Photo Guidelines

Photos submitted to Northwest magazine should be in digital format, preferably as a TIFF or PSD though we will accept JPEG file formats as well. TIFF images should be saved with no compression.

Resolution should be a minimum of 300 ppi. Our page size is 8.5" x 11", with a two page spread being 11" x 17". While we can accept images with smaller dimensions, the larger the file is, the more flexibility it allows us.

Please do not crop, sharpen, color adjust, or otherwise alter your images - it's best if you leave this work to us.

Other formats such as slides, color transparencies, publication-quality dupes, etc. are also acceptable though we prefer digital format when possible.

Digital files can be accepted via email, ftp, and snail-mail on cd or dvd. Please contact our Creative Department for further info and prior to sending the images so that they will know to expect them:
corey@thenwmagazine.com - (360) 379-1385

Unsolicited images should be clearly labeled with the photographer's name and include a cover letter.

Writer’s Guidelines
Please contact Northwest magazine for any additional information.
(360) 379-1385

General Content Guidelines
Northwest provides positive, informative and entertaining articles and photos pertinent to living in the Northwest. We cover subjects of the broadest possible appeal. Our readers are interested in the Pacific Northwest region, its people and their passions. Our themes are those that embody something uniquely characteristic of the Northwest experience including, but not limited to, nature, sports and the arts. We publish interviews, how-to articles, humor, fiction, reviews, health and self-help articles, poetry, art and photography. We do not publish political or religious issues or graphically sexual content.

Payment and Format
Payment is 10 cents per word based on word count after editing. Articles may vary in length, with a maximum of 2000 words. All articles should be submitted electronically to kat@thenwmagazine.com, as MS Word document attachments, double-spaced, in black 12-pt font. The Word document title (distinct from the working title of the article) should facilitate the editing process by including one or two words for the subject, the writer's last name and the date of the issue for which it is slated (i.e.: Golfduds_Smith_3-07.doc).

Italics and bold typefaces are fine where appropriate, but no other format variations should be used. A heading should include the author's name and contact information, and a word count for the article. Only one space should be used between a period and the first word of a new sentence. Use double spacing between paragraphs rather than indent settings or tabs. All other formatting including color and hyperlinks should be omitted to facilitate transporting into our layout system. If graphic content is submitted with the piece, please contact our art department for their specs.

Submissions
Writers should always submit a query before sending us articles (or talk with us about topics listed on our editorial calendar, which may need a writer), at which time we can give an estimate of desired length for a proposed article. Articles that exceed the desired word count may be cut to length or be rejected as unsuitable for use. As a courtesy to this magazine, we request that anyone writing a piece for us not publish on the same subject in another magazine or newspaper either six months before or six months after the piece runs in Northwest.

While many of our articles are about businesses and the people who run them, articles should not read like advertisements or infomercials. Passages that read like author resumes or direct solicitations for business are inappropriate either in the text of articles or in bylines. A byline consists of a maximum of three concise sentences stating what the writer does, and a brief summation of background relevant to writing the specific article.

Writers are encouraged to do their own fact checking, using authoritative published sources or reputable experts when appropriate. Please have your final draft check by any individual mentioned within the piece, so that biographical information, quotes and spelling of names are correct.

Materials submitted to Northwest magazine will not be returned unless a self-addressed envelope and correct postage are provided or through prior agreement with Northwest.

Writing and Editing Style
We follow guidelines set out in the AP Stylebook and Libel Manual (AP). We strongly recommend that writers obtain a copy of this book and consult it for answers regarding grammar, punctuation, etc. AP also has a web site. The Chicago Manual of Style is a useful resource for more in-depth treatment of many arcane issues, lists of preferred spellings of difficult words, etc.-but be aware that CMS and AP differ on several frequently-occurring questions, and we generally hew with the AP rules when the two diverge. Below are listed some of the standards for English mechanics set out by the style manuals that seem to be most problematic for many writers, as well as guidelines for how we handle some of the more ambiguous matters of taste and style. (See AP Style Tips following these guidelines.)

AP Style Tips

Language
Northwest is a magazine of general interest, aimed at the general public. Many fields of endeavor-science, cooking, sports, etc.—have specialized vocabularies. Any words not likely to be understandable to the average non-scientist, non-chef, or non-golfer (for examples) should be omitted, simplified, or defined briefly. Unnecessarily cumbersome multi-syllabics and arcane words are to be avoided. Non-English words should be avoided unless clearly pertinent to the article's subject matter. Short, simply structured sentences are preferred to lengthy, complex ones. Sentences should be easy to understand for one who only hears them read aloud. Writing for Northwest should balance economy with grace and conversational tone. Active voice is preferred, and prepositional phrases are to be avoided whenever another, shorter expression will convey the same meaning. Longer articles often are more manageable for readers if broken up into logical divisions with short subheads. In keeping with general editorial practice for mainstream publications, "gender-neutral" language should be used whenever possible in referring to unnamed people who could be either male or female. Direct quotes give a sense of immediacy and desirable conversational tone to interview material, but should be used judiciously. AP gives guidelines for content and style.

