Article Proposal

This is an e-mail thread between a magazine editor and me.  As such, it is meant to be read "from the bottom up."

I removed the magazine name, the editor's last name, e-mail address, and any other identifying information for confidentiality reasons, but I thought it would be helpful for aspiring writers to see how this works.

I think this shows how you can leverage previous work and your expertise in a field to easily get another article published.

Of course, I'm not being paid for this article, but I'm working towards that!


-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Sturn [mailto:[e-mail]]
Sent: Monday, August 1, 2008 8:30 AM
To: Andrea xxxxxx
Subject: RE: Article Proposal from a Convention Speaker

Dan:

I have asked Melissa in Operations to e-mail you a list of members sorted by assets and showing the assets of each.  I think you're right, banks over 100 million are going to be interested in this, but I already know people on LinkedIn, so that means it's a matter of time and we'll all be dealing with it. 

Andrea

-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Sturn [mailto:[e-mail]]
Sent: Monday, August 1, 2008 8:30 AM
To: Andrea xxxxxx
Subject: RE: Article Proposal from a Convention Speaker

Andrea,

What I'm finding is that the smaller banks are not even aware of LinkedIn.  At this time, it seems to be a problem primarily with larger institutions who, because of their size, have a team of IT personnel who are internet-savvy enough to be involved in LinkedIn.

So, I'll need some help deciding who to contact.  Do you have any suggestions, or is there a list of banks by asset size I can get off your website?  If not, any suggestions as to where I might go to choose target interviews?

Also, given that the majority of your Readers are from banks less in size that 100 million, should we reconsider this as the article idea? 

Let me know . . .

Dan



-----Original Message-----
From: Andrea xxxxxx [mailto:[e-mail]]
Sent: Thursday, July 9, 2008 12:36 PM
To: Dan Sturn
Subject: RE: Article Proposal from a Convention Speaker

Just make sure it's a xxxxxx member, please.

-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Sturn [mailto:[e-mail]]
Sent: Thursday, July 9, 2008 8:22 AM
To: Andrea xxxxxx
Subject: RE: Article Proposal from a Convention Speaker

That's great.  Thanks!  Is there a bank or other entity you would prefer that I interview?

Dan



-----Original Message-----
From: Andrea xxxxxx [mailto:[e-mail]]
Sent: Thursday, July 9, 2008 10:02 AM
To: Dan Sturn
Subject: RE: Article Proposal from a Convention Speaker

Thanks!

Keep in mind that when you remind me of Monty Hall you are making me feel old!

Let's put Door #1 in the November issue. 

Andrea



-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Sturn [mailto:[e-mail]]
Sent: Wednesday, July 9, 2008 5:11 PM
To: Andrea xxxxxx
Subject: RE: Article Proposal from a Convention Speaker

Hi Andrea,

Do you have the 1000 word space reserved already for me for the September issue?  If so, I will rearrange my schedule to make time to write something.  But if it is all the same, I'd rather submit an article in September for the November issue.  Or worse case scenario I can submit the article I already sent you about e-mail forwarding.  It's funny, though there are no interviews.

What I really want to do is write about LinkedIn, and I have that idea all fleshed out.  However, I have not found time to conduct any interviews. 

If you know Todd Rundgren, you surely remember Monty Hall, right?  I guess this could be like Let's Make a Deal and you can choose door number 1, 2, or 3!  :)

Door #1:  LinkedIn:  Wait until October for a really good article about LinkedIn with interviews.
Door #2:  Risk Assessments:  Politely require me to honor the timeframe you already gave me and submit a 1000 word article about risk assessments.
Door #3:  E-mail Forwarding:  Require me to cut this article back in size to 1000 words.

Door #1:  Here's my idea for the LinkedIN article:
=======================================================

Have you heard of LinkedIn?  It's like a Facebook or Myspace for professionals.  I want to interview people from various sizes banks in Illinois, as well as security professionals, privacy persons, maybe even a couple of professors from Purdue University.  I have already interviewed a recruiter who uses LinkedIn to poach employees.

Questions I'd ask:  "What do you guys of this phenomenon as it applies to your organization?  What sites are there besides LinkedIn?  How do you manage the productivity drain?  Do you use the site yourself?  If so, how much time do you spend per day on it?  How do you balance your site activity with other means of networking?  How much information is "too much information?"  Is there a way to balance privacy with visibility?  How real are the threats to productivity and competitive hiring?  Is it going to take on a life of its own?  What are the risks?
The rewards?  I could also include a link to a non infotex web page with a boilerplate policy for this.  Finally, I would include a sidebar addressing the security issues with an interview of a security professional (doesn't have to be an infotex employee). 

