Sailing World Guidelines for Writers and Photographers

Guidelines for Writers

Prospective contributors to Sailing World should study recent issues of the magazine to determine appropriate subject matter. The emphasis here is on performance sailing: keep in mind that the Sailing World readership is relatively educated about the sport. Unless you are dealing with a totally new aspect of sailing, you can and should discuss ideas on an advanced technical level; however, extensive formulae and graphs don’t play well to our audience. When in doubt as to the suitability of an article or idea, submit a written query before time and energy are misdirected. (Because of the volume of queries received, editors cannot accept phone calls.)

All mss. should be typewritten and double-spaced. Unless specific arrangements have been made ahead of time with Sailing World, submissions must include all necessary artwork and photos (see guidelines below). Materials should bear the contributor’s name, address and phone number. Unsolicited articles should be sent as queries via e-mail to dave.reed@sailingworld.com. If the article idea is accepted, the full text can then be sent as a text or Microsoft Word document on a CD or flash drive (Mac or Windows format). The disk should be sent with a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Most writing for Sailing World falls into one of several categories. Articles on one-design or offshore sailing can be presented as any of the following:

1. Instructional
2. Event-oriented
3. Personality profiles
1. Race Report
2. Starting Line
3. Finish Line

Non-racing features may be either instructional or narrative; in the latter case, suitability for SW will be determined by the quality of writing and ideas, or by the value of lessons learned. “Gee-whiz” impressions from beginning sailors are generally not accepted.

Payment for article is upon publication, and varies with the type of article, its placement in the magazine, and the amount of editing required. Average payment is $400 for up to 2000 plus words.

Thank you for your interest in contributing to Sailing World.

–The Editors

Guidelines for Photographers

Prospective contributors should study recent issues of the magazine to determine photographic style. Preference is given to color slides; our Art Department recommends shooting digital or with Fuji VELVIA film. Other submissions should be 5×7 or larger B&W or color glossy prints-no negatives, please. Name and address of contributor should be attached to each submission, and the delivery should be accompanied by a memo covering the details of the submission. Return method should be specified if other than Certified Mail. Please also include a street address for Express return services, as well as any account information with FedEx or other courier services. Returns typically take 3 months, unless an expedited return is requested by the photographer. Payment for photos is upon publication, and varies with photo size and type according to Sailing World rates.

Generally, all photos are story related. While Sailing World does not discourage the submission of other photos, it is unlikely that they will be used in feature stories. We do, however, encourage submissions of competitive, current events taking place throughout the world for use in our monthly columns which examine the local and global racing scene. In addition, we will enter your name in our contributors file to receive periodic mailings regarding our needs.

Photos usually fall into one of the following categories:

1. Cover: Always color, usually related to an inside story. Preferably vertical.
2. Feature Or Photo Feature: Color. Usually covers a specific topic (instructional or technical) or event. Most is commissioned work. Assignment ideas accepted in writing only (or email or fax).
3. Finish Line: One shot per story. Exciting event action preferred.
4. General: General sailing photography welcomed (new boats, interesting people, spectacular wipe-outs, unusual rigs).

Send the manuscripts and photos to_ Sailing World,_ 55 Hammarlund Way, Middletown, RI 02840, attention Manuscripts Editor.

Digital Photo Guidelines

Digital photos must be 300 dpi: 6 by 8 inches for standard (half-page or less) photos, 11 by 16 inches for spreads. Please include a labeled contact sheet or an additional folder containing 72 dpi thumbnails of your photos.

Please send files in one of these formats, listed in preference order:

• Photoshop compressed TIFF
• Photoshop EPS
• Photoshop BMP
• Photoshop JPEG

We cannot accept these formats: GIF, PCX, PDF, PNG, PIXAR, RAW, SCITEX, EXE.

Please send a disc, again in order of preference:

• Flash Drive
• Zip
• CD