Nehginpao Kipgen on how to become an international writer
THIS IS to encourage the emerging writers and scholars of a small community, such as ours. To be able to make an impact in this global village, it is imperative that one competes internationally in his or her area of expertise.
Writing is something one can earn international credibility, recognition, reputation, and financial incentives. Many of the respected international newspapers pay compensation for article contribution. Some of them (from my own experience) which give reasonable honorarium are: New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and Washington Times (USA); South China Morning Post (Hong Kong);
Global Times (China); The Straits Times (Singapore); The Hindu, Hindustan Times and Asian Age (India); Jakarta Post (Indonesia); and The National (United Arab Emirates).
One can easily earn US dollars 70 to 400 (approximately Rs 3,000-24,000) just for one article. Once you become an experienced writer, you can finish one good article in a couple of hours. For amateur writers, it could take up to two to seven days. Imagine, you can make an income of about Rs 70,000 by publishing three articles in international papers. However, one should remember that not all international newspapers pay honorarium.
The best chances, but not limited to, of article acceptance are:
- If the article is analytical in nature and not just stating the facts
- If the article pertains to contemporary burning national/regional issue with international significance
- The article should not be in academic journal format, that is, no literature review/no footnotes/endnotes/no bibliography
- Keep the number of words to less than 1,300
- Write as an analyst or observer (do not simply report as the journalists do because every news organization has its own group of reporters)
- Begin with local newspapers and gradually move up to national and international papers
Individual success, in turn, shines one’s own family, community, society, ethnicity or race and nation. For students, once you become a successful writer, you can support your study without having to burden your parents. Moreover, writing is a dignified profession that can be continued until the later stage of one’s life/career.
All major national and international newspapers have websites of their own. Go to each website and search for “Contact” or “Contact Us” page. There you look for the relevant editor(s). Usually, it is the op-ed (opposite the editorial page or opinion editorial) editor where you submit your article.
You may first contact the concerned editor(s) and check to see if they are interested in the article you want to submit. However, most editors cannot make a decision until they see the finished article first.
Have patience and commitment toward achieving your goal. You must learn to like what you do and fall in love with writing. It may take from five to ten years to become an internationally recognized/renowned writer. Once you attain international status/recognition, you will have no problem in finding a place to publish your works.
For scholars/researchers and academics, the experiences you gain from writing newspaper/magazine articles will give you the skills (especially for non-native English speakers) helpful for writing academic or scholastic articles and books.
Finally, raise your goal beyond national level and aim to become part of the international community of writers/scholars/researchers/academics/experts.
(Nehginpao Kipgen is a political scientist and general secretary of the US-based Kuki International Forum whose general research interests include democratization, democratic transition, human rights, ethnic conflict, identity politics, and foreign policy. His academic research focuses on the politics of South and Southeast Asia, with specialization on Burma/Myanmar.)