In my previous feature Top Ten Reasons to Write Articles for Free Publication Online,
I explained how writers can reap numerous benefits by writing articles and offering them for free publication online.

In a related feature, I published an Index of Lists - Sites to Submit Your Free Articles
(which I just updated with several new links to more resources).

That feature includes links to "Article Announcement Lists." However, after receiving inquiries from several readers, I realized that some writers are not familiar with how these lists work.

Hopefully this feature will answer most questions about "How to Submit Your Articles to Article Announcement Lists..."

First of all your must join each list before you can submit your articles to it.

• When you sign up for a list online, you will be given "Subscription Options" - Your choices are usually -

  1. Individual Emails

  2. Digest Mode (One email with several messages daily or weekly)

  3. Web-Only (No email messages)

• You should choose <2> Digest Mode or your email box will be overflowing with messages.

• It is important that you read the List(s) Digests to see what other writers are submitting and to make sure your article submissions are being published.

• You should always read the individual posting guidelines for each list. The rules usually require you to submit your article in the "word wrap" format. You can do this by

  1. Writing and saving your article in Word

  2. Going to the web page titled Format Text
     and cutting and pasting your text into the online form - which will automatically format your article when you hit "submit"

  3. Once your article is properly formatted, cut and paste it into the body of an email message

  4. Put the title of your article in the "Subject" line - without quotes

  5. Put the correct "Posting" email address for the Article Announcement List you want to send your article to in the "To" field (and optionally send yourself a blind copy to keep track of where and when you submit your articles).

• You may also want to add the following information within the body of your email (before your actual article submission)

  Please consider this article for publication in your newsletter or on your website. Permission is granted to reprint for free with resource box and byline intact. Please send me a copy of your publication if you choose to include my article.

  TITLE: AUTHOR: WORD COUNT: WRAP: 65 URL: MAILTO:

  EXAMPLE RESOURCE BOX

  Resource Box - © Danielle Hollister (2003) Danielle Hollister is the Writing Host at BellaOnline http://www.bellaonline.com/site/writing and Publisher of BellaOnline's Writing Zine http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art157.asp to subscribe send email to: bellaonlinewriting-subscribe@yahoogroups.com