Submit a Letter to the Editor

The Hook welcomes your letters, but we do have some guidelines:

Deadline

Submission deadline is 10am on Mondays, three days before our Thursday publication. However, meeting this deadline is no guarantee of publication.

Rules

1. All letters must be a critique of something we've published.
   Therefore, we don't publish community "thank you" letters, Therefore, we don't publish most candidate-endorsement letters,
   Therefore, we don't publish letters also sent to other publications.
   
2. Letters must remain under 300 words.
   And we encourage you, to sustain reader interest, to keep it under 150 words.
3. Letters must not attempt to bring up unverified facts or allegations.
   Letter are are supposed to be opinions.
4. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and brevity.
   One of the reasons we request contact information is to confer with you on major changes.
5. Letters must be from one person.
   We do not publish anonymous letters, letters from a list of names, or those without the correct name and hometown of one individual.

Fine print

While the Hook relishes vibrant community discussion, the decision whether or not to print any letter remains completely at the discretion of the editor. Letters that employ language that could be construed as insulting, demeaning, bigoted, obscene, or otherwise objectionable run the risk of heavy editing or outright rejection. Furthermore, space in the print publication is tight, so it is quite possible that an acceptable letter might have to wait a week or two to see the light of day.

What if I have a story idea?

If it's a news tip, please call the editor at 434-295-8700 x230 or

What if I have a story I want to write?

The Hook has an experienced full-time news team and a wide network of essay contributors, so please be aware that very few unsolicited news articles, essays, or photographs are accepted. However, all are carefully considered, and local emphasis is a must. Please