Submission Guidelines

Sending a Query

We ask that all potential writers send a query letter proposing your article before sending a complete manuscript by email to pitches@escapistmag.com.

Queries can be any length but the more that we know about your proposed article, the better equipped we are to make a decision on whether to run it. Longer is not always better, however. If you can't summarize your article in a few hundred words, then it might be better to scale down the scope.

You're welcome to submit pitches on any subject you like, but please send in pitches that explore the topic of an issue from angles that we may not have even considered without your specific insight and experience. Please note: At this time, we are not looking to add reviewers or recurring features.

We cannot promise that your article will be commissioned, but you will receive an email informing you that the pitch has been received, and a second email when it has either been rejected or accepted. Please be patient! These emails are sent out by hand, so responses are not always immediate.

Articles

The subject matter and style of our articles is discussed in more detail in the Substantive Guidelines and Style Guidelines, respectively. The Escapist Magazine adheres to AP Style, with a few exceptions. It is recommended you be familiar with AP Style before submitting to The Escapist Magazine.

When your article is commissioned, you will receive an email that clearly states the date that it is due and how many words you should submit. Please make sure that you submit a draft on time, as it is never a good idea to have us chase after you.

We expect articles to be well-written and thoroughly researched. If subjects are interviewed, we expect to be able fact check these sources. If quotes are pulled from other sources, we expect them to be cited. Links are sufficient for most citations, but it is the editor's discretion as to whether these links will be published. We prefer not to heavily pepper our articles with links as we believe it diminishes the writer's voice. We also prefer that sources other than Wikipedia be used whenever possible (and it is always possible).

Submission Format

Articles can be submitted as an email attachment in one of the following formats: Word Document (either .doc Word 1997-2003 or .docx Word 2007 is acceptable), Rich Text (.rtf) or Plain Text (.txt). Please do not submit your article in the body of your email.

All submissions should be single spaced with a space between each paragraph. Please do not indent paragraphs. Include a title and your byline, traditionally a short (2 sentence maximum) biographical description which may include links to blogs or websites. Titles of games and publications should be italicized within the document. Please be sure that your full name appears in your document.

For interviews, please list contact information for the interviewee(s).

Revisions

The Escapist is proud to present the most heavily edited and reviewed content in the field of online videogame journalism. We strive for our feature articles to be as concisely written as possible without sacrificing the voice of our talented freelance writers.

When your draft is submitted on or before the due date, you will receive an email confirming it was received and that everything is in good order. Your article will then go through a rigorous editing, proofing and fact-checking process before being returned to you, usually a week or two before publication. The editor of your article may request that changes or revisions be made, and will give you a date by which you will need to submit another draft. It's rare that a second revision pass will be necessary, but it is not unheard of. The editor will make edits or word changes until he is satisfied with the article.

Feel free to promote your article by linking through Twitter, Facebook or your blog or website. We encourage our writers to create a forum account at www.escapistmagazine.com, and to positively respond to the comments of our readers. Healthy debate is a good thing for the gaming industry and our audience enjoys engaging with our writers.

Payment

An invoice and writer's agreement must be submitted for all articles accepted for publication. Payment will be made 90 days from the date that the article appears. Rate is $250 flat fee per article. You will receive a copy of the writer's agreement upon publication of your article, at which point you will fill out the date, your name, address, contact information, article title, print date, and return it to The Escapist.

Kill Fee

In the unlikely event that we must decline to publish a commissioned article, a one-time kill fee of 25% of the agreed upon fee may be invoiced.