Thank you for your interest in writing for Evolving… A Guide for Conscious Living. Started in March, 2009, Evolving is Kansas City’s premiere resource for self-help, spirituality, quantum science and enlightenment.

Although most of the columns in Evolving are staff-written, feature articles are all written by freelance writers.

General Guidelines

Query several months in advance. We regularly schedule articles 3-6 months in advance. Look over the guidelines and the upcoming themes, then query the publisher with your suggestion. If it is a good fit, she will assign the article for a particular month. The article is then due on the 5th of the month before it prints. Please stick to the suggested word count because articles will be edited to fit. All articles are subject to editing for content, style and structure. If you would like them included, submit a photo for the contributor page and a bio for the end of the article along with your submission on the 5th. Send all queries to jill@evolvingmagazine.com. 

Basic Style Tips

Use an em dash with no spaces (e.g. when separating two thoughts—use an em dash). Only use one space after a sentence. Single space with a break between paragraphs (no indents). Use full name in first reference of quote then he/she in future reference (e.g. Mr. Smith says… he says…). Use present tense in quotes (he says vs. he said). Italicize titles of books or journals. Again, leave only one space after periods.

Pay Rates & Rights: Evolving pays with contributor copies at this time. We ask for one-time rights.

Departments Open to Freelance Writers

NEWS: News items are limited to 200-300 words maximum and are subject to availability. How to submit: send your press release or announcement by the 1st of the month preceding the month you’d like the item published (e.g., for a press release to run in March, it must be received by February 1 to be considered). Please note that news items are subject to space availability and are printed on a first-come basis. Evolving does not guarantee publication, even if received by the 1st of the month. May be edited for length, clarity and content. Be sure and include news worthy information. An event listing is not news worthy as we have a section for event listings. If you are featuring an event, the press release must contain information, other than the event details, of interest to our readers.

REVELATIONS: Revelations is an open department to freelance writers. It offers an opportunity to break away from the scheduled theme of the month and focus on a topic of interest. Query first; the department is booked several months in advance. Word count: 500-700 words maximum. As with our feature articles, this department is not an advertorial, so please don’t include personal plugs for your business or service. As the author, you are the “expert” in this subject and you may include personal information in your bio.

FEATURE ARTICLES

We publish several features each month based on a specific theme. Your article must relate to the theme. See upcoming themes below and query several months in advance as they are assigned quickly. To allow room for photos, graphics and design issues, feature articles are limited to 1,000 words maximum. Submissions may be edited for clarity, length and content. All articles are due the 10th day of the month prior to publication. Keep in mind while writing your feature article: provide the reader with an informative, upbeat article about the specific theme. Personal experience pieces are acceptable, but please do not “advertise” yourself in the article because it will be deleted. There’s room in the bio section to tell about your services. Feature articles are not advertorials and must be informative and enlightening for our readers. Sidebars, image suggestions and lots of quotes from experts are strongly encouraged.

· January—A New Year, A New You (yoga, tai chi, fitness, diet)

· February—The Golden Years (retirement, caring for aging parents)

· March—Health/Wellness

· April—Going Green

· May—Metaphysics

· June—Making a Difference in the Community/Volunteering

· July—Faith

· August—Mental Health

· September—Aging Well/Body Image

· October—Living a Simplified Life

· November—Abundance

· December—Creating Tradition