Who We Are ENCOUNTER™—The Magazine is an 8-page, full-color, weekly magazine for junior high and senior high students to encourage their relationships with Jesus. It is published quarterly by Standard Publishing and is designed to correlate with the company’s Young Teen and High School curriculum. It is distributed mainly through churches and Christian bookstores. Send all submissions and correspondence to: encounter@standardpub.com We currently only accept manuscripts submitted via e-mail.
What We Need Nonfiction (1100 words maximum): We use articles on current issues from a Christian point of view. Articles should speak directly to teens without being preachy. We are also interested in testimonies, quizzes, fun fillers, interviews, and teen profiles. (If we choose to publish your teen profile, we will request snapshots to accompany the article and will provide you with a release form to be signed.)
Fiction (1100 words maximum): Stories must appeal to both younger and older teenagers. The main characters should be contemporary teens who cope with modern-day problems using Christian principles. Stories should be authentic and realistic.
For teens only: 1. Poetry & art: In our Expressions feature you may share poems and art that praise God, that share the ups and downs in your life as a Christian, etc. 2. Testimonies: In our “My Story” feature you can share things about you—how you met Jesus, ways God has worked in your life, struggles you’ve overcome, special events you’ve experienced with church, etc. (750 words maximum) 3. Don’t forget! If you are a teen, please include your date of birth with each submission so we can publish your age if your work is printed.
Updated 02/23/2010
What We Offer • Payment is on acceptance. ENCOUNTER™—The Magazine pays 8¢ per word for first rights on unsolicited manuscripts, 6¢ per word for reprint rights, and $20 for poetry or art (from teens only). You will receive five copies of the issue that contains your work when it is printed. • We purchase the right to publish your piece non-exclusively, no matter if you are offering first or reprint rights. You retain all rights and may continue to sell reprints of your work, however, we may also reuse it. • We require all authors to sign a contract if their work is accepted. All minors must have a guardian’s signature as well.
What We Require • We only accept manuscripts via e-mail (encounter@standardpub.com). A quick response from ENCOUNTER will be e-mailed to you within two weeks of receiving your e-mailed submission. If you do not receive a confirmation note, your e-mail may not have reached us. Please send it again. (NOTE: If you are submitting teen artwork, please scan it and e-mail it to us. If it is chosen for publication, we may ask you to mail in the original artwork.) • We prefer full manuscripts. (Queries are optional, not required.) • Please follow these formatting guidelines: • insert only a single space between sentences • do not use the tab key or spacebar to indent paragraphs; use the ruler bar instead • At the top of the first page of each manuscript, please include: • name • snail mail address • e-mail address • word count • the rights you are offering to us (first or reprint) • birthdate (if you are a teen) • We purchase new manuscripts every 13 weeks for specific topics. You may request our latest theme list via e-mail. Contact us: encounter@standardpub.com • All manuscripts are submitted on speculation.
What We Suggest • Get to know teens before you begin to write for them. Evaluate their ideas, language, thoughts, and trends in order to effectively reach the teen market. Many manuscripts are rejected simply because the plot or vocabulary is outdated for modern teens. • We produce ENCOUNTER™—The Magazine long before its publication date. Send seasonal material 9-12 months in advance. • If you would like a sample copy of ENCOUNTER, you may download PDFs of two sample issues from our Web site: encounterface2face.com
Updated 02/23/2010