Writing for Perl.com
- What topics do you want?
- Do I need to be a Perl "famous name"?
- What should I do next?
- How long should it be?
- What format should I use?
- How much should I expect to get?
- I have another question!
Have you got some Perl technique or success that you'd love to tell the world about? Do you want to turn this into fame and a small amount of fortune? Why not write an article for us here at perl.com?
Here's our handy submission guide to answer your questions about writing for perl.com.
What topics do you want?
Anything and everything related to Perl will be considered. Things that we'll be particularly interested in will vary from season to season, but we're always looking for articles in the following areas:
- Testimonials of how Perl helps your business or organization.
- How you solved a particularly difficult problem with an interesting application of Perl.
- Introducing a new and innovative Perl module or application.
We will tend to reject commercial press releases dressed as articles.
Also, if we're running a series of articles on a common theme, we'll be
particularly interested in articles on a wildly different topic. If
we've got four or five CGI articles running already, for instance, a
mod_perl article may end up put aside for a few months, whereas an
article on voice synthesis with Perl would be run nearly immediately.
Do I need to be a Perl ``famous name''?
Obviously, we do often publish articles from people with a reputation in the Perl community, but we're also strongly in favour of people getting a name for themselves because of a perl.com article. The perl.com editor himself got his first break in the Perl world by writing an article for perl.com...
What should I do next?
If you've got an idea for an article, talk to and we'll discuss it. I'll generally tell you whether or not we're provisionally interested in the article, and ask you to send an outline and a few paragraphs to get a feel for your writing style.
Don't worry if you think you're not a fabulous author - the point of having an editor is to work with you to make your prose look better.
How long should it be?
perl.com articles are generally around 2,500 words each.
What format should I use?
We prefer POD or very simple HTML. Plain text is acceptable. Please refrain from sending Microsoft Word documents or other binary formats.
How much should I expect to get?
What we pay in consideration for an article depends on its quality, length and technical depth. A well-written technically involved article can expect to fetch around $250.
I have another question!
Contact , and we'll talk about it.