Single Mother Magazine
SM - The Magazine for Single Mothers


SM Magazine publishes articles from freelance writers on a broad range of subjects of special interest to single mothers, including family law, health, diet and exercise, spirituality, saving and managing money, co-parenting and interpersonal relationships, lifestyle issues, etc. Editorial content addresses the concerns, interests, and problems of single mothers. The articles should teach, inspire, motivate, and inform. The editors are primarily interested in practical, service-oriented pieces that will help millions of single mothers improve their lives and become their own experts.

We purchase first North American rights only; no reprints. Submissions must follow standard manuscript format. List your full name, address and telephone number in the upper left corner of the first page and an accurate word count in the upper right corner. Send a #10-sized SASE or larger. Electronic submissions are preferred; however, if you are sending the article/query in postal mail, include an envelope of adequate size and with the correct postage for return. We do not return material unaccompanied by SASEs. Rights revert to writers upon publication. However, we reserve the right to reprint published articles in part or whole on our web site. We will consider reprinted material from publications outside our primary circulation area.

• Initial response time to manuscripts is about four to six weeks. We often request permission to hold a submission longer pending final decision. We record and file each submission and take great care with material "on hold" awaiting the appropriate issue. Unless you need your manuscript or photographs returned immediately, please do not telephone. We cannot provide status reports by phone.
  
• Please do not send us an article that you have already submitted elsewhere unless you have had the article returned or have heard that it is not going to be used. Please, also, do not send book-length manuscripts. We prefer to publish only original material but will occasionally publish excerpts from books.

Articles
Articles should be conversational in tone, but full of important information that is clear and concise. We do not preach to our readers. Because we offer a department, Expose, that features information on controversial subjects, we like to take a neutral tone while offering the facts. Leave your personal comments out of the piece (unless you are telling your own story or experience) and let the information speak for itself. We also publish well-researched, extensively documented articles. When submitting this type of article, please use only the most updated research, from primary sources. Our choice of articles depends on the other material we have published on the subject, how new the topic is to us, and how unique the presentation is. It helps if you include photos. Departments include:

REFRESH
Stress prevention and relaxation
techniques, products and services

HEART
Relationship and co-parenting advice

CURRENCY
Tips on creating financial success

LEGAL EASE
Guidance on child support, visitation,
and child custody issues

PREVENTION
Dietary and holistic preventive
disease advice

PERSPECTIVE
Highlighting a father’s perspective on co-parenting

EXPOSE
New scientific, health and
global discoveries

Maximum length: 1,500 words. Average length: 800 to 1,000 words. We edit tightly for length. A source list and/or annotated copy must be included with final submission and should include phone numbers for all people interviewed (for background or quotable material), publication dates of reference materials and other contact information when applicable. Articles should be sent electronically and addressed to editor@singlemothermag.com. Please attach only Microsoft Word documents: if you use another format, please cut and paste your article into the text portion of your email message. If you do not submit your article via email (not recommended), you must provide an electronic version of your manuscript on disk (Macintosh platform) via regular mail. The author's name, address, phone and fax number, and email address should appear on at least the first page of the manuscript. We use AP style and all articles submitted must contain only one space between sentences. All articles must have titles and should have subheads. Please include a brief biographical sketch at the end of your submission so that we can print it if your article is used.

Celebrity Interview / Profiles – Bi-monthly an interview with or profile about a notable single mother is featured. These articles are usually assigned, but queries are welcome. Bio, lead-in and photo required. Length: 2000 words.

Fact Checking Your article will be scrupulously fact-checked before being published in SM Magazine. Therefore, we require that your research be as current as possible. You should source actual published studies, not books in which the studies are quoted. The latter is called a secondary reference, and is not reliable. Your research should also be organized and readily available, so you will be able to respond to fact-checkers questions quickly and accurately.

Photos
We strongly recommend that you let us know whether photos are available with your article. The availability of photos enhances the appeal of your article to us. However, if you are submitting an article electronically, please do not submit photos electronically until your article has been accepted for publication. High resolution (300 dpi) digital or scanned photographs sent as JPEGS or TIFS via email are preferred. It is fine to send prints or digital photos on disc via postal mail at any time.It are also fine to send electronic standalone photos at anytime. An SASE must be included to ensure the return of photographs. You may email a digital file to us at stephanie@singlemothermag.com photocopies or reprints to Mystic Publications 1230 6th Avenue 7th Floor NY, NY 10020.

Other Submissions Considerations
Queries. We encourage you to send a query if you are unsure of our interest in the topic of your article. You can query us on more than one topic at a time. When submitting an electronic file, please save your article as a Word Document and e-mail it as an attachment. And we accept hard copy submissions in the mail, please send 2 clips as well.

WE DO NOT ACCEPT QUERIES OVER THE PHONE.
Queries should be submitted in writing via e-mail and consist of three parts:

1. What is the story? A brief synopsis written in the style of your proposed piece.
2. How will you tell it? Detail what sources you will use and how you will research the story.
3. Why? Answer will this help single mothers?" Why is this story important now? Why should you be the one to tell it? Why is this story right for SM Magazine?

We are always looking for experienced writers to become regular contributors or contributing editors. Fees for regular contributors are by agreement. Two copies of the issue in which your story appears will be included with payment.
All editorial material is protected by opyright. Mystic Publications, Inc retains the right to reprint editorial material for promotional use by Mystic Publication, Inc. with credit given.

Contact Information
Submit a query or article:
editor@singlemothermag.com

Postal Address:
Mystic Publications, Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas
7th Floor
New York, NY 10020

Payment
The average department length story (1000 words) pays about $150 and the average interview/profile length story (2000 words) pays from $400-$1,000, depending on the story. These rates are not guaranteed and vary widely. Amount to be negotiated at the time of acceptance. Payment is made 60 days from publication date for one-time use of the article. In addition to payment, two copies of the issue in which their article is published. Inquire if you would like additional copies.