Finding the Bacon  
By Meg Weaver

Hi everybody,

“This magazine does not provide writers guidelines” is the theme connecting the magazines in today’s column.  Not having any idea of what a magazine wants is tough for writers – and, I think, unfair.

But what can you do in such a case? 

Most editors will suggest that you read several issues of the magazine.  They want you to become familiar with their style, their tone, but before you invest your precious time, you must first assure yourself that your article will fit the magazine.  Here’s a great way to do this:

First, give your proposed article a working title.  It doesn’t have to be the final one and don’t worry if it’s somewhat clunky.  But it has to express what you are planning to write about.

Then page through several copies of the publication you’re targeting, find the features (if you’re proposing a feature article) and write down their headlines on a piece of paper.  Then add your own title.

Does it fit seamlessly?  Or does it stand out in an odd way?  Set aside your writer’s pride and evaluate your own headline critically.  As a new writer this is difficult but with experience you gain a trained eye and you can quickly spot a title that won’t fit.

If that’s the case, you have the option to find another magazine where your proposed article will fit like the proverbial glove.  Or, you can rewrite the title to fit the magazine.  But then you have to be sure that you follow through by writing your article to fit your headline.  It isn’t difficult because your title really provides a structure that can actually guide your writing.  If the title is humorous, your article should be funny; if you title asks a question, be sure your article answers it; if the title promises something, make sure you deliver it.

Actually, this is an exercise that is highly recommended even if there are writer’s guidelines.  

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COUNTRY VICTORIAN
Harris Publications Inc.
1115 Broadway
New York, NY 10010

Phone: (212) 807-7100
Fax: (212) 627-4678

Website: http://www.countrycollector.com/victorian.html

E-queries: No

Contact: Ellen Wolynec

Writers' guidelines online: No

Pays: $0.05 to $0.10 per word

Rights: All Rights

Description: Country Victorian focuses on the unique blend of the Country and Victorian home decorating style.

Circulation: 300.000

Notes: This magazine does not provide writers' guidelines.  The editor writes:  "You will need to send us a query letter with either a sample of your writing or the actual story along with photos or slides - if appropriate." It does not publish an editorial calendar.

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CUSTOM HOME
Hanley-Wood LLC
One Thomas Circle NW, Suite 600
Washington DC, 20005

Phone: (202) 452-0800
Fax: (202) 785-1974

Website: http://www.hanley-wood.com

Contact: Jennifer Goodman

Writers' guidelines online: No. Please read our notes below.

Pays: $0.10 per word

Photos: Payment is negotiated separately.

Rights: All Rights

Description: This magazine strives to serve the custom home building market including custom home builders, general contractors and developers engaged in building custom homes, and architects.

Circulation: 46,000

Notes: This magazine does not provide writer's guidelines but the editor writes:  "We occasionally use freelance writers and photographers and are always on the lookout for stories and materials that are pertinent to our readers, most of whom are contractors involved in residential and light commercial remodeling.  If you are interested in submitting an article, please send a story proposal rather than an unsolicited manuscript.  Also, if you send samples of your work, we will keep them on file and contact you should the need arise."

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DWELL
Pixie Communications Inc
99 Osgood Place
San Francisco, CA  94133-4629

Phone: (415) 743-9990
Fax: (415) 743-9978

Website: http://www.dwellmag.com

Contact: Andrew Wagner

Writers guidelines online: No

Pays: $0.10 to $0.20 per word

Rights:  All Rights

Description: Dwell is a shelter magazine devoted to modern home interior design, architecture and lifestyle.

Circulation: 100.000

Notes: This magazine does not provide writer's guidelines but the editor writes:  "We have no formal writer's guidelines.  Please feel free to send clips and/or pitch story ideas to my attention.  Please do take a careful look at the magazine to familiarize yourself with our tone and style."

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ALLURE
Conde Nast Publications Inc.
4 Times Square
New York, NY 10036

Phone: (212) 286-4149
Fax: (212) 286-8287

Website: http://www.allure.com  

E-queries: No. Mail a query letter or the complete manuscript.

Contact: Andrew Wilkes

Writers' guidelines online: No

Pays: $0.50 to $1.25 per word

Rights: All Rights

Description: Allure covers beauty and total image.

Circulation: 877,000

Notes: This magazine does not provide writers' guidelines but the editor writes:  "As we do not have formal guidelines for our writers, we suggest that you read several issues of the magazine and familiarize yourself with our style, content and attitude.

