Contribute to DamnMag
Wanna write for DamnMag?
Read the submission guidelines below, then send your pitch, bio, and two writing samples to editor at damnmag dot com
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
We have a range of contributors, from award-winning journalists, to journalism students, to musicians, to regular folk who just want to write about the generations. If you haven’t been published in a major magazine before, that’s OK. But study a back issue or two.
THE DamnMag READER
Because our articles vary, our readership is very broad, but we are writing to a couple of ideal readers:
- She’s 13-25, active in raising awareness for a cause, has a favourite band (and owns a couple of their T-shirts) and remembers to call her grandpa every Sunday.
- He’s 82, has just started getting into TikTok, and still loves to garden. His kids don’t live close enough, but his grand-daughter still remembers to call him every Sunday to catch up.
WHAT WE COVER
As you’ll see, we’re a source of aspiration for all ages on the “getting older” spectrum. We seek stories with a multi-generational aspect. In particular we aim to redirect the limelight onto issues that really matter. We want our reader’s to give a damn (big or small). This underlying theme of creating positive change in the world isn’t our main focus, but it’s always on our mind. We rely on writers who can research a heritage, legacy, or generational aspect of music, cuisine, adventure, travel, tech and more to tease out why those who came before us matter. If you’re interviewing a band, ask the artists about where they got their sense of rhythm from. Interviewing a chef? Ask them if any of their restaurant’s dishes were influenced by recipes from a grandparent. Because this is not often what PR reps are advertising, it requires writers with an ear to the ground and great research skills.
If you’re a musician who espouses a cause, is passionate about an issue that affects generations, or have a unique multi-generational story, we’d love to hear a story from a first-person vantage.
TONE
Most of our articles have the tone of a elders-are-rad enthusiast who wants to see seniors given the attention they deserve.
PAYMENT, RIGHTS
We think it’s important to continue to value content. Journalism is a profession that should not be undervalued.
We accept stories to the Front of the Book sections, and Back of the Book from unsolicited writers when we have sponsorships to pay properly. For print issues we pay around $250 for FOB/BOB submissions (approx 300-500 words each). When a sponsorship is not secured for an issue, we will work with volunteer writers.
We publish online year-round and pay $20-$50 for online-only pieces, depending on length and scope.
After your first story is published, you go into a list of contributors. These DamnMag writers may then pitch feature, FOB, or BOB stories directly to the editor, and will be given opportunities to cover particular assignments. Upon publication, these writers are compensated on par with national printed magazines for their pieces.
We usually buy all rights, but this may be negotiated on an individual basis. DamnMag may re-print articles that were published online, without further payment to the writer.
THE DAMN DEPARTMENTS
DAWN (FOB)
Kitchen, home, fashion, and tech essentials breaking a new dawn.
Back in style: The fashion and/or home trends coming back into style (or that never went out of style).
Heirloom: Cuisine/kitchen-related stories. Things like forgotten recipes, or short food memoirs, cookbooks with recipes from grandma or a multi-generational farm…
Tech Talk: A Q&A between two different generations on an emerging technology.
DAY (Well)
Features to brighten your day.
We commission two features per sponsored issue.
DUSK (BOB)
Where musicians ‘got it from’ and Poetry.
I got it from my… : Interview or first-person narrative from a musician on who they got a certain aspect of their skills, new album, etc.. from.
Brief History Of: Short review of the historical relevance for something modern. It could be anything that will keep the reader interested, from a brief history of the open-concept kitchen, to a brief history of hating weeds. We’re flexible and love creativity, just keep it light.
Poetry: A poem of maximum 500 words.
WEB
Videos: We’re open to also publish video pieces. Contact the editor to discuss if your article has a video component.
HOW TO QUERY DamnMag
Send your pitch, bio, and two writing samples to emily at damnmag dot com
It’s a good idea to structure your pitch like this:
* Start with the lead you expect to put on the piece.
* Write a summary of where you’ll go from there.
* Give specifics on whom you plan to interview, what types of real-life anecdotes you’ll include, what research sources you plan to go to and what conclusion the story might reach. Queries shouldn’t run longer than one page, single-spaced. We’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
ARCHIVES
You can check out our archives here: Issue 000, Issue 001, Issue 002, Issue 003. Visit the homepage for the latest print edition.
Thanks for giving a damn!
Emily Kennedy
Founding Editor | DamnMag