pay to what are clearly defined policies regarding submissions. Many of them, it seems, ascribe to Captain Barbossa’s explanation of The Pirate’s Code in Pirates of the Caribbean: “The Code is more what you’d call ‘guidelines’ than actual rules.”

Consider, for example, how many writers pitch topics that have absolutely nothing to do with a website’s primary focus and target demographic:

Hi! I know you’re looking for tips on how to write effective press releases but can I write something about my wedding instead and how I hired the world’s worst caterer? It’s a really funny story that always cracks up my friends.

Hey there. Your website says you’re open to interviewing book authors. I haven’t written any books because I don’t like to write but I really like going to movies. Attached is my list of who I think should win an Oscar this year.

Dear Sir or Madam: My business went bankrupt last year and it’s the government’s fault. Is this a good website to rant to and get people to sign my petition? I notice you seem to get a lot of traffic and I need more signatures.

My client is looking for a cheap place to advertise his new app for finding bait shops. Can I send you information on that so you can write something up for him and publish it on your website? (Alarmingly, this was from an account manager at a PR firm.)

Equally baffling is the confusion that stems from specifications regarding word-count and format. What is it, I wonder, that gets lost in translation in the following:

Guest blogs should be 350-500 words and submitted as an attachment in Word. Please use Times New Roman 12 pt, single-space, and include a short bio (30 words or less) at the end of the article.

My blog is longer than you requested (it was 3,745 words) but I think you’ll agree it’s all interesting stuff and besides I don’t have time right now to edit it.

Attached is my (three-page) CV. Feel free to use all of it.

Five hundred words isn’t enough to say everything I want to say and so I wrote more instead.

My bio is almost 400 words. Does that count toward the 500 word maximum or is it separate?

To this list, I have also received blog submissions that:

Are written in 18 pt. font…and multiple colors;
Utilize quirky fonts such as Boopee, Mistral, Amienne, Liorah BT, Parisian, and Black Adder;
Embed cutesy graphics;
Eschew capitalization and punctuation; and
Shout in ALL CAPS with lots of exclamation points.

Perhaps the most disturbing trend, however, is a pervasive mindset of Instant Now. While there’s no question the internet makes it possible for anyone on the planet to post their opinions, tips, and advice in the mere blink of an eye, there are still considerations such as editorial calendars which guest contributors should respect as a matter of professional courtesy. In my capacity as an editor, it’s not so much the writers who dawdle and miss assigned deadlines but those who demand immediate publication that are an escalating problem.

Whether it’s a matter of arrogance, entitlement or insecurity, these are the writers who – despite being informed when their guest blog will go live – insist that special exceptions be made to accommodate their impatient egos. None of their actual content, however, is of a time-sensitive nature to warrant expediting.

I have a blog quota to meet by this Friday so I need you to post it right away or my boss will be mad.

Can’t you just bump somebody else?

I’m going on maternity leave and want to get this posted before I get too busy with the baby.

Who can I talk to that can speed things up?

And perhaps the angriest one of all:

April is way too far off!!!!! If you can’t post my blog any earlier, I am never going to send you anything ever again!!!!!

One can’t help but muse that if these same writers ever submit unsolicited manuscripts to book publishers, it will be with a note that instructs: “Please send me a large advance and publish my novel within the next two weeks because I have to pay my Nordstrom bill. If my payment is late, it will be your fault.”

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Former actress and director Christina Hamlett is an award-winning author whose credits to date include 52 books, 278 stage plays and squillions of articles. She is also a script consultant for stage and screen and a professional ghostwriter. Learn more at www.authorhamlett.com.

If you ever read Nancy Drew mysteries under the covers by flashlight after bedtime or never missed an episode of Murder, She Wrote, maybe you were born with the heart and soul of a cozy mystery writer. Discover whether this is a writing path you should be pursuing in the four-week online course I offer through Wow! Women on Writing. Along with one-on-one critique, you’ll learn how to plot the perfect crime, how the right setting is integral to amateur sleuthing, and whether your protagonist’s exploits are best suited to standalone novels or a series. New classes start the first Monday of every month. Find out more HERE

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