Submitting Death Notices To Newspapers

Typically speaking, when you write an obituary, you will be making two different versions of the same piece. After all, there will be one that will occur within the funeral materials, and there will be another one for submission to the local newspaper(s). Knowing how to provide the necessary information for the service program is typically much more obvious than finding out how to have it published in the papers, so here is what you need to know to get it to the presses.

Begin by speaking to someone at the funeral home, such as the director. This is because many of these companies will often be able to provide you with the required forms to complete in order to have the announcement published in the local newspaper of your choice. Furthermore, there are many funerary packages that will actually include the price of the submission within the cost of the service itself. Moreover, they may have some templates available to help you to put together the written piece in a way that you will feel provides the necessary data while properly honoring the decedent.

Instead (or in addition to that first step), you can also purchase a copy of the newspaper in which you would like the death notice to be printed, so that you can have a look at the way that publication tends to style their pieces, how long they are, and what information is usually provided. Furthermore, you'll also likely be able to find out to whom your copy should be sent and how much it will cost per word.

Don't forget that it is important to set a budget for this particular element of the passing. Remember that there will be a fee for every inch of space or every word and if you decide to create a lengthy tribute, you may find that you will owe the paper hundreds of dollars. Even if the funeral package includes the obituary, it will still likely have a maximum allowable size, over which it will cost extra per word or inch.

You'll also want to look into the regulations for submission and any other printing policies the paper may have — especially deadlines.

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