How To Contribute To PassPorter News - Guidelines! About This Page:

[PassPorter News]

Here are our PassPorter Newsletter Article Guidelines:

1. Articles remain the property of the author(s), but the author(s) give PassPorter Travel Press free permission to use the edited article in its newsletter, on the Web, and in a compilation (electronic and/or printed). In exchange for each article we use, we reward the author with one PassPorter Store gift certificate worth $25.

2. Articles will be properly attributed to the author by first and last name or by an assumed name if you prefer. We will also forward any e-mailed reader feedback to you.

3. Before you begin writing an article, please submit a topic idea to the editor(s). Once your topic idea has been approved, a due date will be suggested. Please acknowledge that this due date is acceptable, or suggest a new one if it is not. Once a due date has been agreed upon, it is important you stick to it as newsletters will be dependent upon the scheduled articles. If you find you cannot meet a due date, please contact the editor(s) as soon as possible to discuss a new due date.

4. We accept full-length articles that fall into one of two categories: General travel (topics that apply to traveling in general) and Disney (topics pertaining to all Disney parks and resorts world-wide or general Disney topics). In addition, we will consider adding columns for special features, topics, and concepts. Article usage is at the sole discretion of the editors.

5. Full-length articles must be between 750-1250 words. If you write more than 1250 words, you may send both an edited article below 1250 words and the full article. We may be able to put the longer article online at PassPorter.com and direct readers to it for more in-depth reading.

6. Articles should be submitted via e-mail as attached Microsoft Word documents. If this is not possible, you may send your text in the body of an e-mail. Always save your work on your own computer before submitting it.

7. Articles must be spell-checked prior to submission. Use just one space between sentences, single-line spacing between lines, and double-line spacing between paragraphs. Do not indent paragraphs, and no “hard returns” except at the end of paragraphs. Be sure to capitalize proper nouns. Do not abbreviate names, i.e. “Walt Disney World” rather than “WDW.” Place names and names of theme parks, attractions, hotels and restaurants should never be abbreviated. The names of states can be abbreviated when used in mailing addresses. If you feel you must abbreviate secondary terms that appear frequently in your article, such as Extra Magic Hour or Ticket and Transportation Center, use the following format for the first occurrence of the term, “Ticket and Transportation Center (TTC).” Punctuation should appear inside “quotation marks.”

8. All articles will be edited for style, grammar, spelling, and length. Whenever possible we will submit the edited article to the author for approval before using it. Please note: if an article requires so much editing that we would essentially have to re-write it, we will contact the author and ask for a revision. We are very interested in your contributions, however, so please don't worry that we will be overly picky.

9. Authors may suggest titles for their articles, but title choice will be at the final discretion of the editor(s).

10. Write your articles in active voice rather than passive. Break long sections into paragraphs, and long sentences into shorter sentences. Personal experiences should be accompanied by useful tips that can be applied by others. Be wary of writing about anything for which you do not have personal experience, and verify all facts (prices, hours, etc.). Always respect copyrights, and give credit to significant research resources. Include Web site addresses when relevant. Photos may be submitted with the articles and will be used if there is space.

11. Authors should submit a short biography to be included at the bottom of the article. (Example: “Sara is the Editor of PassPorter News as well as a Co-Guide for the Disney Cruise forums on the PassPorter Message Boards. She is looking forward to her next Disney vacation in December 2006!”)

Please let us know if you have any questions at all about these article guidelines. We look forward to your topic ideas and article submissions!

Please send your ideas to news@passporter.com