You'll find Asian Diver's Contributor Guidelines under the "About Us" section, where you will also find the editor listed as Carol Lim. I had heard she had left the magazine so this information may not be up to date.
In 2007 I met and dived with Carol in Mauritius where she told me about some of her thoughts from an editor's perspective:
- Send in a proof sheet with your photographs - it helps her see what they will look like on paper.
- They are essentially a one person magazine - she relies heavily on freelance contributions.
- She admires UK's DIVER magazine and would love to be able to print similar honest stuff. However, the culture of the area her magazine covers is such that the readers might not appreciate it. Carol cites DIVER's 'Mystery Diver' column as one she would love to do if the culture ever changed.
- At the top of her 'Most Wanted' list are good front cover shots.
The below is a reprint of the current guidelines together with my analysis:
Asian Diver is a bi-monthly consumer publication aimed at a wide spectrum of scuba divers in Asia and the rest of the world. Readers include recreational, professional, commercial, as well as would-be divers. Editorial contributions to the magazine are welcome.
Good opening paragraph - tells you who the customers are. The fact Carol highlights that contributions are welcome means you have a good chance of getting published.
Text
Articles can be emailed to the editor at [email protected] preferably within the body of the message. Articles can also be submitted on a CD Rom (PC-compatible format, MS Word file) together with a hard copy. Text requiring rekeying (eg. faxed or mailed hard copy alone) are unacceptable. Generally, any article should not be longer than 1,200 words. Ideally, an article should include sub-headings and pull-out boxes or sidebars for digestibility. All articles should be accompanied by a short (30-40 word) biography of the author.
You should read this paragraph as if it were set in tablets of stone - if you ignore this guidance you will make it harder for the editor to say yes and your copy will end up in the round file. Even if your writing is really good, if it's just too much work for the editor it will end up being binned.
Photography / Art
Photography is of paramount importance and should ideally accompany any article. Pictures must be duly captioned and credited, with the necessary copyright releases. Hi-resolution first generation scans of at least 320dpi (full page size) on CD-Rom are preferred. Pictures for location reports should include both underwater as well as topside shots. We reserve the right to use pictures from other sources to illustrate an article, if we deem those provided by the author to be unsuitable or insufficient. Images emailed for preview purposes should be no more than 72dpi in a JPEG format.
If photography is of "paramount importance" make it easier for the editor to say yes by including a good variety of shots she can select from. "Should ideally" needs to be read as, "You must include photographs" And bear in mind the verbal top tip Carol provided above. I would also add to this that your pictures stand a much better chance if they contain a mixture of vertical and horizontally formatted shots - gives the art editor more to work with.
Want List
Cover shots. The Asian Diver cover, should evoke the beauty of the sea. Technically, it is a vertical shot with colourful dramatic subject, ideally a marine animal (preferably with a diver). Potential cover shots are framed in such a way that the yellow Asian Diver masthead can be placed across the top without interfering with the subject. There has to be sufficient negative space for inserting cover-lines.
The old rule of thirds goes out of the window for front covers. Take a look at previous cover shots, the top third is used for the masthead, and either side of the shot must have space for the contents. I'd go as far as looking where the barcode will go prior to submission. The front cover is a golden opportunity to get published without writing anything to go with it, and if you do have copy that links in with the front cover, your article is more likely to get the precious lead as opposed to stuck away on page 88.
Location reports for Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines; the Pacific islands; Australia; and islands of the Indian Ocean. Dive location reports must include a 'Bearings' section which lists weather, travel and medical information, prices, best time to dive, facilities for kids, accommodation and dive operators (preferably email and web addresses; alternatively, telephone and fax numbers) and other pertinent travel information. Maps of dive sites and places mentioned in an article should be provided.
Anything outside of the areas mentioned is likely to get rejected. Once you are a recognised photojournalist in this title you might be able to squeeze in other stuff as long as it is good and relevant to the reader. Maybe the west coast of the USA or The Red Sea?
Where it says preferably - I'd consider this a must, and make sure you have the right numbers and addresses. The kiss of death - providing duff info.
Unusual sites/places to dive - Please include safety pointers relevant to that site.
Encounter - First-hand anecdotes on awesome or rare underwater encounters with marine animals.
Personal experiences or 'mood' pieces - These look at diving from different perspectives.
Lesson Learned - First-hand anecdotes about how potentially dangerous/fatal situations were avoided.
Celebrity interviews (Profile) - Interviews with celebrities who dive; or celebrity encounters with marine animals.
Dive-related skills learned through experience.
Environment - Protection, conservation, research etc.
Technical diving - The science, practice and equipment involved, and missions undertaken.
Expeditions - To recover lost ships/treasure; for scientific research; to film phenomena, etc.
Photography on marine life, coral reef and the environment
Loads of options here - fill your boots!
Rates
SIN$0.20 per published word; SIN$40 per published picture; SIN$150 per cover picture. No payment is made for images and text in the Portfolio section. Payment is made one month after publication date, and a complimentary copy of the issue will be forwarded to each contributor once the issue is off the press.
They pay! SIN £150 is at the time of writing about £55 or £110 US. A 1200 page article will earn you £88 or $178 with the photographs providing some icing on the cake £/$.
This is by no means a lot of money - remember, you're not doing this to get rich. I didn't ever get round to asking Carol if she provides regular freelancers with press trips, I'm guessing they get their fair share, this is why you're trying to get published, to live the life of a photojournalist, travelling on behalf of a magazine as a guest of an island or country.
Copyright
All submissions shall automatically constitute an expressed warranty by the contributor that all materials are original and in no way an infringement upon any rights of others. The copyright status of an article must also be stated. We require one-time print usage rights including the rights to reproduce the article online and translate it to Chinese for the Chinese edition.
Asian Diver Online
We reserve the right to publish selected articles and photographs electronically, on our online magazine www.asiandiver.com and via selected online partners.
Submission, Usage and Return
Contributors submitting material must state their full name, address and email address. Anonymous submissions will not be considered. All submissions must be accompanied by a self-addressed envelope and an international reply coupon if you need the materials returned. Please state if the contribution is complimentary. Contact will be made with contributors whose submissions are accepted, or likely to be used, as to publication dates and other details. Any material accepted is subject to such revision as deemed necessary in our sole discretion to meet our requirements.
Make sure you comply with this legal and technical stuff - I can't believe they had to mention you should not submit anything anonymously, some Dufus must have submitted an article without saying who they were!?!
Please direct your correspondence to:
The Editor, Asian Diver
MediaCorp Publishing Pte Ltd
Techpoint #01-06/08, 10 Ang Mo Kio St 65, Singapore 569059
Email: [email protected]
Keep writing...
Brendan
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