Outdoor Indiana magazine accepts manuscripts from a variety of sources, but assumes no responsibility for the care of unsolicited work. Story proposals, in the form of an outline, should include a brief synopsis of the story: vision, scope, direction, list of sources.
We purchase first-time, one-time publishing rights.
The editors work 18-24 months in advance and develop a story budget that includes a mix of editorial features, including articles and departments. Articles focus on Indiana places, events, history, themes, people, wildlife, travel, adventure and conservation. Departments include news of events, new publications, videos, books, plant and animal features and trails. First-person stories, essays, reflections are rarely used. We generally only print commissioned poetry, and rarely.
The magazine seeks quality writing, accurate reporting and well-developed prose. Story length varies. Generally, 800-1,000 words will cover many topics, and sidebars can round out a story. Occasionally, longer pieces of 1,200-1,500 words are commissioned. The best approach is to tell the story with common-sense writing, economical prose and engaging language.
Department materials, such as trail stories, plant and animal profiles and people profiles, are single-source stories of about 450-600 words.
Many sources exist within the Department of Natural Resources for history, archaeology, biology, water quality, plant and animal species, conservation, and soil erosion; we can assist writers in locating agency sources, but prefer that writers make their own contacts. Additional resources abound at state universities and local colleges.
Since the magazine does not accept freelance photography as a rule, we request that you do not query us regarding your photography. Once we have accepted an article for publication, we will contact you regarding appropriate photos. Many commissioned articles will be developed early in the process by the editors, the photographer and the writer. It is important that you maintain an accurate file of places, addresses, telephone numbers and sources for potential photography.
Please provide electronic versions. Microsoft Word and WriteNow are high-end and low-end word processing programs that will facilitate production. Diskettes or e-mail are acceptable.
For more information, contact Kim Brant, kbrant@dnr.IN.gov.
