Submission Guidelines

Dexter: Ionia County Magazine | Writer and Photographer Submissions

MISSION STATEMENT AND GOALS:

Dexter: Ionia County Magazine strives to provide informative, educational articles emphasizing life in Ionia County that include the people, places, businesses, non-profits, arts, social issues, and politics that comprise the Ionia County region. Our magazine is positioned as a lifestyle, community forum magazine and is the alternative information source for all of Ionia County. The free-spirited editorial content has a distinct Ionia County focus, and addresses issues common to the people of Ionia County. Dexter: Ionia County Magazine is Delivering Ionia County's Dynamic Best!

It is the goal of Dexter: Ionia County Magazine to offer the best stories, art and photographs Ionia County has to offer. To do so, we rely heavily on free-lance writers, artists and photographers. If you are interested in submitting stories, art or photos to Dexter Magazine for publication please follow these guidelines below.

SUBMISSION POLICIES:

You must submit only original and unpublished work. By submitting to us, you are giving Dexter Magazine permission to publish your work both in a single issue and in any future publications that feature items from Dexter Magazine. This may include compilation works, web page summaries of the magazine, etc. Although we are retaining the right to use your work, we do not take complete ownership of it. This means that if we publish your work in Dexter, you retain the right to submit the work to other publications. All articles are accepted on speculation. Publication of any article cannot be guaranteed. Dexter: Ionia County Magazine reserves the right to edit all copy. The option to publish the article electronically on our web site is required for all published articles.

Simultaneous Submissions (those being prepared for several publications or markets at one time) is acceptable. However, please notify us of your intent. We prefer to maintain first publication rights and ask that you do not publish your article in another print format until 14 workings days after we publish the article in our magazine.

WRITERS (solicited work):

To obtain assigned or solicited work for feature articles (800 - 1200 words), please send a query letter via postal service or email and include ideas for stories you may have. Please attach no more than three samples (preferably tear-sheets) of your writing. Include a SASE if you would like your materials returned.

TERMS:

Dexter: Ionia County Magazine does not pay for article submissions. However, we do encourage writers to take their art to the next level by publication in our magazine.

WRITERS (unsolicited work):

We encourage writers to take their art to the next level by publication in Dexter: Ionia County Magazine. Please follow the specifications for submissions listed below.

TERMS: Dexter: Ionia County Magazine does not pay for article submissions. However, we do encourage you to take your art to the next level by publication in our magazine.

Unsolicited Work Ideas (include but or not limited to):
* Query for work as Feature Article (approximately 800-1200 words)

Ionia County Restaurant Review: 250 – 350 words
Ionia County Business Spotlight: 250 words
*Places to Go in Ionia County: 300 – 800 words
*Things to Do in Ionia County: 300 - 800 words
*City (i.e. Ionia, Belding, Portland, Saranac, etc.) Focus: 300 – 800 words
*People Profile: 300-800 words
Ionia County Historical Articles: 300-800 words
*Trends (New) in Ionia County: 300-800 words
Teen Interest: 300-800 words
Senior Citizen Interest: 300-800 words
*Where Are They Now? – successful people FROM Ionia County: 300-800 words

CONTRIBUTIONS:

Dexter: Ionia County Magazine encourages reader contributions for both our print magazine and Dexter Online. Contributions are unpaid (however, in some cases you may gain a certain amount of fame!).

Contributions Include:

Letters to the Editor
Letters about past issues
Short filler pieces
Household hints
Recipes
Any humorous article
Pet Stories
Kid Stories

ARTISTS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS:

Please send a query letter stating your interest in working with Dexter: Ionia County Magazine. Attach three non-returnable samples of your work. Artists, please indicate your favored medium.

TERMS:

Dexter: Ionia County Magazine Photos must be at least 300 dpi in JPEG, TIF or Photoshop. We do not pay for submissions, but do encourage you to take your art to the next level by publication in our magazine.

DEADLINES:

Deadline for submissions is one and a half months prior to the month in which the article is scheduled to appear. We publish the magazine bi-monthly in September (due July 15), November (due September 15), January (due November 15), March (due January 15), May (due March 15) and July (due May 15).

SPECIFICATIONS:

We prefer to receive all articles and photographs in (PC) digital format included in either the body of an email, by attachment in MS Word or on CD/Diskette/Flash. We also accept submissions by postal mail. Include cover letter with date, name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, word count and the title of article with hard copy submissions, or in the body of your email if you are sending the article in digital format.
81/2 X 11 inch page format
Double-spaced type; upper/lower case.
Utilize simple fonts: Times or Helvetica, 12-pitch.
Please do not send articles that are hand-written, faxed or printed on a dot matrix printer.
Photos (if any) must be accompanied by photo credits and names and contact information of any individuals appearing in the photograph for publication purposes. Color or black & white photos are acceptable. However we prefer digital photos in very high resolution (at least 300 dpi) JPEG, TIF or Photoshop formats, in at least 8 ½ by 11 inch size (so we can adjust the size accordingly while maintaining the crisp resolution of the photograph).

STYLE/CONTENT:

Articles that are succinct, timely, professionally presented, and well-written have the best chance of being published. Topics with a “local flair” are preferable to those citing sources and incidents or quoting individuals from other areas of the country. If a subject is global or national in nature, find a way to localize it – if possible.
Accuracy is extremely important. If statistics, figures or “facts” are used – the source must be cited. Always provide contact information and specific sources at the end of an article.
When you write, you have many options for inclusion of material from other writers. You can quote their exact words, paraphrase them, or summarize them. You must acknowledge all material quoted, paraphrased, or summarized from any published or unpublished work. Failing to cite a source, deliberately or accidentally, is plagiarism – presenting as your own work the words or ideas of another. If you are in doubt about whether you need to cite a source, the best policy is to cite it.
The use of personal anecdotes and personal pronouns should be avoided so that the writer doesn’t intrude on a story. Generally speaking, personal accounts are tedious for readers who seek impartial information and education.
Use a person’s full name and title (when appropriate) on the first reference. After the first mention, someone may be referred to by last name only. Avoid nicknames!
It is important to remain objective – non-partial – when presenting subject matter for publication. Regarding ethics, both sides of a story must be told or it appears to be one-sided! Work extra hard to hone a neutral stance on issues.

TECHNICAL NOTES:

All graphics and photos must be scanned at 300 dpi or better (JPEG, TIF OR PHOTOSHOP).

Please submit PC format files NOT MAC format.

We use Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop, Microsoft Word, and Notepad. Feel free to submit work in any of those formats. If you are creating files from another program, please save graphics and photos as TIF files with a 300 dpi or better. If you are sending text files from a program not listed here, cut and paste the text into your e-mail program and send it in the body of the e-mail.