About Submitting
* E-mail submissions are preferred. Send toEditor@MetroFamilyMagazine.com. We purchase one-time print rights and web rights. Standard-mail submissions are seldom considered and will not be returned.
* Reprint submissions will be accepted from writers around the United States; articles we assign will be given to local writers to capitalize on local sources. We reserve the right to refuse publication of any piece if the article does not meet our needs and/or standards. All submissions are subject to editing.
* MetroFamily Magazine is published monthly, 12 issues per year. We work 3-6 months in advance so plan feature queries/submissions accordingly. A list of general themes (subject to change) may be found below.
About Formatting
* Send articles in the body of your e-mail. If the article is chosen for publication, I may ask if it is available as a Word document.
* In a series of three or more terms and a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last. Example: Sarah doesn’t own a pig, a rat or a bird.
* Please, only one space following a period.
* Include a word count, including sidebar(s), at the top right corner of your first page.
About Writing
* Leads: An interesting, compelling lead into each story is critical. Just like us, our readers have work to do, meals to prepare, and kids to tend. We must seduce them into reading.
* Humor: Bring it on! If you can lighten a “heavy” story with some appropriate levity, by all means do so.
* Surprises: Try to put one in every piece you write. Startle readers with an unexpected statistic (with proper credit given to the source of the information) or raise eyebrows with a surprising outcome.
* Length: Keep it short. Our features rarely run over 1,000 words, including sidebars.
* Layering: Many people don’t read, they flip. Each story needs to be layered so that even someone scanning the page can take away an important fact or idea. Include suggested pullout quotes, subheads, bulleted items, and/or sidebars.
* Art: Photographs grab readers’ attention, so we want to include them whenever possible. If you have photos or leads for photos, please pass that information along as early in the writing process as possible.
* Location, location, location: Articles which can be localized are preferred. If you quote experts in your piece, we would prefer that Oklahoma City-area professionals are considered.
* Payment (includes web rights): $20-$35 up to 500 words; $35-$50 over 500 words, paid upon publication. Kill fees are only paid if the article was written by request of MetroFamily and not used in print; kill fees will not be paid for unused freelance pieces.
Issue Themes
We plan our issues 3-6 months in advance of publication. Our general themes for publications are as listed (subject to change):
January: Education
February: Kids & the Arts
March: Babies and Pregnancy
April: Summer Camps & Activities
May: Moms and Parenting
June: Birthday Parties
July: Special Needs
August: Back to School & Extracurricular Activities
September: Teens & Tweens
October: Fall Fun
November: Your Best Life
December: Family Holiday Fun
If you have any questions or concerns that are not addressed within these guidelines, please contact our editor, Mari Farthing, at Editor@MetroFamilyMagazine.com.
Tips for Successful Writers
More information here.
This blog is no longer updated. Please instead visit Writers For Diversity for new opportunities for women/ LGBT writers and writers of color. Thank you.
