More publishing tips: What not to do (5-5)

Hi all!

Paper Crafts has a new call up for submissions. You can check it out by clicking here.

It seems like I always get questions when there is a new call. And since I know a lot of you out there submit or have thought about doing it, I  thought I would talk today about what not to do when taking and preparing photos of your projects for submissions for the magazine.

I kind of like visual examples so I’ve worked up a few examples of what not to do with the card I posted here yesterday.

Let’s get started.

1. Don’t add watermarks or typed letters to your picture like “Penelope” did in this one. 😉

The editors really do care about judging projects blindly. They do not want to know who made them. They do want to see your project.

Sometimes, the writing covers up little details they want to see.

I recommend that if you need a watermark for a picture you are going to post on your blog to take a separate picture to use watermark-free for submission purposes.

2. Avoid hidden messages like this.

Believe me, pleading gets you nowhere.

3. Take clear pictures. Not fuzzy ones like this.

You know the card is super cool, but the fuzz keeps the editors from being able to tell just how cool it is.

I should also add to take pictures of your projects straight on. They want to see the whole project and not just the side of it.

4. Avoid props.

Am I trying to get the flower published here or the card?

Matt, the magazine’s art guru, is the prop guy. He and the editors need to see projects prop free so they can work ahead and figure out what they want to use to bring together your project with the whole group of projects they want to publish.

Again, props are really popular with pictures on crafty blogs. I recommend if you need a photo with props for your blog, take a prop-free one for submission purposes.

5. Just say no to patterned paper backgrounds and buttons in the foreground.

Patterned papers don’t always enhance the card. Take the picture here.

The paper is from the same collection I used on the card. It has the same colors and all, but it clashes.  Don’t sabotage yourself with getting picked up. Just. Say. No. Use a neutral background like white cardstock, a painted wall or a piece of solid fabric.

Buttons are a pretty popular prop in the crafty blog world. But they, too, can be problematic with submission photos. The buttons might clash with your project. Or an interesting button might even draw visual interest away from your project.

6. Avoid taking pictures of your projects laying down like here.

Think about the magazine. Almost all the projects that appear in the magazine are shot standing up. Make it easy for those editors.  Show them how your project would look if it appeared in the magazine standing up.

7. Adding your smiling face behind your project won’t help you get picked up either.

Hee, thank goodness, right? 😉

Finally, when you do submit, remember to size your photo accordingly in your photo editing program. Photos should be no bigger than 300 K. They should also be no bigger than 550 pixels in any one direction. If you don’t know how to do it, ask a computer savvy friend to help you out.

Hope this helps those of you out who are submitting to Paper Crafts.

If you missed my more general publishing tips posted here previously, check out this link. It will give you a few more tips.

That’s all for now. I’ll be back tomorrow with a brand new card.

Thanks for stopping by.