Writing Guidelines
Thank you for your interest in writing for Word of Mouth magazine! We are happy to have the opportunity to share your experience, insights, and ideas with our readers. Please review the guidelines below and contact us if you have any questions.
Article Categories & Word Count
Every issue contains (3) feature articles and (9) column articles. Please note the word counts listed with each article category below. It is sometimes possible to exceed or reduce the word count if the article calls for it — just discuss with your article coordinator to make sure.
Feature 1: Local farm or product (1000-1500 words)
Feature 2: Local restaurant (1000-1500 words)
Feature 3: Homesteading/Gardening/Cooking DIY (1000-1500 words)
Ripe Now: What’s in season,+ recipe (200 - 500 words)
Local Leaders: Who is making a difference for our food system (750 - 1000 words)
Home Grown: A profile of a farm, garden, or organization (750 - 1000 words)
Fruitful Thoughts: Wine in Mendocino County (750 words)
Small World: An international perspective on food or farming (750 words)
Wild Things: What can be foraged this season + recipe (200 - 500 words)
Sweet Bites: A food business focused on sweet things (500 - 750 words)
Boots on the Ground: Organizations or individuals involved with local food (750 - 1000 words)
New Kid on the Block: A new restaurant in our area (500 - 750 words)
Friends & Neighbors: A profile of an organization, restaurant, or farm outside of Mendocino County but typically in a neighboring county or elsewhere in the NorCal region (500 - 750 words)
Expectations
Complete: Please submit your article in a complete state with no missing information (e.g. “Mike _______ opened his cafe in 2015 …”).
On Time: Please submit your article to your coordinator by the agreed due date.
Journalistic Voice: While we enjoy keeping our tone light and positive, we want the article voice to read as journalism and never marketing. The approach should have the same tone as when you are sharing a story, like you are letting the readers in on some great finds and information, without an underlying motive of selling them on a particular product or place.
Unique Content: Please ensure that your piece is unique for our readers, not a repeat of existing content on your website, blog, or elsewhere in the world, unless pre-agreed upon with your coordinator. The delight is in the details—we encourage you to be specific with your descriptions and don’t be afraid to geek out! An in-depth look at growing an esoteric crop is often more compelling than a general overview.
Supporting Quotes: Adding direct quotes from people with first-hand experience to the subject you are covering adds depth, credibility, and color to your piece. Please try to include quotes from at least two people in your piece.
Business Info: If your article is profiling a business, please include the business name, website, address, phone number, and hours at the end of the article. Only include this information if the subject profiled is open to the public, and be sure to specify if it is open to the public.
Writer Bio: Please include a 1-2 sentence bio of yourself at the end of the article.
Process
Word of Mouth retains the right to edit your writing to comply with stylistic best practices and our magazine’s tone and values. We edit for grammar, clarity, accessibility, and entertainment. Our editor is a diehard fan of the Oxford comma so … consider yourself warned.
The production schedule includes three separate rounds of editing. You will have a chance to review both the article layout and edits after the second round, as will the article’s subject if it is a separate entity (e.g. if your article reviews a restaurant you do not own or work for). We do not have the resources for a fact checking so this is how we review for factual accuracy. Your changes will be incorporated, as will the subject’s (if applicable), prior to the third and last round of editing, after which the magazine is delivered to the printer.