CardMaker Designer Guidelines

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2013 DESIGNER GUIDELINES
CardMaker magazine

EDITOR: Tanya Fox
MANAGING EDITOR: Brooke Smith

General Information

CardMaker is published bimonthly by Annie’s Attic (DRG)—Jan., Mar., May, July, Sept. and Nov.

The magazine’s editorial offices are open each weekday from 8 a.m.–5 p.m. EST. Feel free to contact the
editor or managing editor via e-mail at Submissions@CardMakerMagazine.com

CardMaker mission statement:
CardMaker magazine appeals to card crafters of all experience levels, and contains a wide variety of
technique articles and projects featuring greeting cards, invitations, announcements and postcards. Created
primarily from paper, many of these innovative card projects also include instructions for finishing the inside
of the card.

CardMaker is always looking for:
• Original, attractive designs and patterns for card projects that readers of all skill levels can easily
follow. Techniques featured in the magazine include, but are not limited to: rubber stamping,
paper folding, quilling, die-cutting, paper piecing, embossing, paper weaving, handmade paper,
etc.

•

Due to the increasingly large volume of submissions we receive, we strongly encourage you to follow these
guidelines. Our editorial calendar is a valuable resource for you because it lists topics, themes and submission
deadlines for each issue. Please submit only projects that are appropriate for each issue, at the appropriate
time. (Bombarding us with submissions that do not fit the current call will not increase your chance for
publication, and submissions sent after the deadline will not be considered.)

Submissions

1. Copy and paste the form at the bottom of this document into a Word document, and e-mail it as an
attachment to Submissions@CardMakerMagazine.com. One project per submittal form please. Only
new, never-seen-before projects should be submitted for consideration. Do not submit projects that
have been previously published or have been posted on your blog or elsewhere.

2. Submit your best work. Due to the increasing number of submissions that we receive for each issue,
we’re asking that you send no more than 8 submissions for each review. Submissions will be cut off
at midnight on the deadline posted on our editorial calendar.

3. We prefer to receive submissions via e-mail. Please send a jpeg and an attached submittal form, along
with your complete contact information, to Submissions@CardMakerMagazine.com. Your e-mail
subject line should include the publication title and issue and project name—for example: CardMaker
January 2013, Warm Holiday Wishes. Please keep the attached file size under 2MG. Please send one
project submission per e-mail.

4. If you submit completed projects (via snail mail), you must include a check or money order for return
postage if you wish to have your project returned. We can no longer accept self-addressed stamped
envelopes for this purpose. While we will consider submission of completed projects, we reserve the
right to request revisions to allow for photography in a coordinated setting with other projects.

5. Please make sure everything you submit is labeled with your name, complete address and daytime
phone, and the issue for which the submission should be considered.

Your ideas for issue themes, techniques, project types to feature, etc.

Designer Guidelines for CardMaker
Page 2

Once a concept or project is accepted for publication, you will need to provide complete written instructions
for the project. Please observe the following guidelines.

•


Write your instructions using the format sample provided with your acceptance email. (Save As and type your project instruction into the document.)

Please type your instructions double-spaced, leaving generous margins all around.

Label all pages with your name, complete address, daytime phone number and the title of your project.

Number the pages if there is more than one.

Insert a small image of the project directly into your instructions Word document.

Include a complete materials list for your project, listing each item on a separate line. (Include product name, manufacturer, product # if you have it.) The materials list should precede the instructions. It is extremely important that every product or tool used to create your project be listed.

Do not use discontinued products in your design. All patterned papers, stamps, etc. should be current releases—the newer, the better. We don’t want to frustrate our readers by publishing projects that include items that are no longer available for purchase.

Give sources (including company addresses, product numbers and/or website links) for any
products used in your project which are not readily available at a general craft or fabric store.

When referring to specific brand names of materials, please list them accurately.

List instruction steps numerically.

Label all diagrams, photos, etc.

If your project uses pattern pieces, please submit full-size pieces.

Proofread all aspects of your submission for accuracy. Are the instructions easy to understand?

Is the materials list complete? Are all pattern pieces and diagrams labeled properly?

Remember:
Your instructions should be clearly understood by a beginner. We will return projects with
instructions that are not written clearly enough for our needs, and will pay less if your instructions need considerable editing.

E-mail a copy of the instructions Word document directly to the editor, and include a hard copy in the box with the completed sample.

Contracts and Payment

When your project and instructions are approved, we will send an agreement with our payment offer and a business reply envelope. You should complete it with your signature and phone number. Return the original to us in the postage-paid envelope—the photocopy we send is for your records. If this is the first time we’ve worked with you or if it has been a while since we’ve accepted a project, you will also receive a W-9 (or a W-8 if you live outside the United State) which must be completed and returned before payments can be issued.

You will be issued a check for payment within 45 days of the date we received your signed contract.

We will keep your project until the magazine issue is published. Your project will be returned to you after publication. All manuscripts, diagrams, etc., remain our property. Since we purchase all rights to designs, you should not sell that design—or one very similar to it—to another publication. If you have questions as to what constitutes an original design, please contact us.

FINALLY …
We appreciate your interest in our magazine! These guidelines are meant to be just that—guidelines. If you have questions, special circumstances, etc., feel free to contact us. We will make every effort to work with you.

CARDMAKER PROJECT SUBMITTAL FORM

(Please copy and paste into a new Word document)

DESIGNER’S NAME:

ADDRESS:

PHONE NUMBER:

E-MAIL ADDRESS:

BLOG:

(INSERT PROJECT PHOTO HERE)

ISSUE & FEATURE:

PROJECT TITLE:

SKILL LEVEL:

TECHNIQUES USED:

MATERIALS LIST:

ADDITITIONAL COMMENTS:

PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY ON ANY DESIGN TEAMS: