Guidelines for Contributors
Thank you for your interest in contributing to Edible East Bay. We are a member of Edible Communities, Inc., an award-winning, nationwide series of community-based food publications whose mission is “to transform the way communities shop for, cook, eat, and relate to the food that is grown and produced in their area.” You can read about Edible Communities at ediblecommunities.com.
Edible East Bay is published quarterly. Each issue emphasizes the current season with a focus on the East Bay locale (Alameda and Contra Costa counties). We look for subjects that are both timely and traditional, and we have a special interest in topics that relate to the full breadth of the Edible Communities mission. The editor chooses writers, photographers, illustrators, and topics for each issue with an interest in balancing the coverage and nurturing a wide and loyal readership.
The primary qualification for a new contributor is an ability to present ideas in a lively, elegant, informative, original, accurate, and interesting manner. To demonstrate these abilities, potential contributors should submit samples along with a brief biography detailing interests, professional and educational background, and publishing experience. Also include a list of topics you would like to work on, along with a description of the content and approach you would take for each topic. We especially like to hear about ideas that excite you and/or that you are well prepared to pursue.
Contributors should know how to interview their subjects and be prepared to fact check, document, and certify their work as current and accurate.
Recipes to accompany articles are highly desirable, but they must be original and carefully tested. If they are not original, permission for reprint must be obtained in writing from the publisher. Likewise, all sources for information in the article should be cited, and if substantial passages from published (including digitally published) material are included, permission for use must be obtained.
Articles usually range around 500 to 1,500 words, with the length determined by what seems best for the particular topic. Rate of pay is based on quality, complexity, and polish of the work submitted, and payment is made only after the article has gone to print and the contributor submits an invoice. Most contributors new to Edible East Bay are paid between $50 and $150 on publication of their first submission. The rate takes into account the contributor’s experience. We usually increase fees with subsequent contributions once a good working relationship has been established. If effective and publishable photos are submitted to accompany the article, there is the possibility of a slightly higher fee. Writers submitting for the first time should not expect a commitment until their final draft has been approved. Edible East Bay pays for first-time rights to publication. Ownership of published articles, photos, and recipes reverts to the author after the current issue has expired.
Note on use of AI: Edible East Bay does not publish material written by artificial intelligence. While we understand that some writers will look to those tools for alternate wording ideas or for grammatical corrections or improvements, we are, in fact, looking for your unique, embodied voice.
If you have further questions or want to submit materials for consideration, please contact:
Cheryl Koehler
Editor, Edible East Bay
It is strongly preferred for materials to be submitted by email, but we also accept items mailed to Edible East Bay at 1791 Solano Ave, D-14, Berkeley CA 94707.
EDITORIAL DEADLINES
Spring issue stories are usually assigned in the fall with editorial due dates around December 1.
Summer issue stories are usually assigned in winter with editorial due dates around March 1.
Fall issue stories are usually assigned in the spring with editorial due dates around June 1.
Winter issue stories are usually assigned in summer with editorial due dates around September 1.