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AMERICAN FOOTBALL MONTHLY
LC Clark Publishing Company
PO Box 13079
North Palm Beach, FL 33408

Phone: (800) 537-4271
Fax: (561) 627-5275

Website: http://www.AmericanFootballMonthly.com

E-queries: No

Contact: Scott Kraft

Email: skraft@lcclark.com

Writers' guidelines online: No

Pays: $0.08 to $0.10 per word

Rights: All Rights

Description: This magazine is the "trade journal" for football coaches at all levels from youth leagues through high school, college and  pro football.

Circulation: 12,500

Notes: This magazine does not provide writers guidelines but the publisher writes: "We are always on the lookout for writers and their ideas for our publications.  We accept articles of 2,500 to 3,500 words and prefer that the file be e-mailed as a 'text only' file."  

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These markets are brought to you by Wooden Horse Publishing - a news and resource site for article writers at http://www.woodenhorsepub.com.  Check it out for the latest magazine news and markets, markets, markets.

Air Mail Markets
By Amy Brozio-Andrews

Hello again and welcome to the latest issue of Air Mail Markets. 

Well, the holidays are over and it's time to buckle down and get to work on those New Year's resolutions. Here are three markets for fiction and nonfiction writers looking to start the year off with new magazines to query. The 3rd Alternative, a UK-based bimonthly, accepts science fiction, fantasy and horror freelance fiction, reviews, interviews, and film commentary. For writers who like to get their hands dirty, the UK's Ceramic Review spotlights ceramic artists, techniques, and design, while Canada's Teddy Bear Times seeks articles on bear designers, collections, exhibits, secondary markets, care of teddy bears and more. 

Bonne chance!


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The 3rd Alternative
TTA Press
5 Martins Lane
Witcham, Ely, Cambs 
CB6 2LB England

Website: http://www.ttapress.com/index.html# 
Editor: Andy Cox
Email: ttapress@aol.com 

Snapshot: The 3rd Alternative offers articles and interviews on fantasy writers and filmmakers, as well as science fiction, fantasy and horror stories. This magazine is a well known sci-fi and fantasy publication in Britain, and has received several awards and honors. The magazine is best known for its efforts to bridge the gap between sci-fi/fantasy/horror fiction and non-genre fiction.

Writers' Guidelines Online: Yes, at http://www.ttapress.com/publTTAguides.html#Top 
E-Queries: Yes (non-fiction only; fiction submissions do not require a query)
Payment: Negotiable; payment is made upon acceptance
Rights: First English Language Serial

Notes: Prospective freelancers should review copies of the magazine before submitting queries. Please allow at least a month to hear a response to your query. There is no word limit on fiction, as long as it still counts as a short story.

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Ceramic Review Magazine
25 Foubert's Place,
London 
W1F 7QF England

Website: http://www.ceramicreview.com/default.asp 
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7439 3377
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7287 9954
Editor: Emmanuel Cooper
Email: editorial@ceramicreview.com 

Snapshot: A UK bimonthly, Ceramic Review offers potters, students, teachers, and other studio pottery enthusiasts articles on ceramic history, techniques, artist profiles, exhibits, and more. Estimated readership is about 40,000. 

Writers' Guidelines Online: Yes, at http://www.ceramicreview.com/contribute.asp 
E-Queries: Accepts
Payment: Payment made upon acceptance, at current freelance rates
Rights: Not specified

Notes: To have your work considered for a particular issue, check out the online writers' guidelines to see what the deadlines are for each issue.

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Canadian Teddy Bear News
Box 457
Water Valley, Alberta
Canada T0M 2E0 

Website: http://www.teddybearnews.com/index.html 
Tel: (403) 637-2728 / 1-877-280-CTBN (2826)
Fax: (403) 637-2616
Email: patricia@teddybearnews.com 

Snapshot: A quarterly magazine for teddy bear collectors, Canadian Teddy Bear News offers articles and insight into bear artists, collectors, new lines, shows, exhibitions, collections, secondary markets and more. This publication is not written for children, and children's stories on teddy bears will not be considered, except in special circumstances discussed with the editor.

Writers' Guidelines Online: Yes, at http://www.teddybearnews.com/submission.html 
E-Queries: Accepts 
Payment: Not specified
Rights: Not specified

Notes: The submission guidelines include exactly what the editors are looking for in a prospective contributor's query. The magazine recommends reviewing past issues of Canadian Teddy Bear News before submitting a proposal. Most of the articles have a strong Canadian content, or at least a strong Canadian connection. A general calendar of editorial deadlines is also included with the online copy of the writers' guidelines.

