magazine

Our State - Writer's Guidelines

800 Green Valley Road, Suite 106, Greensboro, N.C. 27408-7020 phone: (336) 286-0600, (800) 948-1409 fax: (336) 286-0100

Since 1933, Our State: Down Home in North Carolina has been the most comprehensive source of information on the people, places, culture, history, and folklore of North Carolina. The magazine's circulation is more than 150,000, 88 percent of which is in-state. Our readers are astute, with a keen eye for detail and quality writing. We accept well-written articles on subjects of interest to those who live in, visit, or simply love the Tar Heel state.

Approach and subject matter

• The editorial focus of Our State is life in North Carolina. We buy nonfiction articles that highlight North Carolina history, personalities, travel, arts and crafts, nature, adventure, culture, and nostalgia.
• We also expect any sidebars, captions, lists, and supplemental material (such as photos) to be considered part of the story.
• We expect thoroughly researched, original, literary-quality work.

Length

• The average length of articles in Our State is 1,200 to 1,500 words.

Submissions

• If you'd like to write an article for Our State, we ask that you develop two or three story ideas and send a brief paragraph synopsis on each to editorial@ourstate.com or the address listed below. We will respond within eight to twelve weeks.
• Please submit queries in written form; a resume and writing samples may be requested with first-time queries.
• Due to the volume of queries and "on spec" stories we receive, we cannot return unsolicited materials. Please do not send original copies.
• Once an assigned article has been completed, we prefer to receive articles by email, sent to the email address of the assigning editor. Microsoft Word documents or plain text files preferred.

Copyright and payment

• Unless otherwise indicated, Mann Media purchases First North American Serial Rights. Any editorial changes will be made at the sole discretion of the editors.
• Payment for articles is made on publication. Payments vary depending on the type of article, its complexity, and the writer's ability to meet the assigned deadline. Writers can expect payment from $300 to $500. Payment for published articles is made during the third week of the month in which the article appears. Our State elects not to pay kill fees for unsolicited submissions. Kill fees may or may not be paid for assigned stories that are not used, at the discretion of the editor.
• Occasionally, Our State stories are repurposed by the N.C. Travel & Tourism website. Our State will notify and pay writers $150 for each story so repurposed.
• Selected stories also may be used by UNC-TV as the idea for a segment on "Our State," the TV show. Our State will notify and pay writers a $75 honorarium for each story so selected.

Deadlines

• All assignments are due on the date assigned by the editor. All copy, along with any accompanying artwork, should be in the Our State office by noon the day of the deadline.

Artwork

• Any photography, illustrations, and artwork the writer chooses to submit are welcome and considered part of the story package and fee unless other arrangements are made during the original assignment. If your sources are sending art or photos directly to us, be sure they know the story's deadline.

Sample copies of Our State, guidelines, and editorial calendar

Sample copies of Our State are $6 each. For a copy, please write the Our State circulation department at the address listed below.

• For a copy of our photography guidelines, click here. For a copy of our editorial calendar, click here.

Editor, Our State
P.O. Box 4552
Greensboro, N.C. 27404
fax (336) 286-0100

revised September 2006