I'd try to keep the article light-hearted and humorous, but touch on some rather sticky subjects and provide good solid actionable information.

================


Door #2:  Risk Assessments:
=====================================
Andrea:  If I would be leaving you in a bind because I owe you 1000 words by Friday, I can still write a quick article about risk assessments.  I can easily write 1000 words that cover all the points I'm going to go over in my session at the annual convention.  At a high level.  I already have the content.  There would be no interviews, and it would be rather dry.  I can give links to outside sites for more information if you want.  I'd rather not do this article.

================

Door #3:  E-mail:
=====================================
Or if you'd like I can take the article I already sent you and reduce it to 1000 words.  Here's a link to it:
https://my.xxxxxxx.com/article.php?story=20080629200920347.

================

Let me know which door you'd like to choose!

Dan





-----Original Message-----
From: Andrea xxxxxx [mailto:[e-mail]]
Sent: Monday, July 07, 2008 2:54 PM
To: Dan Sturn
Subject: RE: Article Proposal from a Convention Speaker

Hard to say.  The publisher promises that it will be before, but in my experience, the mail date and Convention will probably be close together.

Why don't you propose three different approaches and we'll go from there.  I can reserve 1000 words for you in the September issue.  If that won't work, let me know.



-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Sturn [mailto:[e-mail]]
Sent: Thursday, July 03, 2008 12:30 PM
To: Andrea xxxxxx
Subject: RE: Article Proposal from a Convention Speaker

I've been wondering, when actually does the September issue come out?
If it's released after the 09/12 Convention date, it might be better to just work with a different topic altogether.

Dan



-----Original Message-----
From: Andrea xxxxx [mailto:Andrea@xxxxxx]
Sent: Thursday, July 03, 2008 11:44 AM
To: Dan Sturn
Subject: RE: Article Proposal from a Convention Speaker

I don't think it's self-serving at all.  Obviously, you wouldn't want to cover the exact same material in that you want them to also attend your Convention presentation.



-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Sturn [mailto:[e-mail]]
Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2008 5:42 PM
To: Andrea xxxxxx
Subject: RE: Article Proposal from a Convention Speaker

I don't have a favorite Todd album myself, I love them all.  It always takes me several listens before I actually learn how to like it though.


Any ideas for a topic?  My talk at the convention is about risk analysis.  I might be able to come up with something about that.  Would it be too "self-serving?"

Dan



-----Original Message-----
From: Andrea XXXXXX [mailto:[e-mail]]
Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2008 11:16 AM
To: Dan Sturn
Subject: RE: Article Proposal from a Convention Speaker

Pretty much!  If you know that song, then you are as much of a Todd Rundgren fan as I . . . . I'm glad your article has integrity!!

Onion Head . . . AWTS was by far my favorite Todd album.

-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Sturn [mailto:[e-mail]]
Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2008 9:13 AM
To: Andrea xxxxxx
Subject: RE: Article Proposal from a Convention Speaker

So are you saying you're just another onion head!

Dan



-----Original Message-----
From: Andrea XXXXXX [mailto:Andrea@xxxxxx]
Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2008 11:08 AM
To: Dan Sturn
Subject: RE: Article Proposal from a Convention Speaker

Dan:

Very good articles!

I'd be happy to print an article of yours in the September issue of xxxxxxx.  The deadline is noon, Friday, August 1.  Please keep it to 1,000 words.  Let me know if you have any other questions.

By the way, I loved Todd Rundgren in college, as well.  We listened to "A Wizard, A True Star" over and over.

Andrea xxxxxx
SVP Communications
xxxxxxxx Magazine Editor



-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Sturn [mailto:[e-mail]]
Sent: Monday, June 30, 2008 7:40 PM
To: Andrea xxxxxx
Subject: Article Proposal from a Convention Speaker

Andrea,

I am the managing partner of Infotex.  I'll be speaking at your October convention and I'd like to introduce myself to your members with a fun article in xxxxxxx.  I'm not sure what your publication schedule is, but if there is still time, I propose we think of a topic together and then I'll write a fun-to-read article about it.

I have written articles for the Hoosier Banker magazine, VSDA magazine, VSDA Reports, and several other trade magazines.  (My last one, "The One Control," is attached.)  Bobbette xxxxxxx keeps suggesting I try to get published in your magazine.  I can write an article like "The One Control" or come up with a wholly new idea. 

My last portal post was about e-mail forwards, which is a controversial issue among bankers.  Here's a link to it:
https://my.xxxxxxx.com/article.php?story=20080629200920347.  It is unedited so if you like the idea I can work on it further, and interview some bankers from your membership if you wish.

Let me know what you think,

Dan