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Dialogue
A publication of Blindskills Inc.
Blindskills welcomes the submission of freelance material from visually impaired authors for possible publication. The best way to get an idea of the kind of material we publish is to obtain a sample copy and review it.
Interviews of interest or assistance to newly blind and other visually impaired persons, examples of career and leisure experiences, fiction and humor.
Material that is religious, controversial, political, or contains explicit sex, is not acceptable.
Since DIALOGUE is entirely dependent upon public contributions for its support, payment is necessarily low. We think we offer an unusual opportunity for beginning writers. We send an explanatory letter along with each returned manuscript. A copy of the large-print edition of the magazine will be sent to each article contributor.
Payments for fiction or non-fiction articles will be made at the rate of $15 to $50. Payment for poetry will be $10 to $15. All payments for articles used in a given issue will be made after all formats of DIALOGUE have been shipped.
We buy all rights with a generous reprint policy.
For publication in the Spring issue, material must be received by January 1; for the Summer issue - April 1; for the Fall issue - July 1; and for the Winter issue - October 1.
SPECIFIC GUIDELINES:
Nonfiction:
Though the freelance portion of any issue is generally representative of the kind of material we are buying, freelance pieces on subjects now being staff-written are always welcome. Currently, we are especially interested in first-person accounts of travel experience, articles about participation in sports, information on new products useful to the blind, features on homemaking, and descriptions of feelings and methods experienced by those losing vision or recently blind.
Fiction:
Fiction pieces that promote the purposes of DIALOGUE will be printed. We are interested in well-written stories of many types: mystery, suspense, humor, adventure, romance, science fiction, and mainstream. We aren't currently buying fantasy pieces. We prefer contemporary problem stories in which the protagonist solves his or her own problem. We are looking for strongly-plotted stories with definite beginnings, climaxes and endings. Characters may be blind, sighted, or visually in-between. Because we want to encourage any writer who shows promise, we may return a story for revision when necessary. Fiction pieces should not exceed 1200 words.
Recorded Interviews:
Taped interviews should be recorded on a cassette recorder of very good quality at 1-7/8 IPS. The interview should be professionally conducted and should not be over twenty (20) minutes in length unless the subject or the guest has outstanding significance. The taping session should be preceded by careful research, and at least some of the questions should be prepared in advance. Where possible, submit the original tape. Tapes which are not accepted will be returned as promptly as possible. Each tape interview submitted will be evaluated on the basis of timeliness, content, and technical quality.
Short Items/Fillers:
Specify what department the item is for -- "ABAPITA", our food and recipes section, "Classified", "Resources, New and In Review", "Department K-9", etc.
Manuscripts:
Material should be submitted on a low-density IBM compatible disk in WordPerfect format. Include a hard-copy and a SASE if you would like your disk returned. If you do not have a computer, material may also be submitted in typed, brailled, or recorded form. Typed submissions should be double-spaced on standard 8-1/2 x 11 inch paper, leaving at least a one-inch margin on all sides. On the first page be sure to type your name, complete address, and date of submission in the top left-hand corner. Type the title of the article below these identifying data, preferably in the center of the page. On all subsequent pages, be sure to include your name and the title of your submission in the top left corner and the page number in the top right corner. Edit material on tape as carefully as you would a typed manuscript, making certain that each word is exactly as you intend it to appear in print. Spell any unusual words and proper nouns whose spelling is unclear or variable.
DIALOGUE cannot be responsible for manuscripts lost in the mail. Writers are therefore advised to retain a copy of each submission.
Length:
Due to space limitations necessitated by quarterly publication, shorter lengths are preferred both for fiction and non-fiction. Stories and articles of more than 1500 words are rarely used. We do occasionally run long non-fiction articles if the importance of the topic or nature of the material warrants it. In these cases we divide articles into two or three parts and carry them over from issue to issue.
Receipt/Return:
We can only acknowledge receipt of material accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped postcard. Only submissions accompanied by a SASE bearing sufficient postage will be returned upon rejection.
Time Needed For Reply:
At least one month.
Where To Send Freelance Material:
Send all correspondence and manuscripts to:
Blindskills, Inc.
P.O. Box 5181
Salem, OR 97304
Fax: (503) 581-0178
E-mail your submission
