Writer and Photographer Guidelines for Bend Magazine

Writer Guidelines for Bend Magazine

Bend Magazine brings the people, places and events of Central Oregon to life for visitors and locals through strong stories, great photographs and quality writing. We pride ourselves on being the eyes and ears of this beautiful and popular Oregon destination, delivering its vibrancy in a high-quality publication. Bend Magazine publishes bimonthly and is distributed throughout the region. We love to connect with great writers eager to help us tell the stories of Central Oregon.

Mission: To showcase in high-quality stories and photos the people, places and events that make Central Oregon a dynamic place to live and visit.

Vision: To be the voice and the window into the community, projecting Central Oregon’s diversity, personality, natural beauty and vibrancy. We are the brightest lifestyle publication, set to illuminate the culture, nature, flavors, comforts and adventures of this incredible region.

The Magazine

Articles for Bend Magazine are largely written by freelance writers. We accept story pitches (queries) for departments and features. Your idea has a better chance of being picked up if you tailor it to our magazine style as well as to one of our specific story categories. Please read through back issues of our magazine before pitching to demonstrate your understanding of our publication. See our website for past articles.

Commonly freelance-written categories include:

Explore: A weekend or multi-day getaway

Retreat: A day trip or nearby getaway

Trails: A hike, bike, ski or other trail outing

Wellness: Health, fitness and positive lifestyle

Pursuits: Athlete profile, event or organization

Heritage: History story or legacy profile

Helping Hands: Local non-profit organizations

Home Feature: Luxury or innovative home feature

Business Feature: A look at a business or trend Business

Q&A: Entrepreneur interview

Savor: Food feature

Restaurant: Profile of a restaurant

Imbibe: Cocktail feature

Artist Profile: A Central Oregon artist

Aesthetic: Profile of a maker of art, music, craft, jewelry, book, etc.

We also love strong feature ideas about the people, places and events of Central Oregon. Strong features tell a story from a personal point of view, bring to life an experience or adventure, get behind the scenes of a local topic or shed fresh light on a subject. Our features follow three main themes: Live, Play and Think.

Queries

Bend Magazine invites freelance writers to submit queries for feature stories and departments. Good queries command attention. Bend Magazine articles are focused, illustrative, upbeat, informative and fresh; queries should reflect that style. The query should also reflect the tone of the proposed article. Queries should be appropriate: political, religious or explicit topics will be deleted.

We prefer standard query structure: A) a paragraph or two describing what the proposed article is about, B) a paragraph telling us why we specifically should run this story and when, C) a paragraph about you, your experience, and why you should write this story for us.

Writers may include up to three story proposals in one query. Queries should not be simply a list of topics. Send queries in email only. Writers should email queries with two writing samples to kim@oregonmedia.com at least six months in advance of the targeted issue.

Submit Bend Magazine queries to Editorial@oregonmedia.com. The editor will make every effort to respond within 30 days of receipt of a query.

Assignments, should they be given, will be detailed in email. We aim to assign stories three to five weeks in advance of the deadline. We pay upon publication. Pay rate varies. Bend Magazine buys the first North American serial rights.

Completed story assignments should be submitted via email. The editor may edit a writer’s work and/or return a submission for revisions, or both.

Style

Bend Magazine articles are written in a conversational style meant to be easily and enjoyably read. We follow AP Stylebook guidelines. Upon assignment, a writer will be sent our style guide for reference.

Writer Guidelines for Bend Home + Design Magazine

Bend Home + Design is a quarterly home building and design publication, and a partner publication to Bend Magazine. The magazine offers inspiration, practical ideas and reliable advice for readers to transform their homes and create their dream spaces. Bend Home + Design connects readers to experienced regional professionals and craftspeople. The best shops, resources and showrooms are within our pages.

The Magazine

Articles for Bend Home + Design are largely written by freelance writers. Your idea has a better chance of being picked up if you tailor it to our magazine style as well as to one of our specific story categories. Please read through back issues of our magazine before pitching to demonstrate your understanding of our publication. See our website for past articles.

Common freelance-written categories include:

A Place to Call Home: Feature on a distinct neighborhood, town or city in the Central Oregon region.

Theme stories: Features and how-tos related to home design and decor trends, interior and exterior. Stories typically offer a broad look at a trend and also incorporate local sources and Central Oregon projects to give the story local context. Topics vary by season.

Garden + Landscape: Feature, how-to or tips related to a gardening or landscaping topic. (Examples: how to plant a native garden, creating an all-season wreath)

Food + Drink: Feature or how-to on type of food or drink, cuisine, seasonal food prep or meal ideas, often with recipes included. (Examples: garden-fresh salads, how to dehydrate foods, infused cocktails with Oregon ingredients)

Queries

Bend Home + Design invites freelance writers to submit queries for story ideas specifically about home and design topics.

We prefer standard query structure: A) a paragraph or two describing what the proposed article is about, B) a paragraph telling us why we specifically should run this story and when, C) a paragraph about you, your experience, and why you should write this story for us.

Writers may include up to three story proposals in one query. Queries should not be simply a list of topics. Send queries by email only. Writers should email queries with two writing samples to editorial@oregonmedia.com at least six months in advance of the targeted issue. The editor will make every effort to respond within 30 days of receipt of a query.

Assignments, should they be given, will be detailed in the email. We aim to assign stories three to five weeks in advance of the deadline. We pay upon publication. Pay rate varies. Bend Home + Design buys first North American serial rights.

Completed story assignments should be submitted via email. The editor may edit a writer’s work and/or return a submission for revisions, or both.

Style

Bend Home + Design articles are written in a conversational style meant to be easily and enjoyably read. We follow AP Stylebook guidelines. Upon assignment, a writer will be sent our style guide for reference.

Guidelines for Photography Submissions

We are always on the lookout for talented photographers to add to our freelance team. To inquire about submitting photos for Bend Magazine or Bend Home + Design, or to be considered to photograph for our publications on assignment, please contact art@oregonmedia.com.

Back to top