About the magazine
The Good Life is both for and about the people of Central Texas who live and work in the five counties (Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop and Caldwell) that make up the Austin metropolitan area. The Good Life is exclusively a local publication. We do not publish articles about folks who don't live in this area. All the articles we publish must have a local focus and cite local sources. Writers living elsewhere have rarely been able to produce suitable articles, because they're usually not able to get the local flavor and local sources that are needed for the magazine.
About feature submissions
Writers will submit the article, tagline, 50-word biographical sketch, and their photo via e-mail to editor@goodlifemag.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . The story should be e-mailed as an attached file, preferably in Microsoft Word. If you cannot provide that format, the story may be attached in plain text, or pasted into the body of the e-mail submission (last choice, however, as the formatting is lost in e-mails).
The writer's color photograph will be attached as a JPEG or TIFF, scanned at a resolution of 300 dpi, or a digital camera image of the same resolution. If you are unable to e-mail the image, then you would snail-mail it to the address given below.
In addition, first-time writers must also furnish a mailing address (so we know where to send a check for payment), a social security number (so we can satisfy IRS requirements), and phone numbers where they can be reached.
About the pay
Health, wellness and fitness features that are published in the Gusto section of the magazine are usually assigned at a length of 1500 words and The Good Life pays $150 to $250 for these features. The higher fees are paid to people who have been writing for the magazine regularly or are widely published.
For all other feature stories, The Good Life pays from $200 to $750, depending on the writer's experience, the assigned length of the article, and the degree of difficulty. The higher fees go to people who have been writing for The Good Life regularly, or are widely published, and who take on more challenging assignments. Features that earn the highest fees address complex topics, require a demanding amount of research and interviews, and provide comprehensive, in-depth or investigative coverage.
It is not necessary to submit invoices for payment. I will compile the necessary information for checks to be cut based on the assigned rates.
Checks for payment will be mailed on the 15th of the month of publication.
How to get an assignment
I am open to queries by mail, e-mail or telephone, but it will save a lot of time--and will help to endear me to your proposal--if you pitch only developed ideas that fully describe the topic and your desired approach. Study the features on our web site and in back issues to get a sense of what we like to publish.
Please do not submit work previously published or articles that has been submitted for publication elsewhere.
Before making an assignment, I will need to see a few feature clips that demonstrate the writer's best work. I look for previous publishing experience and need to see samples before making an assignment. If a writer does not have published work of sufficient quality, chances are I would only take the writer's article on speculation; this means you would write the article, I would review it, and you would only be paid if the article is published. While there is no guarantee of payment when writing on speculation, it affords a good opportunity for less experienced writers to break in with The Good Life. I confirm all feature assignments in writing via e-mail, to be sure that the writer's expectations are in line with our needs. I include detailed guidance such as what elements the story should include, the expected length, the deadline, the writer's responsibility for providing contact information for people to be photographed, the writer's fee and when it will be paid.
I make every effort to create a relationship that nurtures writers by being straightforward, honoring agreements, and paying on time. If you want to write for a high-quality publication, have talent, and can produce interesting material for our Central Texas audience, I welcome your queries .
Ken Martin, editor
The Good Life
Phone: 512-474-1022
Fax: 512-474-5725
E-Mail: editor@goodlifemag.com
US mail: P.O. Box 4400, Austin, Texas 78765
More information here.
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