Latest Issue:
The Agenda #22
Summer 2008


The Strange Life Cycle of an Agenda Contribution

  1. Submission
    1. A Contributor passes a contribution to an Agenda staffer directly or through a submission address (see at bottom). Writing and images that go together ideally should be sent together, but may be sent separately, clearly identified as going with other content. (Usually, the image deadline is later than the writing deadline.)
    2. An Agenda staffer personally verifies that the contribution is intact and usable (files not corrupted, documents or images not damaged or missing), and sends a confirmation to the Contributor that the contribution was received intact, or advises the Contributor that it is damaged or corrupted.
    3. A staffer resets a written contribution in a standard format used for editing, and places it in an entry-level folder where it will be picked up for editing. The contribution now becomes a formal Submission.
  2. Editing
    1. Editors pick up submissions one by one and work on them. As pieces move up, editors initial them and add remarks.
    2. If Editors feel that a piece requires new input from the Contributor, they may recontact them with questions or requests, ranging from simple clarification to complete rewrite.
    3. When possible, the Contributor should be able to review the ‘final’ version and offer their feedback, including last-minute changes.
    4. If you’d like to work on the submission for further development ‐ let us know: This is something we would be happy to do.
  3. Production
    1. The Production staff pulls pieces ready for publication from a dedicated folder, and places them in the final layout of the paper.
    2. When the paper is ready, it goes to the Printer.
    3. When the print run is finished, the papers are picked up at the Printer and distributed by a Distribution staff.
  4. Rejections, Returns and Deferments: A contribution might not run immediately, or at all, for any of several reasons:
    1. A contribution might be rejected if it’s thought to be entirely unusable, or wholly inappropriate. This could happen for more reasons than can be listed here; however, outright rejection is rare.
    2. A submission might be returned if it’s thought to need more rework than the editors feel they can handle (or fear they might damage the contributor’s tone, style or intent). A piece could also be returned for major corrections requiring the contributor’s input, or update if the content is or soon will be out of date (see ‘deferred’ below).
    3. A finished, ready-to-run piece might be deferred to the next or later issue, if there is not enough room for it in the current in-process issue, and it is thought neither time-sensitive for that issue nor inextricably linked to other content in that issue. (A deferred piece may become untimely as a result, and may require updating by the contributor; this could also happen if an issue is delayed for some reason. See ‘returned’ above.)

Ways to Submit to the Agenda!
  1. theagenda401@gmail.com
  2. info@agendanation.net
  3. The Agenda’s online contact form
  4. Your Special Friend at the Agenda