South Florida Adventures - "I doubt we'll publish contributor guidelines"

At last years Florida Dive Show (I was there to run a couple of workshops on diving photojournalism), I met Dave Raterman, the founder and editor of South Florida Adventures.

I liked Dave's approach to budding photojournalists. He was prepared to give them a chance and even offered an assignment there and then to one of the workshop attendees.

A few weeks ago I picked up the following press release from Dave in my in-box. As soon as I read it I knew this would be golden opportunity for any newcomers to the industry, so I wrote to Dave and asked him if he had any contributor guidelines. Have a read of the press release (in a way it is a set of contributor guidelines) and then take a look at his response:  

SOUTH FLORIDA ADVENTURES
TO LAUNCH NEW MAGAZINE

“SFA Fitness” Premieres June 17 In Partnership With
Forum Publishing Group / Sun Sentinel Co.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (March 17, 2009) – South Florida Adventures Media Group is partnering with Forum Publishing Group, a subsidiary of Sun Sentinel Company which is owned by Tribune Company, to publish SFA Fitness once a month. The first issue of this glossy magazine will be inserted into City Link MetroMix.com, FPG’s weekly entertainment newspaper, on June 17. Its audited circulation is 45,000. An additional 2,000 copies will be printed for a total circulation of 47,000.
 
Since June 2005 South Florida Adventures magazine has been distributed at gyms, sporting-goods stores, marathons and scuba expos in Miami-Dade,
Broward and Palm Beach counties. The glossy outdoor-sports magazine, with a bimonthly circulation of 25,000, is published by Fort Lauderdale-based SFAMG.
 
Instead of stories about eating salads or running on a treadmill, SFA Fitness, which is owned by SFAMG, will have stories on subjects such as standup paddleboarding off South Beach, cycling in Pembroke Pines, running in West Palm Beach, hiking in the Everglades, beach boot camp in Hollywood and scuba diving off Boca Raton.
 
Readers will also find stories on celebrities who exercise locally. Ex-Marlin Jeff Conine now trains in Weston for Ironman. Gloria Estefan kayaks in North Miami. Dwayne Johnson (“The Rock”) pumps iron in Sunrise. They exercise like everyone needs to.
 
“City Link Metromix.com is distributed at a broad range of outlets, including restaurants and bars, so it reaches a mass audience,” said SFAMG’s publisher and editor David Raterman. “South Florida Adventures magazine reaches physically active people. By inserting this new fitness magazine into City Link Metromix.com, South Florida Adventures Media Group and Forum Publishing Group reach people who can become physically active, or more physically active if they already exercise.”
 
With America’s obesity epidemic and South Florida’s year-round great weather, this fitness magazine fills an important niche. And the editors promise to keep it entertaining so readers keep turning the pages, then go exercise.


About South Florida Adventures Media Group
SFAMG publishes two magazines, a website and an e-newsletter; in 2010 the University Press of Florida will publish South Florida Adventures: The Book. This is the first time in Florida’s history that a magazine is being turned into a book.

SFAMG is the only outdoor sports and fitness publisher focusing on Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, plus the Everglades and nearby Atlantic. The company is owned by Fort Lauderdale-based Raterman Holdings, Inc.
###

South Florida Adventures Media Group
PO Box 21051 / Fort Lauderdale, FL 33335
(954) 683-5336 / www.SouthFloridaAdventures.com/about/


Contact: David Raterman
(954) 683-5336 / draterman@SouthFloridaAdventures.com

And Dave's reply to my enquiry:

"I doubt we’ll publish contributor guidelines. We’re still a small business and once we publish guidelines we’ll get overwhelmed with pitches. That’s good if we have time, but we’re at least half a year from then. When people currently ask, I respond for them to send several bullet points on the subject and I promise not to steal their idea. Then we can consider the story without them investing time."

The message?

 

Don't be put off if a magazine doesn't have contributor guidelines. In any case, you should be able to formulate them by reading several issues of the title. However, that won't tell you how they would like you to pitch your idea but a simple phone call should do the trick. As Dave says, people do ask him and he does give them a constructive reply.

 

The reality is, sometimes you have to pick up the phone and speak to editors if you want to become a travel journalist or writer for specialist magazines.

 

Keep writing...

 

Brendan