
Submission Guidelines
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                   To the Prospective Contributor . . .

   . . . Thank you for your interest in contributing to PCM. We're looking 
for the following:

   []  Short BASIC programs that do neat things (accompanied by short,
          explanatory articles);
   []  Helpful batch files (accompanied by short, explanatory articles);
   []  Handy and/or little-known hints and tips;
   []  Short-cut tutorials on important features in popular programs;
   []  Articles that clear up some of the mystery of computing;
   []  Articles that inspire our readers to carry the magazine to the
          keyboard, type in something, be amazed, and belt out a few 
          lines from Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus." (These kinds of 
          items get top priority.)

Windows and the Internet are, of course, hot topics. From time to time, we 
do use other kinds of material, including cartoons. (For PCM Online, we 
accept "ASCIItoons.") Currently we are NOT interested in freelance 
reviews; we're doing reviews in-house.

FORMAT: We prefer that you submit your article and listing, if any, both 
on disk and as printed "hard copy." We do accept electronic submissions, 
though we ask that you first query us by e-mail. (Again, our e-mail 
address is pcm@shivasys.com). Please format articles as plain ASCII files. 
We can prepare finished tables, diagrams and schematics from your rough 
draft IF you provide legible copy and full directions. You are also 
encouraged to include screen captures (color .PCX, TIFF, etc.) of your 
program if it contains visually attractive elements. Be sure to mention if 
your program or batch file requires a certain minimum level of hardware 
and software (e.g., VGA, math coprocessor, DOS 6.0+, etc.).

AUDIENCE: PCM targets novice and hobbyist users, who are usually more 
interested in what they can do with your program or batch file than in how 
it works. So, in your article, please do not give us a breakdown on every 
line of your program. Though if your program makes interesting use of a 
BASIC or DOS command, and you can tell the readers how to modify it to do 
even more interesting things, please feel free to include this 
information.

WHAT TO WRITE: Anything with a practical or entertaining application. If 
it interests you, it will probably interest a lot of other people. If 
you've discovered something neat, write about it!

COVER LETTER: Do include a cover letter to us, briefly explaining your 
submission. If it's a program or batch file, please tell us what it does, 
who would be interested, and why we should use it. Also, please include 
your address, home/work phone numbers, social security number (we'll need 
it come tax time if we buy your article), and a bio -- a short paragraph 
telling us about yourself -- that we can publish.

WRITING STYLE: We're shooting for a friendly style. Don't overdo the chat, 
but be conversational. Avoid technoslush! If you can be succinctly 
entertaining while you're informing, so much the better. And try to make 
your first paragraph as interesting as possible. It's true in all areas of 
journalism: you can gain or lose a reader in the first paragraph.

FICTION: Uh, we're almost afraid to mention this, considering all the 
frustrated fiction writers out there <G>. But we're cautiously CONSIDERING 
publishing short fiction: preferably stories that involve the computer in 
some way -- speculative stories on present and future uses for the 
computer -- but that keep a human focus.

PAYMENT: We pay on publication; the amount varies.

THE FINE PRINT: We purchase all rights, title and interest to your 
material, including the right, without further consideration, to include 
your material on PCM ON DISK, PCM the printed magazine, PCM Online and 
Delphi's PC-Compatibles SIG, or to reprint it in other forms. When we 
decide to purchase your material, you will be asked to sign a contract 
that covers these and other considerations in detail. We do not want to 
consider any material being simultaneously submitted to other 
publications. If you are sending us more than one article, please submit 
them in separate envelopes with separate cover letters.

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