Numbers and naming
Dates: In all text, including notes and bibliographies, exact dates are written in the sequence month-day-year: "March 12, 1992''. When only month and year are given, the comma is omitted. Figures are used in giving decades: "the 1880s and 1890s''; not "the 1880s and '90s'' or "the 1880's and '90's.'' Date ranges may be given in the form "from 1993-1999" (single hyphen= en dash) or "between 1993 and 1999" (never "between 1993-1999"). Please avoid beginning a sentence with a year, if possible ("1952 was a great year…"). Names of months and days of the week should be spelled out, not abbreviated. Times of day other than noon and midnight should be given in the form: 11 a.m., 5:30 p.m.

Measurements: All units of measurement, without exception, should be spelled out rather than abbreviated in text, but the numbers given in figures if over ten (100 square feet, five miles, two gallons, 20 hours). When a sentence begins with a number, the number should always be spelled out. Numerical ranges can be expressed as "between-and" (see above) or "from-to" (from 10 to 12 feet), spelling out the "to" to avoid confusion or ambiguity. Units may be abbreviated on the rare occasions when charts or tables are used, or in recipes with ingredients written in list form. When a table contains abbreviated foot and inch measurements, please use "ft." and "in."-not the symbols ' and ?-these can be confusing to some people. The word percent should be spelled out, not given as the symbol %, except in tables. This also applies to words denoting mathematical functions and relationships. Temperatures should be given in Fahrenheit in most cases, with all numbers except zero given in numerals: "56 degrees Fahrenheit" or "56 F". Do not use the degree symbol. Remember that in Fahrenheit, freezing is 32 degrees, not zero. See AP.

Titles, honorifics, degrees: consult AP and CMS for many examples and rules. Most offices and titles used with names should be spelled out (e.g. Governor John Smith, or John Smith, governor of Idaho). Publishing guidelines require that the title "Dr." be reserved for medical doctors. The convention in referring to any other "Dr." (PhD, DVM, etc.) is to list the degree after the full name at first mention, but not thereafter. See AP for these and other guidelines on titles.

Contact information: when given for a person or business discussed in an article, place after the end of the article, set off by an extra space, in the form: Joe Smith, Smith Enterprises, mailing address, phone number, e-mail address, web site address.

Acronyms (ACLU, NAACP, etc.) for organizations may be used on first reference, but the full names of such organizations should be provided in a subsequent reference.

Place names: Except for U.S., which is easily understood by all, names of states, provinces, cities and countries should be spelled out, but those that are commonly abbreviated may be so rendered after the first occurrence (B.C., U.K., S.F.). States should be abbreviated WA, MD, FL, etc.

Book titles, web sites, etc.: Book and movie titles should be set in regular italics. Titles of art pieces, songs, theatrical presentations, and musical compositions should be set in regular type, enclosed in quotes. Web sites should be given in regular typeface, in the form www.blahblah.com.

Plant and animal names: Biological Latin names, when used, should be given in regular italics, with the first name capitalized and the second not; usually, the first instance of the biological name should be followed by the common name. Ex: Troglodytes troglodytes (winter wren); Tribulus terrestris (puncture vine). Common names of plants and animals, as well as breeds of dogs, horses, etc., should not be capitalized, except for words that are proper names (English spaniel) or varietal names that are likely to be patented (Red Haven peach).

Punctuation
Consult AP for rules on use of all forms of punctuation.

Serial commas: This is an instance in which AP and CMS diverge. We adhere to AP style, which omits the comma just before the conjunction: Apples, peaches, pears and oranges. Consult AP and CMS for general wisdom regarding commas.

Hyphenated words, compound words, and two-word phrases: consult CMS for a lengthy treatment of these issues, particularly Table 6.1. There are many word pairs for which three different forms are used depending upon function: as an unhyphenated word pair for a verb phrase, as an unhyphenated compound word for a noun, and as a hyphenated pair for a modifier.

En and Em dashes: Hyphens or en dashes are short (-). They are used in many compound forms. Em dashes, (in AP called merely dashes) are longer. They can be produced by typing two consecutive hyphens, with no spaces before or after; in Word, this action will produce a long dash that is not separated by spaces from the text. Dashes are used for a break or abrupt change in thought in a sentence, (This is the way it goes-she's always late.) or preceding an attribution: "War is hell."-General William Tecumseh Sherman.

Apostrophes: An apostrophe precedes a terminal "s" for a single possessive: the president's entourage. An apostrophe usually follows a single terminal "s" for a plural possessive, unless the plural is constructed without an "s": The store carries both girls' and women's clothes. There are very few instances in which an apostrophe precedes a terminal "s" in a non-possessive plural; see AP. AP and CMS differ on treatment of the possessive form of a proper name ending in "s"; we follow the AP rule, which is closer to common usage: Kansas' citizens.

Parentheses: Follow AP, but do not use parentheses within parentheses. Instead, rearrange and simplify the sentence, or divide it into two sentences. As a rule, when a parenthetical phrase is at the end of a sentence or clause, punctuation falls outside of the parentheses.

Quotes: Most quoted material should be enclosed in double-mark quotes at beginning and end. If the quoted individual has in turn quoted someone, a second, internal pair of quote marks must be used, and these are single marks: Joe says, "I told him, 'Yes, I AM a space alien.'" For both beginning and ending quote marks, please use only the key on your keyboard directly to the right of the colon/semicolon key. End quotes may be omitted only when a quoted passage continues for more than one paragraph; in that case, each new paragraph begins with an opening quote mark, but only the end of the last paragraph has an end quote. Consult AP for rules regarding the use of other punctuation in combination with quote marks. CMS also gives a detailed and useful treatment.