How a Citizen Journalist can Gain the Respect of a Publisher
A citizen journalist may have to prove themselves to gain the respect of a publisher. There are strategies that one can utilize to show that they are a quality writer who can produce accurate and engaging work.
Produce quality work
No publisher is going to respect you if you offer a piece of writing that is not a quality piece. You should make sure that your work is accurate. If they see misinformation then they are likely to dismiss you out of hand. You may be able to show the sources that you used, and they may admire that you did your research.
It is also important that you write in a professional manner and adhere to any style that they require such as the AP style. You want to make sure that your work follows all rules of grammar. It should flow well. Sentences should be active and not passive. You should stick to the topic and not go off on tangents. It should be of a reasonable length. You will also want to read it to make sure that there are no typos or mistakes. Run a spell check. If possible, have someone who is knowledgeable about writing read through your work to give it a critique.
A publisher may also be impressed by how much you write. If you have one great piece, then that may be nice, but it is only one piece. They may want to see that you can produce a variety of different pieces that are well written. They also want to see that you can take an objective look at what you are writing.
Have a following of readers
If you can show a publisher that people read and like your work, then he or she may be impressed. If you have a blog and people leave comments then they may find that impressive.
Having highly-rated work
Some websites allow people to rate the work of citizen journalists. For instance, if you write at www.helium.com, others can write the articles. If you can show that your work is consistently highly-rated, then that might help a publisher to think highly of you.
Some websites will also have contests. If you win these contests then that can be impressive as well. It can show that others like your work, and thus they may take a second look at it as well.
It is important for citizen journalists to gain the respect of publishers. It can open the door to numerous opportunities, and even garner a professional position. The above tactics can help them gain the respect they desire.