National Geographic Kids

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS MAGAZINE

Submission Guidelines

Thank you for your interest in contributing to NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS, a general-interest 

nonfiction magazine for 6- to 14-year-olds published ten times a year. NG KIDS' tagline is: Dare to 

Explore. It's our mission to find fresh ways to entertain children while educating

and exciting them about their world.

Submission Guidelines

What types of stories does NG KIDS publish?

NG KIDS stories cover a broad range of topics, including natural history, science, geography, 

history, and human interest. For our departments, we are looking for animal anecdotes and cool 

vacation ideas.

What kinds of proposals is NG KIDS looking for?

Although our staff generates most of our story ideas, we'd be delighted to receive queries from you 

about unique stories that have kid appeal.

Here are things to consider before pitching to NG KIDS:

Geography, archaeology, paleontology, and history story suggestions must answer the question, 

"What's fun about that?"

Science and technology story ideas must answer the questions, "How does this directly affect a 

kid's life?" and "What's in it for a 10-year-old?"

Natural history story ideas must be tightly focused and exciting. For example: Don't pitch a 

general story about cheetahs. Do pitch a story on how a cheetah's physical attributes make it the 

ultimate hunting machine.

For "Amazing Animals," we're looking for animal stories that tell about unusual abilities, animal 

heroes, friendships, or silly situations.

Entertainment story ideas must offer some behind-the-scenes perspective that is unusual and 

informational.

How should one propose an idea?

NG KIDS does not accept unsolicited manuscripts, so a potential idea should be submitted only 

through a query letter. A carefully considered query letter should be based on a well- researched 

premise or hook. Do your homework and study recent issues of NG KIDS to

be sure that your idea has not already been covered within the last three years. (Another

good resource is the online NG KIDS index: publicationsindex.nationalgeographic.com.)

A good query is short and to the point (about 250 words). It should include a headline

that suggests what the story is, a deck that amplifies the headline, a strong lead, and a paragraph 

that clearly sets out the premise and approach of the piece. The query should represent the style 

in which the piece will be written. We look for a writing style that's informed but speaks the 

reader's language and has a sense of humor. Tell us which area of the magazine your story fits 

into. Please include clips that show a fun sense of style and tone, as well as a resume.

Once you have the perfect idea, here's who to pitch to on the NG KIDS staff. Science, space, 

technology, environment, natural history, wildlife, geography,

paleontology: Science Editor Catherine Hughes, chughes@ngs.org

Human interest, "Amazing Animals," pets, entertainment, weird-and-wacky stuff,

cultural stories, archaeology, and history: Associate Editor Andrea Silen, asilen@ngs.org

Still not sure who to contact? Send queries to Editorial Assistant Bianca Bowman, bibowman@ngs.org, 

who will forward it to the appropriate editor.

Any photographic queries should go to Photo Director Jay Sumner, jsumner@ngs.org. Queries by mail 

should be sent to the appropriate editor at 1145 17th St. NW,

Washington, DC 20036.

Please note that we cannot accept phone queries or acknowledge or return any

submissions, whether sent by email or regular mail. All submissions become property of

the National Geographic Society, and rights therefore are transferred to the Society.

http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-content/file/Writer_Guidelines-2012-cb1331644966.pdf

Leatherneck

Feature Writers:

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• We encourage writers who have a Marine Corps background to submit articles. It is best to query first. Material is reviewed on a speculative basis.
• Since Leatherneck is a magazine published primarily for U.S. Marines, all of our material must be targeted accordingly.
• Our usual requirements for articles are 1,500 to 2,000 words, accompanied by 8 to 10 color or black and white photographs, or illustrations and maps where appropriate, with complete caption information. We reserve the right to edit in order to meet space limitations or magazine format criteria.
• All articles must be accurate, with the writer having checked the spelling of names and places as well as having checked all dates, numbers, etc. We do not publish fiction or personal vignettes.
• Manuscripts, artwork or photographs should be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope.
• Our audience is highly varied, ranging from potential (high-school-age) recruits to active-duty personnel, former Marines, retirees of all ages and recruits' parents and spouses.
• Our theme is the Marine Corps: "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow," and we endeavor to include history, current events and forward-looking stories in each issue.
• The publishers of Leatherneck assume no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts, drawings or photographs.
• Article submissions must be double-spaced and may be sent to us via mail addressed to:
  Editor
  Leatherneck Magazine
  Box 1775
  Quantico, VA 22134
• Submission on a computer disk is appreciated and facilitates our editing.
• Article submissions also may be sent via e-mail to: leatherneck@mca-marines.org.
• Query first on all submissions, except poetry. The publishers assume no responsibility for the return of poetry.
• Leatherneck sponsors the annual Ronald D. Lyons writing award for active-duty Marine sergeants and below. The magazine will pay $500 to the winner of the award, given for the best news or feature story to appear in Leatherneck during the contest year.
• Call (800) 336-0291, Ext. 115 for more information.

