Writer's Guidelines
Thank you for your interest in Ohio Family Magazine.
Now running 24-48 pages per issue, Ohio Family Magazine is a 90% freelance-written, subscription and free courtesy copy publication – both in a conventional "hard copy" print edition and an online digital edition. Our print edition has a monthly circulation of over 20,000 copies in Stark, Summit, Tuscarawas, Medina and surrounding counties.
EDITORIAL FOCUS
Articles submitted should address current parenting issues with a NE Ohio tie-in whenever possible. Strong emphasis is a placed on how and where to find family-oriented events, as well as goods and services for children in our area.
Each issue has an editorial focus article with appropriate sidebars, as well as additional articles, regular columns (children’s books, family travel, "The Newbie Dad," single parenting, tweens & teens, internet/technology, restaurant review) and a very popular calendar of events targeted to young, growing families. We are interested in well-researched, non-fiction articles on surviving the newborn, preschool, school age and adolescent years. Our readers want practical information on places to go and things to do in the Stark, Tuscarawas and Holmes County area. They enjoy humorous articles about the trials and tribulations of parenthood as well as "how-to" articles (i.e., organizing a child’s room, keeping your sanity while shopping with preschoolers, ideas for holidays and birthdays, etc.) Articles on making a working parent’s life easier are of great interest as are articles written by fathers. We prefer a warm, conversational style of writing.
Themes which repeat annually are: Education- Preschool through College (January issue), Cabin Fever and Winter Fun (February issue), Arts & Culture (March issue), The Healthy Family and Welcome Spring (April issue), Celebrating Moms and Pets (May issue), Summer Fun and Travel (June issue), Special Needs (July issue), Back to School (August issue), Baby (September issue), Fall Festival/Halloween (October issue), Adoption, Fostering, Divorce and Blended Families (November issue), Surviving the Holidays (December issue). Because this is a regional publication, LOCAL writers are given preference, but ALL authors are given equal consideration based on their writing skill, style and the appropriateness of subject matter.
THE SPECIFICS
We publish an article anywhere from 1 month to 18 months after receipt. "Evergreen" articles are highly desirable. Seasonal pieces must be submitted at least 3 months in advance of the issue month. We prefer completed manuscripts over queries as our staff is small and out time is limited.
We buy first rights or reprint rights. Simultaneous submissions to other parenting publications are accepted. We will not use articles simultaneously submitted to or previously printed by other LOCAL publications. No kill fee. LOCAL professionals currently practicing in the topic field of the article they submit are not compensated other than receiving an author credit noting their credentials and the location of their practice.
We do not accept paper submissions. Paste you submission into your e-mails and also attach the Word file. Send your submissions to:
editorial@ohiofamilymagazine.com
Include name, address, phone, e-mail address, number of words in the article and a two sentence bio to be used at the end of the article.
Please note when typing your article that simple formatting is best. Fancy word-processing layouts only slow our layout department, as your formatting has to be removed before we can place your work into our page formats. Also, when you type for publication, there should only be ONE SPACE after the period at the end of a sentence. Although that violates the rule you learned in tying class, when doing page layouts via computer, that extra space causes problems and each one has to be removed!
We receive so many submissions that we DO NOT critique or respond to unsolicited manuscripts. If your unsolicited article is used, you won’t necessarily be notified in advance. (We do not require exclusivity since we do not have a direct competitor in our market.) You will promptly receive a check approximately 10 days after the print issue is published.
For a sample copy of Ohio Family Magazine, send $2.50 and a self-addressed 9x12 large .
READERSHIP
Readership is largely composed of families with children ages newborn to 14 years.
• 65% have children under age 5
• 71% have children 5-12 years
• 21% have children ages 13-18 years
Although most readers are the mother in the household, 89% of the fathers also read some part of the publication. Readers have a wide variety of backgrounds but 88% are college educated, 16% with advanced degrees. 76% have an annual household income of $50,000 or more.
If you have any questions about any of the information on this page, please contact:
Kathy Blair, Editor & Publisher
320 N Wooster Ave
Dover, OH 44622
330-440-0979 (phone)
330-365-1013 (fax)
editorial@ohiofamilymagazine.com
PAYMENT
Payment is made upon publication. Pay is $35-$200 depending on type and length of article. (For example, narrative and humor articles rate less on the pay scale than pieces which necessitate factual research and quotes from experts.) Pay is $40 for up to 950 word articles or humorous pieces. Pay is $40-$60 for up to 1500 word non-fiction, informational or creative idea pieces. Pay is up to $100-$200 for in-depth, non-fiction main theme articles of approximately 2,500-3,000 words. An additional 10% is paid for online rights; with a minimum of $10 per article.
Note that since entire issues are posted to our web site, online rights are assumed to be included in our purchase of your work.
Be sure to include your complete name, address and contact information on your manuscript, as your introductory e-mail can become separated from your article and we may not be able to locate you for payment.
EDITORIAL CALENDAR
January – Annual Education Issue Preschool through College
February – Cabin Fever/Winter Fun and Party Planning
March – Special Needs and Technology
April – The Healthy Family Issue and Summer Camps
May – Celebrating Moms and Annual Pet Issue (National Pet Month)
June – Summer Fun and Travel Issue
July – Ages and Stages
August – Back to School Issue
September – Arts & Culture and Kid's Health
October – Fall Festival/Halloween Issue
November – Adoption, Fostering, Divorce and Blended Families Issue (National Adoption Month)
December – Celebrating the Holidays Issue
Now running 24-48 pages per issue, Ohio Family Magazine is a 90% freelance-written, subscription and free courtesy copy publication – both in a conventional "hard copy" print edition and an online digital edition. Our print edition has a monthly circulation of over 20,000 copies in Stark, Summit, Tuscarawas, Medina and surrounding counties.
