Writers’ Guidelines
Writers for Shotgun Sports should have first-hand knowledge of hunting, trapshooting, skeet or sporting clays or be knowledgeable in other areas of shotgunning, such as collecting, repairing or reloading. Current issues of Shotgun Sports are the best guide to our style. Try to create a professional, yet friendly article. Most articles in Shotgun Sports can be grouped into one of five categories:
1. Test Reports. Tests of shooting equipment, such as new choke devices, triggers, shooting glasses, ear protection or reloading recipes. Photos of unique details should be included, as well as necessary diagrams or specifications, such as price, installation time, where to buy, etc. Round-ups work well here. Reloading stories must be accompanied by supporting data and list the source on all recipes used.
2. Think Pieces. Subjective discussions of the merits of one gun type over another, shooting techniques that are unique or revolutionary, or anything that is new, fresh and makes the reader think. These are usually lead articles and must be crisply written, well-illustrated and authoritative.
3. Round-Ups. Generalized reports on various aspects of shotgunning — favorite clubs or places to hunt, unusual shooting facilities, unique shotshell reloading setups, etc. Photos of unique details should be included, as well as necessary maps or diagrams and information on price, etc.
4. Historical pieces. The main theme of the article must be related to shotgunning, trap, skeet or sporting clays guns, field guns or shotshell reloading. Generally, acceptance is dependent upon freshness of the approach or amount of new material provided. Photos should be included.
5. Interviews. I am interested in interviews with personalities in the shotgunning field; however, I am less concerned with the person’s exploits than any “words of wisdom” they can impart which may be useful to our readers.
Quality is the key. I would rather see 1,500-2,000 well-written words than 5,000 that have to be edited and rewritten before they become readable. Photographs of high quality are almost always required with any submission. In some cases, we can provide additional photographs from our files. Check your facts and figures and make sure it is accurate and complete before you send it in.
Payment ranges from $50 to $200. We pay upon publication. Shotgun Sports purchases all rights. Stories submitted without photos will be paid a lower rate. If you have any additional questions, don’t hesitate to contact our Production Coordinator by letter, phone or e-mail (shotgun@shotgunsportsmagazine.com). Our goal is to continue to make Shotgun Sports the finest magazine of its type, and quality freelance writers are its backbone.
Manuscripts: Text should be typewritten in black ink only, double-spaced, on one side of the paper only. Use white 81ŕ2"x11" bond paper and provide a 1" margin on all sides. Identify and number each page. Be sure your name, address and phone number clearly appear somewhere on the manuscript. DO NOT fax manuscripts! It is acceptable to e-mail manuscripts. DO NOT query. Send complete manuscripts only.
Computer Disks: Manuscripts can also be submitted on CD. Text must be saved in a generic form (use the “save as” generic or ASCII form). Any generic .txt or .doc files are usually acceptable (i.e., Microsoft Word 2000 and earlier). Do not use special fonts or special embedded characters (even those in your computer's symbol set, such as 1ŕ2). Disks may be for Mac or PC. All CDs should be clearly marked with your name and the subject covered. Always provide printed hard copy with CD submissions.
Photographs: Photographs, with appropriate captions, should be 5"x7" or 8"x10" black & white or color; color transparencies, 35mm or larger, are also acceptable. Always include printouts with photos submitted on CD. Digital photos should be at least 5" at 300 dpi. If submitting large digital files, call for instructions for using our FTP site. Include captions that are clearly marked to match the photos.
Return Postage: All submissions should be accompanied by return postage. Allow 6-8 weeks for a response. Finally, a word on rejections. The majority of articles rejected have poor photographs or not enough helpful information for our readers. While we have an excellent art department, they cannot do much with bad photos, and make sure our readers learn something new from your story.
Submit here.
Or by mail:
Johnny Cantu
Editor in Chief
Shotgun Sports
P.O. Box 6810
Auburn, CA 95604
More information here.
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