Despite news to the contrary, magazines do read their mail

Editors can be a friendly lot. Last week, Wooden Horse sent out 1,200 e-mails asking them if their magazines had changed processing its mail due to the anthrax events. And we received answers from over 8%! That's a terrific response rate and, I think, shows that editors are ready to assist their fellow writers.

Peggy Wagoner of SULLY's LIVING WITHOUT expressed what basically all of them said: "We are more cautious with mail, but will not allow fear to dictate how we run the magazine."

87% said that they still accept postal mail, 10% don't and the rest don't know. Only 2% admitted to banning mailed queries now. Nine responded by sending their writer's guidelines (thank you but we already have them.) and Rodale tried to sell us a book.

Most magazine staffers are sanguine. Editor Kathleen James Ring of BREW YOUR OWN, a magazine for beer-makers, and WINEMAKER said: "It hasn't even crossed my mind to worry about our mail. I'm sure this might be a relevant issue for national and international magazines that cover, say, politics, but for a tiny hobby magazine like WineMaker, the odds of someone targeting our office with an anthrax-containing letter are roughly the same as Martians landing on my desk."

A recurring theme was to keep mailed communications simple. Don't send attention-grabbing packages. Natalie Baan of PARABOLA said it best: "Please don't send us "weird" submissions: things in tubes, in overstuffed envelopes, in large, bulgy packages. We get those all the time, but now they make us a bit more nervous. Neatness and professionalism in the appearance of submissions has always been a plus in the publishing world; now it's also reassuring to the editors." Many, many editors echoed this request.

And editors are people, too. And sometimes they express themselves as the individuals they are. Here's Ken Martin of THE GOOD LIFE: "Anthrax, smanthrax. Being a small publication for and about the people of Central Texas centered on Austin, I feel sort of insulated from the threats that are troubling the big media outlets. Of course that first powdery envelope could change my attitude."

And this is Joan Twain of SURPRISE!: "Start writing on a positive note and get rid of the fear. It only adds to the negativity around the world. Changes have to be made to help create a better world and writers have that opportunity "the pen is mightier than the sword". Start using your gift in a more positive manner."

Claire Colvin of Canada's WOMEN TODAY gave great advice for e-mailers: "Be sure to use your subject line carefully so that it is easy for the editor to find you in a big stack of email. Include your last name and a shortened article title or keyword. Simply typing "query" or "submission" is tantamount to writing the whole thing in invisible ink. I'll never find you."

And finally, be sure to use a return address. Many editors simply toss envelopes without a return address. Karen Axelton of ENTREPRENEUR had some additional suggestions along that line: "Our mailroom is following standard guidelines such as being suspicious of any bulky, hand-addressed package from an unknown source. It's possible such mail could be discarded before reaching the editor. I would recommend that any snail mail queries be made as professional looking as possible with typed/computer generated labels, postmarked at the post office rather than sticking on a bunch of stamps, etc."

All the comments - and changed preferences - naturally will be entered into the Wooden Horse Magazines Database.