EDITORIAL FOCUS
Articles submitted should address current parenting issues with a NE Ohio tie-in whenever possible. Strong emphasis is a placed on how and where to find family-oriented events, as well as goods and services for children in our area.
Each issue has an editorial focus article with appropriate sidebars, as well as additional articles, regular columns (children’s books, family travel, "The Newbie Dad," single parenting, tweens & teens, internet/technology, restaurant review) and a very popular calendar of events targeted to young, growing families. We are interested in well-researched, non-fiction articles on surviving the newborn, preschool, school age and adolescent years. Our readers want practical information on places to go and things to do in the Stark, Tuscarawas and Holmes County area. They enjoy humorous articles about the trials and tribulations of parenthood as well as "how-to" articles (i.e., organizing a child’s room, keeping your sanity while shopping with preschoolers, ideas for holidays and birthdays, etc.) Articles on making a working parent’s life easier are of great interest as are articles written by fathers. We prefer a warm, conversational style of writing.
Themes which repeat annually are: Education- Preschool through College (January issue), Cabin Fever and Winter Fun (February issue), Arts & Culture (March issue), The Healthy Family and Welcome Spring (April issue), Celebrating Moms and Pets (May issue), Summer Fun and Travel (June issue), Special Needs (July issue), Back to School (August issue), Baby (September issue), Fall Festival/Halloween (October issue), Adoption, Fostering, Divorce and Blended Families (November issue), Surviving the Holidays (December issue). Because this is a regional publication, LOCAL writers are given preference, but ALL authors are given equal consideration based on their writing skill, style and the appropriateness of subject matter.
THE SPECIFICS
We publish an article anywhere from 1 month to 18 months after receipt. "Evergreen" articles are highly desirable. Seasonal pieces must be submitted at least 3 months in advance of the issue month. We prefer completed manuscripts over queries as our staff is small and out time is limited.
We buy first rights or reprint rights. Simultaneous submissions to other parenting publications are accepted. We will not use articles simultaneously submitted to or previously printed by other LOCAL publications. No kill fee. LOCAL professionals currently practicing in the topic field of the article they submit are not compensated other than receiving an author credit noting their credentials and the location of their practice.
We do not accept paper submissions. Paste you submission into your e-mails and also attach the Word file. Send your submissions to:
editorial@ohiofamilymagazine.com
Include name, address, phone, e-mail address, number of words in the article and a two sentence bio to be used at the end of the article.
Please note when typing your article that simple formatting is best. Fancy word-processing layouts only slow our layout department, as your formatting has to be removed before we can place your work into our page formats. Also, when you type for publication, there should only be ONE SPACE after the period at the end of a sentence. Although that violates the rule you learned in tying class, when doing page layouts via computer, that extra space causes problems and each one has to be removed!
We receive so many submissions that we DO NOT critique or respond to unsolicited manuscripts. If your unsolicited article is used, you won’t necessarily be notified in advance. (We do not require exclusivity since we do not have a direct competitor in our market.) You will promptly receive a check approximately 10 days after the print issue is published.
For a sample copy of Ohio Family Magazine, send $2.50 and a self-addressed 9x12 large .
READERSHIP
Readership is largely composed of families with children ages newborn to 14 years.
• 65% have children under age 5
• 71% have children 5-12 years
• 21% have children ages 13-18 years
Although most readers are the mother in the household, 89% of the fathers also read some part of the publication. Readers have a wide variety of backgrounds but 88% are college educated, 16% with advanced degrees. 76% have an annual household income of $50,000 or more.
If you have any questions about any of the information on this page, please contact:
Kathy Blair, Editor & Publisher
320 N Wooster Ave
Dover, OH 44622
330-440-0979 (phone)
330-365-1013 (fax)
editorial@ohiofamilymagazine.com
PAYMENT
Payment is made upon publication. Pay is $35-$200 depending on type and length of article. (For example, narrative and humor articles rate less on the pay scale than pieces which necessitate factual research and quotes from experts.) Pay is $40 for up to 950 word articles or humorous pieces. Pay is $40-$60 for up to 1500 word non-fiction, informational or creative idea pieces. Pay is up to $100-$200 for in-depth, non-fiction main theme articles of approximately 2,500-3,000 words. An additional 10% is paid for online rights; with a minimum of $10 per article.
Note that since entire issues are posted to our web site, online rights are assumed to be included in our purchase of your work.
Be sure to include your complete name, address and contact information on your manuscript, as your introductory e-mail can become separated from your article and we may not be able to locate you for payment.
EDITORIAL CALENDAR
January – Annual Education Issue Preschool through College
February – Cabin Fever/Winter Fun and Party Planning
March – Special Needs and Technology
April – The Healthy Family Issue and Summer Camps
May – Celebrating Moms and Annual Pet Issue (National Pet Month)
June – Summer Fun and Travel Issue
July – Ages and Stages
August – Back to School Issue
September – Arts & Culture and Kid's Health
October – Fall Festival/Halloween Issue
November – Adoption, Fostering, Divorce and Blended Families Issue (National Adoption Month)
December – Celebrating the Holidays Issue