Contribute
Contributor Guidelines
Writer's Guidelines | Photographer Guidelines
It's helpful if you first read a few back issues of Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors magazine to become familiar with our style and audience. We are the magazine of the coast of Maine with a strong focus on boating. Our editorial inventory is planned well in advance (at least six months out). We welcome author inquiries in the form of query letters. Note that we do not generally publish "log style" articles, nor do we publish travel-magazine style pieces.
While we prefer an initial query letter, we also accept unsolicited manuscripts either by mail or E-mail to: editor@maineboats.com. Please attach your document to your e-mail, and ALSO paste the article into the body of the e-mail. Please note your telephone number in your cover letter.
While we take all due care with materials, we cannot be responsible for unsolicited contributions. If you wish your materials to be returned, they must be accompanied by an SASE. Whenever possible, all manuscripts should be accompanied by appropriate artwork such as transparencies, high-resolution digital images, or color or black-and-white glossy prints. Please number and identify each image on a brief caption sheet, and provide a printed thumbnail sheet and caption list with any digital images you send, so that we can quickly review your submission.
See our Photographer Guidelines for more information. Good sketches are also acceptable. In lieu of actual artwork, suggestions on sources of illustrations are greatly appreciated.
If your manuscript involves a destination, please include a photocopy of a map or chart with the places clearly marked on it. Please also enclose a brief autobiographical note.
To help us keep track of things, please write your name and contact information on your manuscript and on EACH photograph, slide, and sketch.
We prefer that manuscripts submitted to Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors magazine not be sent to other magazines for consideration during the same time period. Please let us know if others are considering the piece so that we don't overlap with another publication. Also, if your manuscript has previously been published in part or in whole, let us know.
Manuscripts submitted for feature consideration should be approximately 700-1,200 words in length. Departments ("A Letter from Home", "My Boat, My Harbor") are shorter: 500-750 words as a general rule. Our rates vary with each individual submission. We buy one-time North American print and digital rights and pay after publication unless other arrangements are made in advance.
LEAD TIME: We try to respond to queries and submissions in a timely fashion, but the sheer volume makes this difficult, so please be patient. An e-mail inquiry into an article's status may be sent to editor@maineboats.com. Keep in mind that it can take six months to one year for a piece to reach publication. Send materials to: Editor, P.O. Box 566 Rockland, ME 04841 207-594-8622; fax: 207-593-0026 Queries may be sent to the same address or e-mailed to: editor@maineboats.com
PHOTOGRAPHER GUIDELINES
GENERAL PHOTOGRAPHY: We are always on the lookout for photographers with interesting work that depicts life on the Maine coast. Feel free to send us your portfolio or samples of your work. It's helpful if you first look through a few back issues of the magazine to familiarize yourself with the types of photos we use, and be aware that we fill most of our needs by calling for specific shots of specific topics. Please put your name on each slide, photograph, and disc submitted, especially if you'd like it returned. Digital files should be clearly named. All unsolicited submissions must be accompanied by a SASE.
DIGITAL IMAGES: To make your digital work easier to review, please include a printed set of thumbnails (b&w is fine) and a caption sheet. Please also name each file something useful: the file names "DSC00002" or "jpeg1" are no help to a busy editor. Please don't send large images (larger than 3MB) via e-mail unless we have discussed it first. We prefer to receive low-resolution jpegs for initial viewing, but will eventually need a minimum of 300dpi at 6"x8" (larger for spreads and covers). All high-resolution images should be CMYK process (not RGB), Tiff or EPS files preferred.
PRINTS & TRANSPARENCIES: For covers, we must have access to a high-resolution digital image or a top-quality transparency. For interior shots, we can work with high-quality prints (those made on a home inkjet printer are NOT of sufficient quality). Transparencies (slides or other) are also fine.
RATES & RIGHTS: Our rates are based upon the size we use the photo. Payment is made after publication for one-time North American print and digital rights. Other rights may be negotiated on a case-by-case basis. Materials will be returned using the same method you used to send them to us. Send materials to: Editor P.O. Box 566 (courier: 218 South Main St., Suite 300) Rockland, ME 04841 207-594-8622; fax: 207-593-0026 800-565-4951 Queries may be sent to the same address or e-mailed to:editor@maineboats.com