Amy Brozio-Andrews is a freelance writer living in New York;  she writes on a variety of topics for print and online publications, and is hard at work on her first novel.  Please feel free to check out her website at www.penpadandpixel.com, and e-mail her at amy@penpadandpixel.com. 

Contests Corner
By Moira Richards

Compliments of the season! I opened my email on the first day of 2003 to find that I had won the prize in a writing contest - the best possible way to start a new writing year :-) and I hope you all derive many such moments of delight from your own writings this year. A couple of these contests have very close closing dates, but they are particularly interesting and are open for submissions annually, so I thought it worthwhile to include them. As usual I have copied only a few extracts from the contests' details here - best to visit the websites of those that catch your fancy and read the full details.

Cheers, Moira

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Writing Contest Theme: My Generation 

"YouthWeekly.com was born from a need for more online reading material for older youth, and a firm belief that today's youth are more inquisitive and intelligent that they are generally given credit for. Michelle Gonzalez, a parent of three and freelance writer, developed YouthWeekly.com as a place for youth to read fun and educational original material written by a variety of children's writers, including youth themselves. 

"Writers must be under the age of 18 years old on April 1, 2003 to be eligible. 
If prose, it should be no more than 1500 words in length; if poetry, no more than 30 lines. 

"All authors must obtain parental / legal guardian permission before submitting their contest entry. Winners will be required to have a written parental consent form signed before payment can be made, and before publication of story/poem on YouthWeekly.com 

PRIZE: $15, $7, $5 
ENTRY FEE: Parental donations (optional)
DEADLINE: 1 April, 2003 
URL: http://www.youthweekly.com/ 

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Short Story Competition 2003 

"The aim is to promote the Commonwealth through broadcasting high quality short stories submitted by Commonwealth writers. The competition is administered by the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association with funding from the Commonwealth Foundation. 

"All Commonwealth citizens will be eligible to participate in the Competition. There is no age limit and authors may be either amateurs or professionals.

"The stories may have any theme or subject, but should be 4'30" when read aloud (approximately 600 words). - The stories shall be original and should not have been previously published anywhere.

"If you are a winner, you assign the Commonwealth broadcasting rights for ten years to the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association, to pass on to its members, but you retain the copyright. You also assign non-exclusive publication rights to the CBA and Commonwealth Foundation, or their assignees and the rights for the story to be sold on any audio medium by the CBA."

PRIZE: £ 2000
ENTRY FEE: None
DEADLINE: 1 May, 2003
URL: http://www.cba.org.uk/ 

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First Annual Yemassee Short Story Contest

"Yemassee, the literary journal of the University of South Carolina, publishes poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction, one-act plays, essays and interviews in two issues each year. From its inception, Yemassee has been a publication run by graduate student writers and editors. 

"Entries will be judged by Janette Turner-Hospital, Distinguished Writer in Residence at the University of South Carolina.

"The entry fee includes a copy of the Spring 2002 issue of Yemassee.
Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, however the contest fee is non-refundable." 

PRIZE: $500
ENTRY FEE: $10 
DEADLINE: 15 February, 2003
URL: http://www.cla.sc.edu/ENGL/yemassee/ 

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Short Story Contest

"Tall Tales Press is a relatively small book publishing company that operates out of Calgary, Alberta Canada. The main goal of Tall Tales Press is to promote fiction writers of the future. This is mainly accomplished through the annual Hidden Talents Short Story Contest where up and coming authors have the opportunity to gain the experience that the large publishing houses demand. This includes acknowledgement for winning a writing contest, having their work published and of course the winners from each category will also receive the financial rewards. We invite writers of all ages and genres to enter our contest. 

"We at Tall Tales Press Book Publishing Inc. have also decided that we want to nurture the minds of the young writers so we have included the Junior Writers section in this year's competition. Entrants in this category will find themselves challenged because we are looking for high quality stories which will be judged in the same manner as the rest of the contest. You are never too young to start writing, so put your pen to paper and let your imagination take you away. 

"Good writing skills are essential to any piece of literary work, but entries to the Hidden Talents Short Story Contest will be judged on much more. We believe that most readers are looking for a story that will entertain them, let them escape their everyday life for a short while and allow them to experience something new or exciting. An author can be a great writer but if he/she is unable to capture the reader's interest they have not succeed in being a great storyteller. Therefore all entries will be judged on storyline, character development, literary skills, and the overall composition.

