YouthWorker Journal Writer Guidelines

Greetings from the editorial team at YouthWorker Journal.

YouthWorker Journal has been the leading resource for thousands of youth workers for more than two decades. Over the years we have published many of the field’s leading voices. We have also worked with and nurtured unpublished writers, some of whom are still writing articles or books today.

If you have an article that our readers need to read and you can write it for us in a clear and compelling style, we want to hear from you. If you want to hear from us, you need to follow these guidelines. If you’ve never read the Journal, you can order a copy now.

1) Why We Exist

We serve thousands of committed men and women who work in a variety of church, parachurch, and other settings around the world and are devoted to helping young people know, love, and serve Jesus Christ. Everything we publish is designed to help youth workers be more effective in fulfilling this important calling. When you contact us, clearly explain how your proposed article or contribution will help fulfill this mission.

2) Print & Web

YouthWorker Journal publishes print, online, and e-mail versions of its content. It’s easier to get published in the online version, which is updated regularly and has unlimited page space. At present we don’t pay writers for Web-only content. When you submit material to us, we will let you know whether we think your material would work best in print or online.

3) Dates, Deadlines & Themes

YouthWorker Journal is published every other month on odd-numbered months (January/February issue, March/April issue, etc.). Each issue contains numerous articles focusing on a single theme and at least one non-theme feature article.

As you are reading these guidelines today, we are already working on the issue that will be published six months from now. So please study our “Upcoming Issue Themes” and observe each issue’s deadline dates. As a rule of thumb, proposals for an upcoming issue need to be received 4 months before that issue is published.

4) Veterans and Newbies

YouthWorker Journal publishes both established and new writers because both have valuable things to say to our readers.

• If you have been published before, you can send us a proposal, but in addition please let us know about your previously published work.
• If you are unpublished, you will need to send us more than a proposal. You will need to send us proof that you can execute the idea. That means you will need to include an explanation of why this article is important to our readers and why you should write it, a detailed outline for your proposed article, and a written introduction section that helps us assess your skill and style.

5) Our Departments and Features

Every issue of YouthWorker Journal contains many of the same departments and columns along with an ever-changing selection of feature articles. Here’s a look at the different areas of each journal. They are ranked by freelancer-friendliness (the easier areas for new writers are listed first) along with the relevant contact info:

a) Tools

Readers count on us for our unbiased reviews of books, music, curriculum products, and other items of interest to youth workers.

Reviewers:

We typically work with a stable of established reviewers. If you want to be a YouthWorker Journal reviewer, please review our Tools Reviewer Guidelines and send us two sample reviews you have written.

You may do so by using the form at the bottom of the page and selecting the "Submit Tools" option.

Publishers/Producers:

If you are:

• A publisher or distributor of books, music, curriculum products, and other items of interest to youth workers;
• The producer of conferences, seminars, workshops, or other educational or training events of interest to youth workers;
• Involved with a Web site or other online resources of interest to youth workers;

Please e-mail us your information and snail-mail us two copies of your products. Please tell us which category your product fits (Youth Ministry Programming, Youth Worker Development, Parents, Teens, Youth Worker Interest, Music, Online/Internet Resources, etc.). See Section 6 for info on submitting photos.

You may e-mail us by using the form at the bottom of the page and selecting the "Submit Tools" option.

Mailing address:

YWJ/Fuller

540 N. Cascade Ave., Suite 202

Colorado Springs, CO  80903-3328

b) Articles

We publish a handful of articles in each issue on that issue’s theme. We also publish at least one non-theme article per issue. Articles range in length from 200 words to 3,000 words with longer articles typically being assigned to established youth workers/writers. Articles usually focus on one of these three areas:

• Theology of youth ministry;
• Practical matters (successful approaches, programs, teaching activities, etc.);
• Affirmation/encouragement of youth workers.

You may e-mail us by using the form at the bottom of the page and selecting the "Submit Articles" option.

c) Columns

Our regular team of columnists writes most of our regular columns, and we usually handpick proven writers to tackle “Stirring It Up,” the back-page column that was for many years written by Mike Yaconelli.

Freelancers often write the “10 Minutes in God’s Word” and “Worldview” columns.

Worldview columns show readers how youth ministry is being done outside the walls of churches or beyond the borders of our country. The purpose of the column is to show readers a new way of serving an important group in redemptive and culturally significant ways so they might be able to do something similar where they are. Word count: 800-900 words.

10 Minutes in God’s Word columns help readers engage with biblical texts that relate specifically to youth workers. The article contains five key elements:

1. A brief introduction of no more than 100 words.

2. Scripture text using a generally accepted translation. The Scripture text itself should be no less than two verses and no longer than 200 words.

3. Think About It. This is an expositional treatment of the selected Scripture text. Word count: approximately 400 words.

4. Apply It. Tell us why this study is relevant to the reader and how it applies. Word count: approximately 400 words.

5. The same Scripture text using The Message. Total word count: including all writer comments and the two Bible texts not to exceed 1400-1500 words.

You may e-mail us by using the form at the bottom of the page and selecting the "Submit Columns" option.

6) Art & Photos

We’re also looking for provocative and/or funny cartoons, illustrations and photo illustrations.

Als If we select your article for publication as a full-length print feature, we’ll need a high-resolution, color image of you. Specifically, we need a frontal headshot at least 300 dpi at 2" high (from mid-chest to top of head). It will need to be in .pdf, .eps, .tif, or .jpg formats. Please avoid using the following formats: .bmp, .ai, .gif, and .psd. Whenever possible, we prefer the files to be RGB or CMYK. We also prefer them to be saved as a Mac file and 300 dpi for 6" wide or wider.

If your organization has news and information of interest to youth workers, send us your press release.

You may e-mail us your press release by using the form at the bottom of the page and selecting the "Submit News" option.

8) Nuts and Bolts

     · Pleez spell yore stuff rite and rite it good.

     · Provide complete contact information (e-mail and daytime phone) and current affiliation (job title, etc.) on everything you send us.

     · If you send us a complete article, please accompany it with a brief summary of the article’s contents.

     · Send all attachments as MS Word files.

     · If you would like to receive our regular writer e-mail, complete with updated info on upcoming themes, please send us an e-mail by using the form below and choosing the "Receive Writer E-mail" option.

     · We recommend that writers subscribe to and read YouthWorker Journal to better understand what we do.

     · For more information about writing, consult the "Getting Published" section of the latest edition of Writer’s Market.

     · Our snail-mail address is: Editor, YouthWorker Journal, 104 Woodmont Blvd., Suite 300, Nashville, TN 37205.

As a rule, we purchase and publish only articles that have not been published previously. We pay respectable rates for major articles, depending on length.

We only publish articles for which authors allow us unrestricted rights to continual print and online use of the content, which means that we can republish them again in any form without further concession or permission on the part of the author.

We encourage writers to seek publication elsewhere of their article(s) we publish provided that these cite YouthWorker Journal as the outlet where they were originally published.

Author contracts will be issued once we decide to use your material. Payment will be processed once we have:

• An edited version of the article;
• A completed contract;
• An invoice from the writer;
• And a W-9 form (needed only once).

You should receive payment within 30 to 45 days after returning the needed documents. If payment is not received in a timely manner, please contact your assigning editor.

Thanks for your interest in YouthWorker Journal. We look forward to hearing from you.

Chap Clark, Senior Editor

Steve Rabey, Editor

Lois Rabey, Assistant Editor

(Updated November 2007)