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Articles Freelance Writing Markets for History Buffs
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JustMarkets  |
| Articles - Freelance Writing | |
| Written by Karri Watson | |
| 2002-12-16 | |
Markets for History Buffsby Karri WatsonDo you know who killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel? Or how the White House got its name?* If you're curious enough to do the research, you are like me, a history buff. For writers who love history, markets abound. The following publications emphasize the need for well-researched queries to obtain assignments and reputable documentation for any articles you write. A valuable resource: The World-Wide Web Virtual Library's History Index located at www.ukans.edu/history/VL/about/about.html. AMERICAN HERITAGE 90 Fifth Ave. Fax: (212)367-3149 Writer's guidelines for #10 SASE. Editor's Note: Before submitting material, "check our index to see whether we have already treated the subject." Nonfiction: Wants "historical articles by scholars or journalists intended for intelligent lay readers rather than for professional historians." Emphasis is on authenticity, accuracy and verve. "Interesting documents, photographs and drawings are always welcome. Style should stress readability and accuracy." Needs: Submission method: Query Pay varies. "We have over the years published quite a few 'firsts' from young writers whose historical knowledge, research methods and writing skills met our standards. The scope and ambition of a new writer tell us a lot about his or her future usefulness to us. A major article gives us a better idea of the writer's value. Everything depends on the quality of the material. We don't really care whether the author is 20 and unknown, or 80 and famous, or vice versa. No phone calls, please." AMERICAN HISTORY 6405 Flank Dr. www.thehistorynet.com Writer’s guidelines for #10 SASE or online. Nonfiction: Features events in the lives of noteworthy historical figures and accounts of important events in American history. Also includes pictorial features on artists, photographers, and graphic subjects. “Material is presented on a popular rather than a scholarly level.” Submission method: Query by mail only with published clips and SASE. Length: 2,000-4,000 words depending on type of article. Pays $500-600. AMERICA'S CIVIL WAR Primedia History Group Fax: (703)779-8345 Accepts queries by: Mail, E-mail, Fax Writer's guidelines for #10 SASE or online Nonfiction: Needs: Does Not Want: No fiction or poetry. Submission method: Query Pays $300 and up. Send photos with submission or cite sources. "We'll order." Photos Require: captions, identification of subjects Columns open to freelancers: Personality (profiles of Civil War personalities); Men & Material (about weapons used); Commands (about units); Eyewitness to War (historical letters and diary excerpts). Length: 2,000 words. Submission method: Query "All stories must be true. We do not publish fiction or poetry. Write an entertaining, well-researched, informative and unusual story that grabs the reader's attention and holds it. Include suggested readings in a standard format at the end of your piece. Manuscript must be typed, double-spaced on one side of standard white 8 1/2x11, 16 to 30 pound paper--no onion skin paper or dot matrix printouts. All submissions are on speculation. Prefer subjects to be on disk (IBM- or Macintosh-compatible floppy disk) as well as a hard copy. Choose stories with strong art possibilities." CALLIOPE Exploring World History Key To This Market: Break in with a “well-written query on a topic that relates directly to an upcoming issue’s theme, a writing sample that is well-researched and concise and a bibliography that includes new research.” Nonfiction: Articles must relate to the theme. Needs: Does Not Want: No religious, pornographic, biased or sophisticated submissions. Submission method: Query by mail only with published clips. Pays 20-25˘/printed word. State availability of photos with submission. Reviews: Buys one-time rights Columns open to freelancers: Activities (crafts, recipes, projects); up to 700 words. Submission method: Query by mail only with published clips. Fiction: All fiction must be theme-related. Length: 1,000 words maximum Pays 20-25˘/word Fillers: Puzzles and games (no word finds); crossword and other word puzzles using the vocabulary of the issue’s theme; mazes and picture puzzles that relate to the theme. Pays: Pays on individual basis. “A query must consist of all of the following to be considered (please use non-erasable paper): a brief cover letter stating the subject and word length of the proposed article; a detailed one-page outline explaining the information to be presented in the article; an extensive bibliography of materials the author intends to use in preparing the article; a self-addressed stamped envelope. (Authors are urged to use primary resources and up-to-date scholarly resources in their bibliography.) Writers new to Calliope should send a writing sample with the query. In all correspondence, please include your complete address as well as a telephone number where you can be reached.”
GOOD OLD DAYS America’s Premier Nostalgia Magazine E-Mail: editor@goodolddaysonline.com Writer’s guidelines available at website. Nonfiction: Regular features: Good Old Days on Wheels (transportation auto, plane, horse-drawn, tram, bicycle, trolley, etc.); Good Old Days In the Kitchen (favorite foods, appliances, ways of cooking, recipes); Home Remedies (herbs and poultices, hometown doctors, harrowing kitchen table operations). Needs: Does Not Want: No fiction accepted. Buys 350 manuscripts/year. Pays $15-75, depending on quality and photos. Send photos with submission. Photos Require: “Most of our writers are not professionals. We prefer the author’s individual voice, warmth, humor and honesty over technical ability.”