"There is only one special category and that is Junior Writers, for writers who are seventeen years of age or younger. For both the Adult and Junior Writers categories, any fiction or non-fiction short story is acceptable. However, we will not accept stories that are not suitable for the general public such as pornography.

"Provided we continue to receive a sufficient number of high quality entries, by approximately mid Sept of 2003, Tall Tales Press Book Publishing Inc. will publish a high quality paper back book which will include the winning entries. Each of the authors who's story is used in this book will receive a free copy of the book shortly after the book's release date. The author will not incur any furthers cost, however if desired, subsequent books may be purchased by the authors at a reduced, wholesale price."

PRIZE: Many, up to $500 
ENTRY FEE: $10, $5 Canadian 
DEADLINE: 31 May, 2003
URL: http://www.talltalespress.com/pages/882187/index.htm 

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One-page Poem Contest

"In honor of April being poetry month, the St. Charles-Lincoln County Writers Guild (Saturday Writers) is announcing the first annual poetry contest.

"As the name implies, wow us in one page. One poem, per single-spaced page.

"Any style, any subject, any form allowed. Poems must be unpublished at the time of submission."

PRIZE: $100, $50, $10
ENTRY FEE: $5
DEADLINE: 25 March, 2003
URL: http://www.saturdaywriters.org/index.htm

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Annual Fiction/Poetry/Non-fiction Contest 
From Columbia: A Journal of Literature & Art 

Judges: 
Fiction: Binnie Kirshenbaum 
Poetry: Glyn Maxwell 
Non-Fiction: Patty O'Toole 

"Submit up to 20 double-spaced pages or up to five poems. We accept simultaneous submissions, but not previously published work. 

PRIZE: $500
ENTRY FEE: $10
DEADLINE: 1 March, 2003
URL: http://www.columbia.edu/~tnf12/

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Children's Short Story Fiction Contest

"Write a 1,000 word original short story for children ages 9-12 any theme. Violence and bad language excluded. All entries must be previously unpublished.

"Tell a great story. Show us, don't tell the story. Make the characters believable, don't talk down to the reader and keep the age range and word count in mind. 

"Submissions will be judged on language skill and writing ability, originality, creativity, and the ability to reach the reader. 

"The top entry will be published by Rainy Day Corner at RainyDayCorner.com. By entering this contest, contestants hereby grant Rainy Day Corner Publishing the first right to use their story entry on the web site. Submissions will be judged on language skill and writing ability, originality, creativity, and the ability to reach the reader."

PRIZE: $250
ENTRY FEE: $10
DEADLINE: 15 April, 2003
URL: http://www.rainydaycorner.com/

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Costa Rica in Focus

"Enter this exciting new contest and try your hand at...comedy copywriting.

"You won't win a shiny new Geo or a trip to Cancun, but you will have the glory of having your comedy line published with your credit at the end of each month.

"To enter the contest examine the drawing below, think of the best punch line you can for the situation. No off color or nasty language, we want good clean fun. Entries can be in English or Spanish.

"When we publish the winners we will also publish a new situation for the next month.

PRIZE: Publication on site
ENTRY FEE: None
DEADLINE: Ongoing
URL: http://www.zurqui.com/crinfocus/free/ff.html 

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ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Award

"Do you have a good story, independently told? If so, we'd like to hear it. 

"The best ideas have always come from independent thinkers. The editors at ForeWord Magazine believe that maxim holds true for written ideas, as well. The most thought-provoking, startling and original books being published today can be found on the lists from independent publishers. These companies, unburdened by corporate bureaucracies, have the freedom and flexibility to respond to the needs of readers and to give space to authors with controversial, marginalized, or unexplored viewpoints. 

"If your books expand a reader's world, introduce a voice society needs to hear, offer practical knowledge where none existed before or simply entertain so compellingly that all distractions fall away as the reader turns the next page, they should be submitted for the Book of the Year Award. 

"Judging Criteria: Keeping in mind the standard used by booksellers and librarians for purchases/acquisitions, judges will take note of the following: editorial excellence, intent of book met by author, originality of subject matter, accuracy, author credentials, and professional packaging. Finalists will be determined by a jury of judges consisting of editors and reviewers of ForeWord Magazine, and the ForeWord Board of Advisors, including booksellers, librarians, and other industry professionals.
"ForeWord Magazine reserves the right to withhold an award in any category should submissions not meet criteria outlined by editorial and professional production standards mentioned above.

