Writer’s guidelines

Last Updated: April 20, 2009

Matador Travel welcomes both upcoming and professional writers to our community. Please note that there are various ways to write for matador:

1. Write a Blog.

Matador's blogs are the heart of our community and where you'll find some of the timeliest and most relevant writing anywhere in print or on the web. We encourage all members to blog as much as they can. Tell us what the view is like out your window. What is happening in your local town, forests, mountains, rivers, community? If you don't write those stories, who will?

2. Write for one of the blogs in the Matador Network.

The Matador Network includes 8 interconnected sites that publish new articles daily. We provide a running list of content we're actively seeking for the network at our Matador Bounty Board. You can keep up with the latest assignments by subscribing to the Bounty Board Feed.

We also accept your original pitches and queries for stories in the network. Again, subscribing is the best way to keep up with the latest articles we're running and to familiarize yourself with the stories and topics we're covering.

Each site in the network has a CONTRIBUTORS page in the navigation bar with specific instructions and tips for what we are looking for. You can find these here:

• MatadorAbraod.com
• Matador Trips
• Matador Change
• Matador Nights
• Matador Pulse
• The Traveler's Notebook
• Brave New Traveler

Payment

We pay $25 per original published article in the Matador Network.

What is an original published article? It’s an article that is not published anywhere else (including your own blog). This is important for a variety of reasons, but mostly to avoid search engine confusion.

Reprinted articles will remain unpaid, since the reward for an article reprint is usually wider author visibility and traffic sent to their own blogs/websites.

Payments are made through Paypal. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Payment for Feature Articles may be higher depending on the author's credentials and the involvement of the work. Author's fees will, in these cases, be agreed upon ahead of time.

Editing

Published articles will likely be edited in some way. Usually this just means minor copy-edits for brevity / clarity, however if certain key elements can be linked to in other stories, sometimes additional material / descriptions may be inserted.

Your title may also be changed to reflect a more compelling description of the content, and to target any keywords for the search engines. We want as many readers as possible to see your work.

Directions for Submitting:

We now have an online submissions form. Please visit Matadornetwork.com/contributors to submit your work. Please read the directions carefully.

All first-time contributors are strongly encouraged to read this article on working with editors online.

Checking Back

Depending on our editorial calendar we may not respond immediately to your submission / query. Please allow one week and then feel free to follow up.

Author’s Rights

1. The Author grants permission to include his/her stories, hereinafter referred to as the Work, at www.matadortravel.com, or any of the sites within the Matador Network, (hereinafter reffered to as The Publisher) as well as any future print publications associated with Matador.

2. This use of the Work by the Publisher entails the assignment of *First North American Serial Rights, for publication in the English language in North America. This allows The Publisher to publish the Work in both printed and digital versions of the Magazine. ALL rights revert to the Author following publication.

3. The Author grants to the Publisher the right to archive the work in an online version of the magazine.

4. The Author agrees to name "Matador"as first publisher if and when the work is republished in printed or digital form, as well as provide a link to the original work.

Payment

5. For the rights granted to the Publisher above in 1(a, b) the Author will receive payment as agreed to and arranged by the Publisher and Author prior to publication (normally $25 unless other arrangements have been made).

Authors' Warranties and Indemnities.

6. The Author represents and warrants that he/she is the sole author of the Work, that the Work is original, and that no one has reserved the rights granted in this agreement. The Author also represents, to the best of his/her knowledge, that the Work does not contain any libelous material.

No competing Publication

7. The Author agrees not to publish or permit others to publish this Work in any form prior to its publication and appearance in the above-named magazine and no printed form for 90 days following publication.

Author's Link

8. The Publisher agrees to provide the Author with one permanent link to the Work within 30 (thirty) days of publication.

Copyright

9. The Publisher agrees to publish a proper copyright notice for Authors Work, and to take all necessary steps to protect Authors copyright in the United States, and in the International Copyright Union. The magazine is copyrighted to Matador Ventures, LLC. but the Author’s copyright remains with the Author.

*FIRST NORTH AMERICAN SERIAL RIGHTS: When an author grants a journal or magazine First North American Serial Rights to a story, the periodical acquires the right to be the first publisher of the work in North America and for some time after the work appears in print-typically 60 to 90 days, or the length of time the issue with the author's work in it is "current"-no other journal is allowed to publish that same work. Afterward, an author, as holder of the copyright, is free to submit the work elsewhere.

For Editors

The Bounty Board is a tool that connects editors to freelance writers. Editors can post an assignment on the Board for $50, and your post will be seen by hundreds of talented writer/photographers each month on Matador. Posts will remain on the board for one month or until you've found your writer.

Please review a sample Bounty Board post before submitting. Necessary information will include a description of the assignment as well as payment and contact info.

Please send Bounty Board posts as word.doc files to the editor: David [AT ] matadornetwork [DOT] com. Once your post has been reviewed and published you will receive a confirmation email.

We look forward to receiving your posts and connecting you with talented writers!