WoodenBoat Magazine Is Accepting Submissions/ How To Submit (Pay: $250 – $300)

WoodenBoat is the bi-monthly magazine for wooden boat owners, builders, and designers. They are devoted exclusively to the design, building, care, preservation, and use of wooden boats of all types: commercial and pleasure; old and new; sail, power, paddle, and oar.

They work to convey quality, integrity, and involvement in the creation and care of these craft; to entertain, to inform, to inspire; and to provide our varied readers with access to individuals who are deeply experienced in the world of wooden boats. 

Submission Guidelines For WoodenBoat Magazine

• They aim to publish informative material. Therefore, writing style is often secondary when they consider an article for publication.
• However, you can still check out this article on how freelance writers can improve writing skills.
• While their ideal manuscript is informative and smoothly written, they might do some editing, to make it suitable for publication.
• They’ll consider your ideas in all forms. From a short query to a detailed outline, from a rough draft to a finished manuscript.
• Their preference is to receive a detailed article proposal of about 300 words accompanied by a sampling of images that will be available for illustrations.
• They prefer that you not e-mail your proposal to them. Instead, use the online submission-manager Submittable, to which they provide links in each of the following category descriptions.

Feature Articles

Their feature-article coverage is wide, varied, detailed, and informative. It ranges from historical and contemporary profiles, how-to build articles both short and long, photoessays of boats and regattas, and narrative accounts of boatbuilding and restoration projects.

The common theme among these varied approaches is that they deliver a lesson in the construction, rigging, use, or understanding of wooden boats.

To gain familiarity with the types of articles they tend to publish, take a careful look at a few recent issues of the magazine.

Please know, however, that they welcome other ideas and approaches, and encourage you to share your thoughts on creative and innovative projects. Most of their feature articles run from 1,000 to 4,000 words.

If you don’t have photographs or drawings to illustrate your article, that’s okay. They work with a number of talented photographers and illustrators who are happy to take assignments.

To submit a proposal for a feature article, please click the Submit button, create a Submittable account if you don’t have one, and fill out the feature article submission form.

You may also email your proposal to Editorial Assistant Elaine Gokey, at elaine@woodenboat.com.

Currents

“Currents” is a column of news and short articles published in each issue of WoodenBoat magazine.

“Eclectic” best describes its contents, which run the gamut from straight news concerning all aspects of wooden boat construction and ownership to news about museums, magazines, books, organizations, events, maritime preservation and politics, interesting products, tools, yards, and people.

“Currents” is edited by Senior Editor Tom Jackson, who obtains information from various sources. Some of these sources are professional journalists; others are enthusiasts who enjoy sharing news about the goings-on in their area. Boatyards are encouraged to submit news of significant projects and such things as new facilities or capacities.

All material is credited to its source, and published contributions are paid for upon use. Payment is based on word count and size of published image, at the rates detailed below.

You may email your material directly to Tom Jackson at tom@woodenboat.com.

Additional Information

• They have a relatively small staff, and the task of reading through each proposal takes time if it is to be done carefully.
• They will acknowledge receipt of your editorial submission soon after its arrival (please check your spam folder—especially if you use Submittable), but they beg your patience until a decision can be made.
• This typically take four to eight weeks. Once accepted, articles may have a lengthy wait before being published. Because they are a bi-monthly magazine, they must plan issues well in advance.
• When they’ve decided to publish your article, they’ll ask you to sign a copyright statement. This grants them specified rights to your material while ensuring your subsequent rights to it.
• You may also mail proposals to: Editor, WoodenBoat, P.O. Box 78, Brooklin, ME 04616. Material directed to Mike O’Brien (Designs) or Tom Jackson (Currents) or Jenny Bennett (Launchings) can be flagged with their names.
• If you are inclined toward writing or reporting, and understand the objectives of WoodenBoat, they hope you’ll share your ideas with them.

Pay Rates

They pay upon publication. They will send you a check, any original art, and a copy of the new issue as soon as it is available. The following are their usual rates:

Feature Text: $250–$300 per 1,000 words.

Photographs:

Cover $350
Full page $125
3/4 page $100
1/2 page $75
1/4 page $50
Spot $25
Professional Drawings and Illustrations: Depending upon the size and complexity of the work, payment for drawings ranges from $50 to $400.

More questions? You can visit their website.