I suppose it was inevitable given the recent changes in NAWG that LINK would need to undergo something of a transformation. What you see before you is the product of much discussion, many decisions, and the time, effort and skill of a group of people who feel, as we surely all do that our Association champions a very worthwhile cause.

In taking on the role of newsletter editor, my job principally is to choose which items to include in each issue and which submissions seem not to be suitable. At the moment my main guidelines are the points of editorial policy that the current Committee formulated late last year. Hopefully you’ve caught sight of them (the guidelines, not the Committee!) in the December LINK mailout, but if not you can find them on the NAWG website.

Guidelines however are just that. I also rely on what I consider to be entertaining and informative writing, and I hope increasingly to be influenced by what you the readers would like to see. So your feedback is going to be very valuable. One idea that we the Committee would like to try is offering an email version of LINK as well as the paper-based one you’re used to. Further details in the next issue but please let us know what you think.

I am acutely aware that I have a great deal to live up to in helping to ensure that the new LINK approaches the standards set not only by Mike Wilson but by your own expectations. These are my first faltering steps. Bear with me. I hope as a gain more experience that I may edit LINK as the military strategist Sun Tzu said one should fry a small fish – lightly.

NAWG Editorial Policy:

1.  Link magazine and other NAWG publications embody the ethos of being ‘about writing, by writers, for writers’.
2.  Submitted material shall not be libelous or defamatory to any individual, organisation or other entity in any way. Any material deemed to be so shall not be published by NAWG.
3. The rights of contributors to express themselves freely will be respected as long as they do not conflict with point 2 above and all other relevant statements of NAWG editorial policy.
4. The opinions of contributors published by NAWG do not necessarily represent the views of the organisation itself, its Board of Trustees, Committee members, member groups or associates.
5. Submissions shall be the authors’ own original work. Should the work of other authors be quoted then it is the individual contributor’s responsibility to ensure that necessary permissions have been sought and where required, permission fees paid.
6. LINK magazine will publish fiction in the form of occasional Fiction Specials. Generally speaking fiction will not form the bulk of regular editions of Link. However extracts used as part of an article or letter can be included. Where such extracts represent the work of other authors necessary permissions etc (as in point 5 above) must have been obtained.
7. Jokes and cartoons and other illustrative devices (which could be construed as fiction) may be included in Link articles. Again, it is the author’s responsibility to seek permission for their use as necessary.
8. The Editor of LINK reserves the right to shorten or otherwise edit contributions to the magazine where space is an issue, but shall not make changes for any other reason without the contributor’s prior consent.
9. Submissions may be sent by post or email. If by post send to Link Editor, NAWG, PO Box 3266, Stoke-on-Trent, ST10 9BD. If by email send to nawgeditor@live.com. Please do not send your work as attachments, but paste the text into the body of the email. Note that while emailed submissions will not be given priority, they are much easier to process than paper-based material, which either has to be typed into the computer or scanned and processed. With that in mind emailed submissions wherever possible will be very much appreciated.
10. Submissions for publication by NAWG will not be returned, so contributors are advised to make sure they keep copies of their material. Acknowledgement of receipt of material will be made if a) paper submissions are accompanied by a SAE b) email submissions carry a ‘read receipt’ request.
11. Please keep articles as short as possible, ideally 250-300 words. Longer pieces may have to be split into sections to fit into Link’s new format.
12. The decision of the Editor of LINK to reject or modify submissions that are accepted is final, though such a decision will be made in line with point 8 above. Apart from this, no correspondence will be entered into.