  Book Reviewers

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  • Our usual requirement for book reviews is 300 to 750 words.
  • Check with the editor in advance to determine whether a review is desired.
  • Book review submissions must be double-spaced and may be sent to us via mail addressed to:
    Editor
    Leatherneck Magazine
    Box 1775
    Quantico, VA 22134
  • Submission on a computer disk is appreciated and facilitates our editing.
  • Book review submissions also may be sent via e-mail to: leatherneck@mca-marines.org.
  • Please be sure to include the book's author, publisher (including city), ISBN, year of publication, number of pages and cost of the book.
  • Call (800) 336-0291, Ext. 115 for more information.

    Photographers:

    ---

    Leatherneck accepts photography from both military and civilian photographers. Color slides, prints and digital images are preferred. Black and white images also are acceptable.
    Digital: Files should be at least 5x7 at 300 resolution or higher and saved in TIFF or JPEG format. (All files will be converted to TIFF or EPS format and saved as CMYK files.)
    Cover: For best results, image should measure 8 1/2" x 11" (300 resolution if digital). Remember to leave space at the top of your proposed cover image (illustration, painting or photograph) for the Leatherneck logo. Action should be from left to right or centered.
    Send digital photographs on a compact disk with appropriate caption and photo ID to:
    Editor
    Leatherneck Magazine
    Box 1775
    Quantico, VA 22134
    -OR- email them to: leatherneck@mca-marines.org.
    Awards: Leatherneck sponsors two art awards, both named in honor of former staff members. The Tom Bartlett Award is a $1,000 cash prize given to any active-duty Marine photographer or artist whose submitted picture or artwork is selected for the cover of the magazine and deemed the best of that contest year. The Lou Lowery Award is a $500 cash prize given for the best photograph taken by an active-duty sergeant or below to appear inside Leatherneckduring the contest year. Call (800) 336-0291, Ext. 115 for more information.

    Reader Assistance entries:

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    Reader Assistance entries may be sent via email to: leatherneck@mca-marines.org.

    Examples:

    John Doe, 1234 Freedom Rd., Anytown, VA 11111, (555) 555-1234, johndoe(at)e-mailaddress.com, wants a recruit graduation book for Plt 123, Parris Island, 1950.

    or,

    John Doe, 1234 Freedom Rd., Anytown, VA 11111, (555) 555-1234, johndoe(at)e-mailaddress.com, has uniform items and unit patches for sale.

    Reunion entries:

    ---

    Reunion entries may be sent via email to: leatherneck@mca-marines.org.

    Example:

    1stMarDiv Assn., Sept. 10-12, Reuniontown, Calif. Contact John Doe, 1234 Freedom Rd., Anytown, VA 11111, (555) 555-1234, johndoe(at)e-mailaddress.com.
    

    Mail Call entries (At a minimum, always include a complete mailing address):

    ---

    Mail Call entries may be sent via email to: leatherneck@mca-marines.org.

    Examples:

    John Doe, 1234 Freedom Rd., Anytown, VA 11111, (555) 555-1234, johndoe(at)e-mailaddress.com, to hear from members of Plt 123, Parris Island, 1950.

    or,

    John Doe, 1234 Freedom Rd., Anytown, VA 11111, (555) 555-1234, johndoe(at)e-mailaddress.com, to hear from Sgt Bill SMITH, stationed at MCAS, Miramar, Calif., 1980. 

Entrepreneur and Entrepreneur.com

Entrepreneur Magazine Writer's Guidelines

Writers' Guidelines for:
Entrepreneur Magazine
Entrepreneur.com

Our Mission
Business ownership is not what it used to be. Entrepreneur helps entrepreneurs thrive in today's fast-paced environment, offering actionable information and practical inspiration that successful business owners can use to achieve their vision of growth.

Our Readers
Our readers are energetic entrepreneurs who are not content with the status quo. They're risk-takers who thrive on growth and innovation, constantly seeking cutting-edge ideas to improve their businesses. They're the thinkers shaping the new face of entrepreneurship.

Our Content
Entrepreneur reports on innovative methods and strategies to help readers improve their business operations. We also cover current issues and trends that affect entrepreneurial companies, as well as new business ideas and opportunities. We provide detailed how-to information in an entertaining, intriguing and evocative fashion, with a writing style that is punchy, sophisticated and chatty.

