Outside Bozeman - Southwest Montana's Outdoor Journal

Outside Bozeman is a seasonal publication that explores and celebrates the outdoor world of southwest Montana. Our magazine examines not only the dramatic beauty of the landscape and the innumerable recreational possibilities it affords, but also the issues surrounding its use and the wide range of lifestyles it engenders. It is both an interesting, entertaining journal and an informative where-to guide for fun and adventure in Bozeman's outdoors.

Writers:
Feature Articles on outdoor activities & adventure, limited to southwest Montana and surrounding area (roughly Yellowstone River to Madison River, Bridger Range to Big Sky. Missouri River, Paradise Valley, West Yellowstone, and Yellowstone Park okay too). Personal narratives, area or event descriptions, environmental/conservation issues, wildlife exposés, humorous essays, historical anecdotes: all are fair game. Query first if at all possible. We run 4-6 feature articles per issue. Length should be 800-1,600 words. Pays 10-15 cents/word, depending on quality, originality, amount of editing required, and writer tenure with Outside Bozeman. Try to include sidebars that directly or indirectly relate to the feature.

Profiles of eminent and/or interesting outdoor personalities are encouraged. Pays same as feature. Some ideas: Jack Tackle, Tom McGuane, Conrad Anker, Bud Lilly, Russell Chatham.

Departments pay $25-$100, based on length. These are short pieces fitting into any of the following categories (this is a partial list; review the actual magazine for more departments):

Local Lore (area culture & history; 400-800 words)
News & Notes (local happenings; 200-300 words)
The New West (the changing Western lifestyle & landscape; 500-900 words)
Folio (book, movie, and CD reviews; 200-400 words)
Flora & Fauna (highlight of an indigenous species; 400-600 words)
Outdoor Handbook (first aid, cooking, astronomy, etc.; 400-800 words)
Business Bio (profile of a local outdoor business; 500-800 words)
Seasonal Activities (overview / informative description, with or without first-person anecdotal content, of a seasonal outdoor activity and/or locale; 600-800 words)
Area Attractions (interesting locale outside Bozeman area)
Just for Chicks (women-specific information or narratives; 400-900 words)
Health & Fitness (training, injury prevention, medicine, etc.; 300-900 words)
Pets (anything having to do with full-sized dogs -- no yappers or cats; 300-700 words)
Inside Bozeman (recipes, nightlife, etc.; 300-600 words)

We'll also run a Personal Essay if it's appropriate. Should be thoughtful and well-informed. The more contemplative, the better. Try to scratch beneath the surface, getting at why we do what we do out there. Pays same as feature. Humor is encouraged. Cartoons, overheard quips, outdoor jokes, short yarns – just about anything that is outdoor-related and funny. Pays same as department.

Note: Because Outside Bozeman is a free publication with limited resources, all articles are on spec, accepted query or not. Unfortunately, we cannot pay kill fees.

All article submissions should conform to the following submission protocols:

-If sending by e-mail (preferred), attach article AND paste article into message body.
-MS Word, text-only, or rich-text format. NO WORDPERFECT.
-Article should be single-spaced, with ONE space between paragraphs.
-Include a good title and subtitle if appropriate.
-Try to obtain professional-quality photos to accompany your article.

Editorial calendar is as follows (these dates are rough and may be adjusted by up to a week either way):

Spring
Query/Spec Deadline: January 1
Assignment Deadline: February 1

Summer
Query/Spec Deadline: April 1
Assignment Deadline: May 1

Fall
Query/Spec Deadline: July 1
Assignment Deadline: August 1

Winter
Query/Spec Deadline: October 1
Assignment Deadline: November 1

Writing tips:
-Exclamation points do not get readers excited about sentences they would not otherwise get excited about.
-Write tight. The fewer words, the better.
-Don't take yourself too seriously.
-Don't take us too seriously. We're busy people and can sometimes be curt. Other times we're downright grumpy.
-Don't be offended if you don't hear from us. We try to get back to everyone but things do slip through the cracks.
-Don't call and email several times a month about your story's status; but at the same time, don't be afraid to gently check in. Most days, we're nice.
-Do let us know if you plan to publish elsewhere anything you've submitted to us. Being a seasonal, we often run stories we received a year prior. We don't want to run the same story that appeared in another local Montana publication.
-Be original. Make us think, "Who is this freakin' person?"
-Outside of features, we like short articles. The shorter the article, the better the chances of it getting published.
-Know who you're writing for. If you send us a story about bobbing your Pomeranian's ears, we'll never talk to you again.

Photographers:
Pretty much anything goes, from nature images to artistic stuff to extreme/adventure shots. We'll use many individual photographs throughout the magazine, and possibly a photo essay or two per issue. These in particular must capture the beauty, majesty, and excitement of the Bozeman area in a well-chosen set of images with a central theme.

Following guidelines closely will enhance chances of publication.

For all submissions:
-Attach proper contact information including photographer’s name, return address, email, and phone number. Including an SASE will expedite the process of returns.
-If the photographer desires the athlete (as applicable) and location to be included in the caption info, then it needs to be clearly stated that this is what the photographer wishes, and the info needs to be attached to the submissions (NOT in the file names). Because of space issues and the general chaos of production, we can’t guarantee the info will be used, but we will do our best to include it.

Digital files:
-300 ppi. Minumum of 1-2MB. The bigger the better.
-Images should be named by the photographer's first initial and last name followed by an underscore and the title or number of the image. Example:
SPeterson_Bear.tif. NO spaces, periods, or slashes!
-JPG/RGB format for emailing.
-For an image to be considered for a cover, it needs to be at least 9x12 inches at 300 dpi.
-email submissions to photos@outsidebozeman.com.

CD/Slide Submissions: PREFFERED
-for slides see above
-Digital images on CD – 300 ppi. Minumum of 1-2 MB
-TIFF/CMYK format
-CDs will not be returned unless the photographer requests otherwise

Please note:
If a photo has been previously published or recently submitted for publication, please advise us when and where. We appreciate the time you put in for submissions; however, we can not guarantee usage.

Payment varies, but here’s a rough outline: 1/4-page or smaller, $25; 1/4- to 1/2-page, $50; 1/2- to full-page, $75; full-page, $100; cover shot, $200.

Payment:
We will do everything in our power to pay you within 30 days of publication, but we make no promises. Our funds derive solely from our advertisers; when they don't pay us, we can't pay you. To date, we've always been able to pay within 60 days of publication.

Send all submissions to:
editor at outsidebozeman.com (articles)
photos at outsidebozeman.com (images)

Outside Bozeman
313 W. Mendenhall, Ste. 8
Bozeman, MT 59715
Phone: 406-582-8068 Fax: 406-582-4982