What do magazines want? Some tell, some don't

When it comes to providing guidance to aspiring freelance writers, some magazines aren't really very helpful. There doesn't seem to be a pattern; although the bigger they are, the less likely they are to provide such guidance, it's not an ironclad rule.

Titles like Canadian Business or Maclean's or Canadian Art or the U of T magazine or Outpost, don't have any discernible writers' guidelines, at least online. Others, like Western Living, say essentially "Just read our magazine and talk to us". Still others, like This Magazine and Prairie Fire and Up Here and Fuse and Geist go into some detail about what they're looking for and why.

A well-established title like Reader's Digest gives only this advice, online:

If you are a writer and would like to submit a proposal, submissions can be sent to originals@rd.com or mailed to 1100 René Lévesque Blvd. West, Montreal, QC H3B 5H5. We are looking for dramatic narratives, inspirational stories, articles about crime, adventure, travel and health issues. If we are interested in pursuing your idea, an editor will contact you.

Many publications still require typed or printed copies of manuscripts and stamped, self-addressed envelopes for returning manuscripts. In a digital age when memory and bandwidth are so cheap, it seems odd that many smaller literary and cultural magazines continue this buggy-whip practice. Perhaps it is because many of their contributing poets and short story writers are old-fashioned, but somehow we doubt that.

It seems curious that magazines of any size wouldn't make it clear and easy to understand what they want, and what they don't. Perhaps they are are inundated by submissions already, or mostly receive stuff of dubious quality from hopeless hopefuls. Perhaps they don't use much freelance stuff, which makes it understandable that they don't want to invite material they'll never be able to use. But howcum magazines that accept freelance pitches don't all have readily accessible writers' guidelines?

You can get a lot of understanding about a magazine's vision and enterprise by reading these guidelines, even if you're not intending to submit work to them.

Here's a short list of writers' guidelines provided online by a miscellany of magazines from coast to coast to coast.

Ricepaper, Vancouver
Saltscapes, Halifax
The Beaver, Winnipeg
Maisonneuve, Montreal
This Magazine, Toronto
Prairie Fire , Winnipeg
Prairies North, Norquay, Saskatchewan
Geist, Vancouver
Downhome, St. John's
Western Living, Vancouver
Up Here, Yellowknife
Fuse, Toronto
Explore, Toronto

We'd be interested to hear from editors, about how they feel about specifying their needs this way, and from writers, who need to know what's wanted, before they can deliver it.

[UPDATE: here's another set of guidelines:
Cottage Life, Toronto]