Editorial Guidelines

Native Peoples strives to offer a sensitive portrayal of the arts and lifeways of the Native peoples of the Americas. We seek writers and photographers--Native and non-Native--who have a unique expertise about their subject. If you are Native, please let us know. Competition is stiff: The magazine receives numerous unsolicited manuscripts and hundreds of queries a year.

Native Peoples is a high quality, bimonthly magazine of nonfiction feature articles and departments. We do not publish fiction, photo essays or reprints. Poetry is only published in context with an accompanying nonfiction article. Most feature stories run 1,200 to 2,000 words, but the subject should dictate your story length. All features are provided by freelance writers. The only departments open to freelancers are our travel section “Pathways” (700-1500 words), opinion section “Viewpoint” (800 words), and History department (1000-1800 words).

The magazine seeks stories reflecting Native life throughout the Americas, from the Arctic Circle to the southern tip of Chile, though our prime focus is on subjects in the United States. We strive to include a diverse mix of topics, from serious to entertaining, including artist and other personality profiles, events and issues reflecting today’s Native peoples. We value stories that help bring an understanding of Native culture—its past, present and future. We write for a diverse audience—about one-quarter of our subscribers are Native and three-quarters are non-Native. Powerful, descriptive, clear and concise prose is essential. Accuracy and sensitivity are paramount.

All stories need to be illustrated with high quality photography. Writers are asked to suggest, or work with, professional photographers. Photos must have a crisp focus, good composition and lighting, and be at least 300dpi at the printed size. Digital images are best, slides and transparencies next and we may accept color prints if nothing else is available.

To have a story considered for publication, please submit 1-3 paragraphs describing your proposed subject via mail or e-mail (e-mail is preferred). You can propose up to five different ideas. If you are seeking publicity for a special event, please go to our events section and send in the submission form. If submitting by mail, please include a SASE. Please do not submit original manuscripts, art or photography unless solicited by the magazine. The magazine cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited original materials. A biography or resume, and writing sample(s) are encouraged. We try to respond to queries within 30 days.

We work a minimum of six months in advance. We plan a year in advance, so the more lead time you give us about a time-sensitive story, the better the chances are that we will be able to respond and get it published in the most appropriate issue.

Our standard rate is 25 cents per published word, payable upon publication. We buy first North American serial rights and non-exclusive reprint and web reuse rights

Please address questions or queries to The Editors, Native Peoples, 5333 North Seventh Street, Suite 224, Phoenix, AZ 85014. E-mail queries are preferred, at editorial@nativepeoples.com

NATIVE PEOPLES MAGAZINE Updated 12/31/05