Freelance writing, Today's Parent, pays $200 for stories appearing in Your Turn column (Canada)

Today's Parent is a consumer magazine for parents with children up to the age of 14. The circulation is approximately 190,000 and we have more than 1.7 million readers from across Canada. There are 12 issues per year. Today's Parent and its sister publications (Today's Parent: Pregnancy, Today's Parent: Baby & Toddler) are wholly owned by Rogers Media Publishing.



Today's Parent offers a mixture of straightforward service articles and more philosophical or issue–oriented stories. The tone is positive and supportive, yet realistic. There are rarely black and white answers to child–rearing issues and we believe in being informative without being dictatorial. We invite parents to adopt those suggestions that may work for their families.



The magazine embraces a gentle, nurturing parenting style that respects each child's unique personality. We understand the normal developmental needs and limitations shared by all children as they grow. We respect parents' ability to understand their children and to make good parenting decisions. Mothers and fathers are "parenting experts" too, and we rely on their anecdotes and experiences as sources of wisdom in our articles.



Today's Parent recognizes that good parenting depends, in part, on adequate social support. Thus the magazine is also a voice for change around social issues that affect the quality of family life.



Editorial Lineup



Departments Assigned to Freelancers



Your Turn (every issue): a first–person forum for parents to share their experiences. Please note that we prefer to reserve this column for our readers rather than professional writers. (700 words; $200)



Mom Time (every issue): recognizes that mothers are women, too, and deals with topics not directly related to parenting, including health, fitness, wellness, relationships, beauty and fashion. (Word length varies – usually 500-700 words)



Education (every issue, except possibly July and August): tackles both straightforward subjects – helping with homework, field trips – and controversial or complex topics such as French immersion or phonics vs. whole language. The writer should avoid taking an academic or politicized approach. Education issues (e.g. standardized testing, public vs. private schools) are also occasionally covered in feature articles. (Word length varies – usually 500-700 words)



Health (every issue): deals with common health issues affecting children – how to take a temperature, common baby ailments, ear infections – but also includes some investigative topics (e.g. are parents overusing the hospital ER?) The tone should be helpful, not alarmist. Health issues (including controversial ones) are also occasionally covered in feature articles. (Word length varies – usually 500-700 words)



Behaviour (every issue): focuses on child development and discipline. Again, experiences or problems common to many families are preferable to extreme cases. We're looking for a supportive, constructive tone that acknowledges a variety of parenting styles. (Word length varies – usually 500-700 words)



Money (every issue): covers family finance issues, such as banking, budgeting, saving and investing, as well as how to spend smarter. (Word length: 500 words)



Several departments are written by regular contributors and are not open to freelancers. These include Uncommon Sense, Nutrition, Cooking With Kids and Steps and Stages.



Features



Today's Parent runs features of varying lengths in each issue, with a balance between the practical and the reflective, the light–hearted and the investigative. All articles should be grounded in the reality of Canadian family life. Without claiming to know all the answers, we try to leave the reader with a sense of positive direction.



Feature topics can include such diverse stories as the evolving role of fathers, choosing the discipline technique that's right for your child, dealing with picky eaters, postpartum depression, returning to work, sex after childbirth, birthday party ideas, surrogate motherhood and child poverty. With some topics, the writer's personal experience as a parent adds a rich layer to the storytelling.



Word length and fees vary depending on the length complexity of the story – usually 1,500 to 2,500 words.



How to Submit Queries



Please do not telephone queries. Send a detailed proposal by e-mail, or mail rather than a completed manuscript (except for Your Turn). If it's your first contact with us, enclose samples of previously published work.



Queries should have a specific hook, not just a subject area (e.g. the pros and cons of the family bed, not just "kids' sleep") and should have wide appeal for a national audience (camping in New Brunswick is too local; coping with cystic fibrosis too specialized). Please indicate the word length you consider appropriate for the story.



Please note that if we are interested in your story idea, we will contact you within six weeks. Mailed queries should include a stamped, self–addressed envelope. Today's Parent accepts no responsibility for unsolicited material.



Because we promote ourselves as a Canadian magazine, we favour Canadian writers.



Writers new to Today's Parent may be asked to write their first article on spec, especially if they have limited experience writing for consumer magazines.



Notes



If you are assigned an article, your handling editor will contact you by phone to discuss the direction of your assignment and will send you a contract specifying deadline and fee. Today's Parent reimburses telephone and some other expenses. Writers must send an invoice with their manuscript, including GST number. Fees will be paid 30 days after acceptance of the final article.



Today's Parent routinely asks to secure the rights to publish articles online. The fee includes these rights, with details explained in the contract.



Wherever possible, sources, statistics and anecdotal material in Today's Parent should be Canadian. Since we are a national magazine it is important to avoid a local bias. When selecting parents to interview, please try to include both mothers and fathers, and keep in mind that families have many configurations and many cultural backgrounds; we would like this diversity to be reflected in the pages of the magazine.



Please be diligent and double–check names and titles, since not all stories are independently fact–checked. Include a list of your sources, with telephone numbers, with your MS and include the full address of any source who has asked to receive a copy of your article.



Sidebars with supplementary information or practical tips are encouraged. We also like to include a list of resources for parents where appropriate, and we encourage writers to recommend relevant books, organizations and Web sites.



Send your queries to:

E-mail: queries@tpg.rogers.com

or

Queries,

Today's Parent,

One Mount Pleasant Rd., 8th Floor,

Toronto, ON M4Y 2Y5.

Fax: 416-764-2801



Contact Information:



For inquiries: queries@tpg.rogers.com



Website: http://www.todaysparent.com/