"If you've ever wondered what the benefits of winning a ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award, or any award, might be-we've come up with a short list of what you should expect from your kudos." 
(Check the website for this 10 point list)

PRIZE: $1500 and others 
ENTRY FEE: $50
DEADLINE: 15 January, Annually
URL: http://www.forewordmagazine.com/

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Polyphony Anthology

"Wheatland Press announces an open reading period for POLYPHONY 3, the third volume in the critically-acclaimed POLYPHONY anthology series. The publisher and editors are committed to finding outstanding cutting edge fiction from new writers as well as from established writers. 

"We will be looking for stories that stretch (or break) the boundaries of traditional genres. Send us your magic realism, surrealism, literary stories with a genre sensibility, and other hard-to-classify stories with strong literary values, compelling characters, engaging tone and unique voice. If you really want to know what we are looking for, check out the first volume of POLPHONY, available directly from Wheatland Press, genre booksellers or online booksellers.

"Word count is open, but our preferred range is 4,000-10,000 words.

PRIZE: $0.06 per word 
ENTRY FEE: None
DEADLINE: 15 February, 2003
URL: http://www.wheatlandpress.com

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The Sara Henderson Hay Prize

"The Pittsburgh Quarterly is a small press literary magazine that grew out of the community writing workshop movement. We present work from new and established writers without emphasis on region, ideology, or style. The works are contemporary, the poetry is usually not formal, ideas and opinions and varied styles are given space. 

"Entries are limited to no more than 100 lines per poem and up to three poems may be submitted. Entries must not have been previously published."

Previous winning poems are on site.

PRIZE: $500
ENTRY FEE: $10 
DEADLINE: 1 July, 2003
URL: http://www.city-net.com/~tpq/

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And if you're really serious ...

The Lange-Taylor Prize

"is offered to a writer and a photographer in the early stages of a documentary project. By encouraging such collaborative efforts, the Center for Documentary Studies supports the documentary process in which writers and photographers work together to record the human story.

"Collaboration is essential to the nature of the work this award supports; therefore, individual submissions will not be considered. More than two people may apply as long as one of the collaborators is a writer and one is a photographer working with black-and-white or color still photography. The prize is open to all nationalities. 

"Previous prizewinners: 
1991: Free Grace, by Keith Carter and Suzanne Winckler; a series of visual and verbal portraits of daily life in Mississippi Delta communities 

"1992: Farewell Promised Land, by Robert Dawson and Gray Brechin; the California dream of an Edenic world compared with its actual history and current conditions 

"1993: Mara Salvatrucha, by Donna DeCesare and Luis Rodriguez; an exploration of the lives of the young men and women in Los Angeles Salvadoran street gangs 

"1994: Mapping American Samoa, by Reagan Louie and Tom Farber; a record of the current manifestations of islanders' mixed cultural heritage 

"1995: The More Things Change, by Antonin Kratochvil and Jan Novak; an intense look at life in the post-Communist Czech and Slovak republics 

"1996: A Positive Life, by Mary Berridge and River Huston; interviews and portraits of HIV-positive women and their families 

"1997: El Periodo Especial, by Ernesto Bazan and Silvana Paternostro; a depiction of the struggle for survival in Cuba since the collapse of the Soviet Union 

"1998: I-26, Corridor of Change, by Rob Amberg and Sam Gray; an examination of the physical, economic, and social change accompanying highway construction in remote Appalachia 

"1999: Mountain Jews: A Lost Tribe, by Jason Eskenazi and Jennifer Gould; the transition of a centuries-old village in the Caucasus from its traditional ways of life 

"2000: One Big Self: Prisoners of Louisiana, by Deborah Luster and C.D. Wright; portraits of Louisiana prisoners with a political and historical background of American prisons 

"2001: Pane Amaro / Bitter Bread: The Struggle of New Immigrants to Italy, by Paola Ferrario and Mary Cappello; triptychs and two-part prose inventions give expression to the experiences of Albanian and Indian immigrants to rural Italy 

"2002: The Garden of Eden: Living with Schizophrenia on Coney Island, by Dona Ann McAdams and Brad Kessler; an investigation into the daily struggles of people living with severe mental illness."

PRIZE: $10,000
ENTRY FEE: $25 
DEADLINE: 31 January Annually
URL: http://www-cds.aas.duke.edu/l-t/

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I have been an accountant for a very long time, but I always wanted to be a writer when I grew up. I realised a year or so back that there's not that many decades left for me get grown up, and so I'm working part time at learning how to be a writer. Besides my  column here, I write a weekly article on Women Abuse for  Suite101.com - not a pretty subject, but if you have the stomach,  check it out at http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/women_abuse -  and have recently been promoted by them to Managing Editor (Food).