MILITARY HISTORY Primedia History Group Fax: (703)779-8345 Writer's guidelines for #10 SASE or online "We'll work with anyone, established or not, who can provide the goods and convince us as to its accuracy." Nonfiction: "The best way to break into our magazine is to write an entertaining, informative and unusual story that grabs the readers attention and holds it." Needs: Submission method: Query with published clips. "Submit a short, self-explanatory query summarizing the story proposed, its highlights and/or significance. State also your own expertise, access to sources or proposed means of developing the pertinent information." Pays $400. Columns open to freelancers: Intrigue, Weaponry, Perspectives, Personality and review of books, video, CD-ROMs, software--all relating to military history. Length: 2,000 words. Submission method: Query with published clips "We would like journalistically `pure' submissions that adhere to basics, such as full name at first reference, same with rank, and definition of prior or related events, issues cited as context or obscure military `hardware.' Read the magazine, discover our style, and avoid subjects already covered. Pick stories with strong art possibilities (real art and photos), send photocopies, tell us where to order the art. Avoid historical overview; focus upon an event with appropriate and accurate context. Provide bibliography. Tell the story in popular but elegant style. Include a hard copy as well as an IBM- or Macintosh-compatible floppy disk."
PRESERVATION MAGAZINE National Trust for Historic Preservation Phone: (202)588-6388 Accepts queries by: Mail, E-mail or Fax Magazine covering preservation of historic buildings in the US. Nonfiction: Needs: Submission method: Query with published clips "Do not send or propose histories of buildings, descriptive accounts of cities or towns or long-winded treatises. Best bet for breaking in is via Preservation Online, Preservation News (news features, 500-1,000 words), Bricks & Mortar (brief profile or article, 250-500 words)."
TRUE WEST True West Publishing, Inc. Accepts queries by: Mail or E-mail Writer's guidelines for #10 SASE E-Mail:editor@truewestmagazine.com Magazine covering Western American history from prehistory to 1930. Nonfiction: Needs: Does Not Want: No fiction or unsupported, undocumented tales. Submission method: Query Pays $50-800. State availability of photos with submission. Reviews: Photos Require: Offers $10-75/photo. Columns open to freelancers: True Reviews (book reviews), 300-800 words. Contact: Bob Boze Bell, executive editor. Submission method: Query Fillers: Contact: Bob Boze Bell, executive editor Needs: Length: 50–600 words. "Do original research on fresh topics. Stay away from controversial subjects unless you are truly knowledgeable in the field. Read our magazines and follow our guidelines. A freelancer is most likely to break in with us by submitting thoroughly researched, lively prose on relatively obscure topics. First-person accounts rarely fill our needs. Historical accuracy and strict adherence to the facts are essential. We much prefer material based on primary sources (archives, court records, documents, contemporary newspapers and first-person accounts) to those that rely mainly on secondary sources (published books, magazines, and journals). Note: We are currently trying to take True West and Old West back to their `roots' by publishing shorter pieces. Ideal length is between 1,500-3,000 words."
VIETNAM Primedia History Group Writer's guidelines for #10 SASE. Fax: (703)779-8345 E-Mail: Vietnam@thehistorynet.com Accepts queries by: Mail, E-mail or Fax Nonfiction: Needs: Does Not Want: "Absolutely no fiction or poetry; we want straight history, as much personal narrative as possible, but not the gung-ho, shoot-'em-up variety, either." Submission method: Query Pays $300 for features Send photos with submission or state availability and cite sources. Photos Require: Columns open to freelancers: Arsenal (about weapons used, all sides); Personality (profiles of the players, all sides); Fighting Forces (various units or types of units: air, sea, rescue); Perspectives. Length: 2,000 words. Submission method: Query "Choose stories with strong art possibilities. Send hard copy plus an IBM- or Macintosh-compatible floppy disk. All stories must be true. We do not publish fiction or poetry. All stories should be carefully researched, third-person articles or firsthand accounts that give the reader a sense of experiencing historical events."
WORLD WAR II Primedia History Group Writer's guidelines for #10 SASE or online. Fax: (703)779-8345 Prefers to work with published/established writers. Accepts queries by: Mail, E-mail or Fax Nonfiction: World War II military history. Submit anniversary-related material 1 year in advance. Does Not Want: No fiction. Submission method: Query Pays $300 and up. For photos and other art, send photocopies and cite sources. "We'll order." State availability of photos with submission. Photos Require: Columns open to freelancers: Undercover (espionage, resistance, sabotage, intelligence gathering, behind the lines, etc.); Personality (WWII personalities of interest); Armament (weapons, their use and development); Commands (unit histories); One Man's War (personal profiles), all 2,000 words. Book reviews, 300-750 words. Submission method: Query "List your sources and suggest further readings in standard format at the end of your piece--as a bibliography for our files in case of factual challenge or dispute. All submissions are on speculation. Include a hard copy as well as an IBM- or Macintosh-compatible floppy disk. All stories must be true. We do not publish fiction or poetry. Stories should be carefully researched." Karri Watson lives with her precious cat TC in Knoxville, TN. She is a book reviewer for www.curledup.com. Her hobbies include watching old movies, cooking, and Pilates. She is a member of the National Writers Association and the National Writers Union.
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