Photos: Tour accounts and profiles should be accompanied by color transparencies or electronic images (300 dpi is standard). Special
focus and humor pieces do not require photos, but if you have something good, by all means, send it. And remember, we are always looking
for stunning verticals to go on the cover.
DETAILS
Adventure Cyclist generally uses two types of stories from free-lancers:
1. "The Final Mile" which are essays less about locale than about a singular experience while on a bicycle trip. These run at 1,200-1,500 words and don't require accompanying photos.
2. Feature-length stories which are about specific areas and must be accompanied by photos. These run in the 2,700 to 3,000 word range.
Payment for manuscripts is negotiable, but generally ranges from $.30 to $.45 per word. We buy first rights and will consider simultaneous submissions as long as we are informed of the other publications considering your manuscript. Your manuscript should be typed with single returns between paragraphs -- no indentations -- and single-spaced.
How to Proceed: Story Ideas
Since Adventure Cyclist is the only U.S. magazine that regularly publishes bicycle-travel stories, we receive a tremendous amount of interest from many writers and photographers interested in this type of bicycling. Because of this amount of interest, we require an inquiry about any story ideas. If we like your idea, we can then move forward and make arrangements for the submission of materials. If you are interested in being published in Adventure Cyclist, contact Mike Deme (info below).
If you decide to submit materials without an inquiry, the Adventure Cyclist staff will not guarantee that you will receive a response concerning your story nor will we guarantee the return of unsolicited materials.
If you are still determined to proceed, please follow these steps:
The manuscript must be accompanied by an electronic file on disc or via email. Your name, mailing address, phone number and email address should appear at the top of the first manuscript page. You should include a self-addressed stamped envelope for the return of all materials. Finally, include a short (two-sentence) biography with your submission. For a sample copy of Adventure Cyclist send a 9x12 SASE with $2.00 postage.
How to Proceed: Photography
More and more photographers are shooting digital images and that’s fine with us. The advancement in electronic manipulation techniques now gives photographers the ability to control their own images and produce extraordinary results, but we still use good old fashioned 35mm slides as well.
The AC No-Nonsense Photo Spiel:
Send at least 20 images, but 40 would be better. You’ll want to include a variety of photos but keep in mind we're NOT looking for vacation-type snapshots but high-quality, high-resolution images of people candidly riding bikes or engaged in activities important to a successful bike trip, such as interacting with locals, camping, cooking, repairing equipment, etc. We're typically not interested in people posing for the camera, bikes without people riding them (this includes bikes leaning against trees, signs, fences, etc.), cliché shots at mountain-pass signs, or images of beautiful landscapes, landmarks, or architecture, unless they are directly relevant to the story. Obviously there are always exceptions, so if you think you’ve taken an extraordinary photo that matches the above descriptions, go ahead and include it. In short, what we’re looking for are bike-travel photos that will make Adventure Cyclist readers say "Those people are having the time of their life. I have to start planning my bike trip immediately!"
To view examples of some of the well-photogaphed stories we've published, check out our article archive and look for stories by Gregg Bleakney, Chuck Haney, Dennis Coello, Nathan Ward, Aaron Teasdale, Tom Bol, Chris Guibert, Pierre Bouchard, Paul Jeurissen, and Cass Gilbert.
Also, we recently published a photo essay titled "How to Photograph Your Tour" (pdf) in our first Cyclists' Travel Guide (April, 2010 issue). This photo essay is filled with great advice for taking the kinds of photos that will increase the likelihood of Adventure Cyclist's staff deciding to publish your article.
Also keep in mind that we are extremely busy and being asked to browse hundreds or thousands of photos online is not our idea of a good time. If you are serious about being published in Adventure Cyclist, you'll need to make only photos that meet the criteria above easily available to us.
Sending Photos or Large Files of Any Kind:
Please do not send photos or large files of over 5MB via email. Instead, follow these instructions:
Place ALL photos or files in ONE SINGLE FOLDER, zip or stuff that folder, and send via YouSendIt: http://dropbox.yousendit.com/MichaelDeme733478
If you don’t know how to zip or stuff a folder, follow these instructions
Creating a .zip file on a Mac:
http://www.apple.com/pro/tips/zip.html
Creating a .zip file in Windows:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/ha011276901033.aspx
To discuss photo ideas for Adventure Cyclist or our use of photography, please contact Greg Siple or Mike Deme.
Photography Rates PDF
Photography Guidelines and Tips PDF
To submit materials for publication in Adventure Cyclist, contact:
Editor, Mike Deme
406-721-1776 x 222
For further information about photography guidelines, contact:
Art Director, Greg Siple
406-721-1776 x 223
