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More than half the articles published in the Reader
each week come from freelancers, and once or twice a month we publish
one that’s come in “over the transom”—from a
writer we’ve never heard of and may never hear from again.
We think that keeping the Reader open to the greatest possible
number of contributors makes for a fresher, less predictable, more interesting
paper. So we not only publish unsolicited freelance writing, we
depend on it.
Below are our answers to the questions freelancers
most commonly ask:
What kind of articles are you looking for?
Generally speaking, our greatest need is for magazine-style feature
stories of varying lengths on Chicago topics. Beyond saying this,
we usually answer this question with a list of the things we’re
not looking for: hard news (What the Mayor Said About the Schools
Yesterday), commentary and opinion (What I Think About What the
Mayor Said About the Schools Yesterday), poetry. We are not particularly
interested in national stories unless there's a local angle, or
in celebrity for celebrity’s sake (a la Rolling Stone,
Details, etc).
We value good writing more than we value any particular
topic—and, it should be added, more than we value the above
list of rules. We are always willing to violate our own guidelines—to
publish news, commentary, a celebrity interview—if
we like a particular article enough. Virtually any topic can make
a good Reader story if it’s written well enough. Similarly,
any terrific-sounding article can miss the mark, no matter how fascinating
the idea, if it’s butchered badly enough.
We publish quite a bit of arts and entertainment
criticism—reviews of movies, music, theater, dance, art, etc. Don’t
be put off if these essays seem to be written by the same people
every week—we’re always open to new reviewers who can
do as well as or better than our regulars. Be aware, however, that
many reviews are reserved by our regulars in advance. You can ask if the art exhibit or movie you
want to review has been reserved by someone else. Or, better, you
can just go ahead and review it anyway. If we like your piece but
can’t print it, we’ll get back to you and suggest something
we can print. If you'd like to become one of our regulars, submitting freelance material on spec is the only way to audition.
We also run short articles (typically
250-1,000 words) on places to go, things to do, restaurants, shops,
etc. We welcome short profiles and humor pieces.
A good rule of thumb: if you don't see it in the Reader (whatever it is), don't assume we don't want it.
We have occasional special issues focusing, among other things, on fashion, books, fiction, and stories from around the region. Fiction submissions
are welcome year-round, but see below for our caveat about slow response
time.
Should I send a query? Sure. Occasionally
we know in advance that we don’t want a particular story—because
we’ve just published it, or someone else has, or the idea is
patently revolting (What Julia Roberts Thinks About What the Mayor
Said About the Schools Yesterday). But the rest of the time we're likely to respond: “We'll publish it if we like it—why don't you give it a try?” Feel free to e-mail us with a query anytime.
What about contracts? We usually encourage newcomers to submit completed manuscripts on spec. If we’ve worked with you before, we might make an assignment and discuss a deadline and payment. An e-mail exchange is usually sufficient as a contract. We do our best to make
sure assigned stories make it into the paper, but if an assigned
story or rewrite doesn’t work out we’ll pay at least 25 percent of the agreed-upon minimum.
What lengths do you prefer? We run short features of 250-1,200 words. Our larger feature stories start at about 2,500 and are often much longer. Reviews are generally 600-1,200 words but can be more. If we make an assignment, we’ll likely recommend a length.
Once my story’s accepted, will your editors
destroy my deathless prose? We have a healthy appreciation for
writerly idiosyncrasies but little patience for lazy reporting
or bad logic. If we have to edit your story heavily, we’ll explain
our changes, and we show edited work to writers before publication.
Naturally, a writer can refuse at any time to submit a rewrite or withdraw a story from consideration.
Stories that need a lot of editing tend to migrate to editors’
back burners. If we want your story but it’s
taking a long time to get it edited, we’ll be happy to give
you an advance.
How much do you pay? As of this writing (December 2005), from a minimum of $75 (the shortest items) to a maximum of
$3,000 (the best and longest of our cover features). Short features usually run
$200-$500, and reviews pay set rates of $150 or $250, depending on length. A more complete schedule of fees is
available upon request. Freelance payments are made monthly, by
the 15th of the month following the month of publication.
Do you pay expenses? Since most of our stories
are local, writers don’t incur many expenses, but when necessary
we pay for things like long-distance phone bills. We pay for mileage
when you need to travel more than 20 miles to get the story. Check
with us ahead of time if you plan to spend our money. Expense requests,
including receipts, should be submitted within a month of publication.
What rights are you buying? Unless a different arrangement
is made prior to publication, our freelance fee includes first-time serial rights, archival rights (microfilm, microfiche,
etc), the nonexclusive right to publish on our Web sites, and the right to use your material (1) in our online archive, for additional payment per download;
(2) in the suburban Reader’s
Guide to Arts & Entertainment, for an additional payment of
20 percent; (3) in anthologies, for an additional amount to be negotiated.
We also assume permission to make articles available via third-party online databases such as Proquest Alt-Press Watch and AltWeeklies.com. Freelancers are free to exclude their articles from our online archive and/or third-party databases. Please contact us for details.
How soon do you report on acceptance/rejection?
Usually pretty quickly, but if we
don’t love your article or hate it, we could hold it for weeks or even months, waiting
for the right time to publish it.
If you know that you’ll need a response in a hurry,
inform us in a cover note.
How about artwork and photos? We prefer to
take care of art ourselves. You’re welcome to submit drawings,
diagrams, photos, etc, but we may decide we can do better with our
own artists and photographers. Of course, if it’s going to
be impossible for our people to do the artwork—the subject
of your story is leaving town for six months, or the art requires technical expertise that you happen to
have—it may be to your advantage to supply us with something.
Artists and photographers who want to contribute to
the Reader should send samples to the editor and art director or arrange a portfolio review with the art director. Assignments may follow.
Occasionally we accept unsolicited photographs, photo essays, and
comics. Our basic rate for photos is $100 per print. Comics
pay a minimum of $10. Illustrations (on assignment only) pay $50-$400.
Do you accept rewrites or simultaneous submissions?
We have on rare occasion accepted rewritten versions of articles that
have already appeared elsewhere, and we have no objection in principle
to simultaneous submissions (manuscripts submitted to several publishers
at the same time). But in both cases we need to know up front what
we’re dealing with: please inform us in your cover note.
What manuscript form do you prefer? We prefer e-mail (mail@chicagoreader.com) with your text pasted into the message rather than sent as a file attachment. If you're sending paper, please triple space. Don't forget to include your name, address, phone number(s), and SSN.
If you’d like to drop your manuscript by in person,
our office is at 11 E. Illinois in Chicago, just a block south of
the Red Line subway stop at Grand Avenue and State Street. Please
leave it at the front desk with our receptionists—we can’t
take the time to discuss your story when you drop it off.
Feel free to e-mail or call us
if you have any further questions. And thanks for your interest
in the Reader.
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