Editorial Guidelines
RANGE is an award-winning quarterly devoted to the issues that threaten the West, its people, lands, and wildlife. Known for its powerful photos and straight talk, RANGE portrays "The Cowboy Spirit on America’s Outback." It exposes a land in crisis and shows how daily challenges are being met with grit, determination and humor. No stranger to controversy, RANGE is the leading forum for opposing viewpoints in the search for solutions that will halt the depletion of a national resource--the American cowboy.
RANGE needs (1) stories about working family ranches successfully tending land and livestock, (2) solid profiles of working cowboys and sheepherders, and (3) interviews with government employees and environmentalists who have made a positive difference for people on the land. Completed manuscripts are OK, but so are query letters explaining your story idea along with a two-page writing sample. Good photographs (each captioned and credited) also help tell the story. We use photographs of people at work on the land and in the ranch house plus shots of wildlife and livestock on the range. No merely scenic photographs are accepted unless they relate to RANGE's mission. A reprint will be considered if you note where and when it was published.
We use a lot of freelance material. Regular features, tightly written, run 1,200-2,000 words; mini-features 600-1,200 words. Columns and "Confessions of Red Meat Survivors" (great nostalgia about people over 80) run 500-650 words. Payments are from $50 to $400 per article. RANGE buys First North American serial rights.
We use Mac computers, so submit your manuscript using a compatible application. Submit your manuscript by email as an attachment to <edit@rangemagazine.com> Or send dated manuscript typed, double-spaced, with your name, address, phone number, and Social Security number in the top right corner of the first page. Include a suggested title, blurb and byline on the first page and a brief bio on the last page. Captions and photo credits should follow the story. Do not leave extra spaces between paragraphs. A CD or DVD, preferably in Microsoft Word, as well as hard copy, should be included. Be sure to specify the application you used.
Special Guidelines for 'Confessions of Red Meat Survivors'
This popular section is the work of many contributors. We ask that you follow these guidelines:
Author: Include your name, address, daytime phone number, and email where we can reach you if we have questions. If you want to get paid for your work, we will need your Social Security number.
Subject: Must be over 80 years of age, have a farming or ranching background, and be still enjoying life.
Photos: We need at least one contemporary photo of the subject and at least four old photos--the older the better. Black-and-white photos preferred. We know these are heirlooms, and we treat them with care and return them as soon as the issue goes to press. Old photos can be sent as high-res, high-quality JPEGs via email. Scan them at 5" wide @ 300 DPI.
Deadlines: We use several "Confessions" stories per issue. If a story is not used, it will be held for the next available issue. We need completed manuscripts and photos at least three months prior to issue date. Spring (on sale in February) material should be in by November 1, Summer by February 1, Fall by May 1, and Winter by August 1.
Length: 500-650 words. If too long, we will edit to fit.
Style: Use third-person present tense ("he says," "she rides," "they live," etc.). Use first names, not last names. Do not use first person as in "I saw" or "he told me." Include interesting quotes from the subject, which should take up about half the story. Do not color the dialogue; people say their words, not chortle, grunt, laugh, sigh or admit them. "Says" is always preferred.
Accuracy: Carefully check dates and spelling. If there is/was a spouse, include his/her name and possibly birthplace. If the spouse is a wife, include her maiden name and age.
Photo captions: Identify everyone in each photo, if possible, and tell us approximately when and where it was taken. Add any notes that tell the story of the picture. Please do this at the end of your manuscript. Tell us who took each photo, if known, or whether we should just credit "Courtesy of the ____________ family" or "Courtesy (subject’s name)." We need to caption and credit every picture.
Returns: Tell us to whom the pictures should be returned. When the story is printed, we will send two copies of the magazine to the author, two to the subject. If you would like magazines sent directly to the subject, please give us a mailing address; otherwise all four copies will be sent to the author.