What We're Looking For

Don't give us the obvious, or merely touch on the surface of a subject. Our readers are not beginners, and they don't have time to waste reading what they already know.

We're looking for in-depth reporting, with information culled from many sources to give readers a broad perspective on a topic. Can you offer a fresh angle on a familiar subject? Can you convey atmosphere and personality when interviewing entrepreneurs and experts? Can you elicit interesting quotes from people, and find sources who don't say the same old thing in the same old way? Can you write about business with authority and passion? Then you're the kind of writer we're looking for.

Features
Features are 1,700 words, including sidebars, charts and/or boxes. Types of features we are seeking include:

• In-depth articles examining how a current business issue, such as the tight labor market or the health-insurance crisis, affects small businesses.
• Psychological topics, such as "Are your shortcomings killing your company?" or "What is the line between taking advantage of opportunities and being an opportunist?"
• How-to articles, such as how to get your product into Wal-Mart, how to bounce back from a business failure, how to stay healthy and fit despite the demands of your business, or how to sell your product to the U.S. government.

Columns:
Entrepreneur's upfront section, "Edge," features brief, punchy articles on news and trends affecting small-business owners. We purchase short (250-400 words) articles for $1 per word in the following topic areas:

• Money - business financing, financial management and personal finance issues. Recent examples: Is the housing boom hurting investment in small business?; A group of small businesses is suing the major credit-card issuers over excessive fees; Unusual ways entrepreneurs are financing their businesses
• Marketing - sales and marketing issues. Recent examples: Getting your product on a reality TV show; "Techfluential" consumers - who are they and why you should care; What are the current marketing clichè's?
• Management - management and operations issues. Recent examples: Some retail stores and restaurants are starting to ban children--should you?; After years of only targeting big chains, more malls are seeking small boutiques again; More states are encouraging "managed-competition" health care.
• Technology - tech issues. Recent examples: "Green" web hosting is a new trend; Should you send your IT person to hacker bootcamp?; What it's really like to switch to VoIP in your office
• Viewpoint - thought-provoking, controversial first-person essay on some aspect of entrepreneurship. Could cover politics, ethics, personal life and more. (500 words)
• Miscellaneous - We also purchase short (300- to 500-word) articles for the Edge section that do not fall into the above categories, but simply report on interesting trends or ideas. For example: entrepreneurs who are trying to revive products from the '80s; what your sleeping position says about you as an entrepreneur; how the Internet is revolutionizing the crafts industry.

We also buy Snapshot articles - Brief (150-word) profiles of entrepreneurs, focusing specifically on what is innovative about their company in one of the following areas: sales/marketing, business financing/financial management, management strategies, or technology.

Other columns are not open to freelancers. However, if you have an idea for a new column--or you think you could write better than one of our existing columnists--query us and prove it.

StartUp. Targeted at start-up entrepreneurs, "StartUp" is a mini-magazine within a magazine. The monthly feature within "StartUp" is open to freelancers. It is 2,000 words long and covers how-to topics of interest to start-up entrepreneurs--for example, how to start a specific type of business (like a toy company or a pet products business); the best places to find start-up capital; how to overcome the mental roadblocks that keep you from starting a business.

Where to Start

• Please read several issues of the magazine before querying us. Pay particular attention to the columns. We have dozens of columns on topics including management, sales and marketing, business ideas, technology and finance. Many of the queries we receive are rejected because they duplicate topics covered in our columns. Only a topic that is too extensive to be covered in one of our columns warrants feature coverage.
• Submit queries only. Full-length manuscripts are discouraged.
• Queries should be emailed to queries@entrepreneur.com.
• Queries should describe the topic clearly and succinctly. Avoid vagueness and generalities. Be as specific as possible about what aspects of the subject you will cover, people you will interview, how the story will help our readers and why you're qualified to write it.
• No phone calls, please.
• Include a return address and both day and evening phone numbers on all correspondence.
• Entrepreneur Media buys first worldwide rights and pays upon acceptance.
• Entrepreneur Media assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photos or tapes.

Sample copies
You can find Entrepreneur at most newsstands and bookstores, or you can order the magazine by sending $7.20 ($4.00/issue + $3.20 shipping) to: Entrepreneur Media, P.O. Box 432,Newburgh, NY 12551.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/entmagwg.html

This site will be a compilation of writer's guidelines from magazines in every genre.  It is my hope that it will help some struggling freelance writers find their way to a great income as magazine feature writers.

The guidelines are current as of the day they are posted.