2010-2011 Designer Guidelines

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2010-2011 Designer Guidelines

CardMaker

EDITOR: Tanya Fox, (260) 589-4000, Ext. 320, Tanya_Fox@DRGnetwork.com

ASS0CIATE EDITOR: Brooke Smith, (260) 589-4000, Ext. 385, Brooke_Smith@DRGnetwork.com

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 associate editor by phone (260-589-4000) or via e-mail at Tanya_Fox@DRGnetwork.com or Brooke_Smith@DRGnetwork.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 easy-to-make coordinating envelopes and 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, paper weaving, paper piercing, handmade paper, embossing, etc.
Your ideas for issue themes, project types to feature, 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. We encourage you to 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

Using our submittal form, submit only new, never-seen-before projects. Do not submit projects that have been previously or currently featured on your blog or elsewhere. 
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.
 
We prefer to receive submissions via e-mail. Please send a jpeg and a completed submittal form, along with your complete contact information, to Submissions@CardMakerMagazine.com. E-mail subject line should include the publication title and issue--for example: CardMaker November 2008. Please keep the file size under 2MG. Please send one project submission per e-mail.
 
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.
 
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.
 
Once a concept is approved, you will need to provide complete written instructions for the project. Please observe the following guidelines.
 
 
Using the attached formatting sample, 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. The materials list should precede the instructions. It is extremely important that every product or tool used to create your project be listed.
Give sources (including addresses and product numbers) for any products used in your project which are not readily available at a general craft or fabric store. Refer to specific brand names whenever possible; if the same kind of product is offered by different manufacturers under different names, include two or three of these options. When referring to specific brand names of materials, please be accurate.
Do not use discontinued products in your design. All patterned papers should be current releases—the newer, the better. We don’t want to frustrate our readers by publishing projects that include items no longer available for purchase.
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 editorial help.
E-mail 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 give us a call.

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.