Freelance Guidelines

We consider ourselves a reader-written magazine and work with very few freelancers. However, we are open to queries and manuscript submissions from experienced bird, garden and nature writers. We are especially interested in submissions that include photos, so we can negotiate a photo-text package rate. Here are a few areas open to freelancers:

Gardening and Birding. Stories should be under 1,000 words, including sidebars. We prefer personal experience combined with advice, not a piece with all expert quotes. In addition, we will consider stories about attracting birds, gardening for wildlife, garden trends and birder or gardener profiles.

Travel. We prefer stories that focus on a general topic, as opposed to one specific location.

DIY. We are open to DIY projects for birding and gardening. Projects should include a supplies list and step-by-step instructions. Projects need to be fresh and innovative. We’re not going to run plans for a bluebird house or steppingstones unless there’s something unique to the approach.

Poetry. We generally publish short poems (20 lines or less) with a definite seasonal tone.