TENNESSEE WILDLIFE MAGAZINE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

General Information and Editorial Guidelines
Tennessee Wildlife magazine is published six times a year by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

Our readers appreciate the beauty and drama of wildlife but are primarily interested in what’s happening in Tennessee. Some are hunters and fishermen; others are campers, hikers, birders and nature enthusiasts. For our contributors, the Tennessee angle is all-important. Readers will find beauty, adventure, human interest, an occasional shock, some humor and a little crusading. We strive to be interesting and relevant. We want vital, creative writing that holds the reader’s attention along with dramatic photography and artwork.

While agency personnel write many of our articles, there is still room for excellent, timely free-lance pieces, but it is best to query the editor before writing an article since we often have special educational needs.

We are always looking for well-written fishing and hunting stories about Tennessee and stories which emphasize more than just the harvest. We need stories that include outdoor ethics and nature appreciation themes. We receive queries for too many “me and Joe” type stories and would like to see more articles written from the third person. Articles including fresh material on subjects we have not used recently, and which offer a good variety of photographs, gain our attention first.

The magazine is seasonal in content and contributors should keep that in mind. Most stories are scheduled from six months to a year in advance. All work submitted for an issue must be in our office no later than 90 days prior to publication.

Submissions are kept on file indefinitely if we feel they have potential for use in future issues. If you want your article returned by a certain date, please tell us in a cover letter submitted with your manuscript.

Preparing Your Manuscript
Manuscripts must be typed, and double-spaced. Hard copies must be presented on 8 ½” by 11” white bonded paper. The author’s name, address, phone number and Social Security number should be on the top left portion of the title page and all following pages. Articles are normally 1,200-1,500 words long. Please number each page at the bottom. Materials should be addressed to:

Editor, Tennessee Wildlife Magazine
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
Ellington Agricultural Center
P.O. Box 40747
Nashville, TN 37204

Payment is $.15 per word on publication.

The Tennessee Wildlife magazine is produced through desktop publishing. If you have an IBM compatible system, we can accept a CD or a 3.5 disk in ASCII or formatted as a Microsoft Word document. It can also be sent by e-mail (call 615.781.6505 for address). Please send a hard copy along with your disk.

Photography Guidelines
We are primarily interested in photos of wildlife in their natural surroundings and people enjoying outdoor recreational activities such as fishing, hunting, camping, hiking, etc. Pictures should be correctly exposed, sharply focused and effectively composed. Emphasis should be on the subject matter and action. The setting should be as close to typical Tennessee landscape as possible. Pictures accompanying manuscripts should be done in picture-story style. Photographs should lend a special informative contribution to the events and excitement surrounding the story. Photos accompanying an assigned article should have the necessary information describing the “who, what, when, where, why and hows” taking place in the photo. All photos must list the photographer.

Submitting Your Photographs
We accept 35 mm original or duplicate slides packed in clear plastic sleeves (20 slides per sheet). Please print your name on the slide mounts. Do not send slides loose in envelopes or boxes.

We also accept digital images in JPEG format submitted on a CD The resolution should be at least 300 ppi with a print size of at least 8x10 inches.

Additionally we accept black and white glossies—5 x 7 or 8 x 10.

All photographers must include their Social Security number for payment purposes.

We do not accept Polaroid or other “instant” prints.

Payment Rates for Photos

Payment Rates for Original Art

Thank you for your interest in Tennessee Wildlife magazine!