FLARE MAGAZINE
WRITER GUIDELINES

Thank you for your interest in Flare. The following are basic guidelines for writers interested in contributing to Flare:

[download a printable PDF version of the guidelines]

Before you submit a story idea:

• Read back issues of the magazine to make sure your idea fits our general editorial tone and audience – working women between the ages of 20 – 45.
Every year, Flare receives hundreds of submissions of material that are not quite suitable for our audiences. A little preliminary research by hopeful writers would save them – and us – a great deal of work.

• Study the masthead – the listing of our staff by position – to determine if your topic is handled by regular contributor staff or a staff member. For example, most of Flare’s fashion and beauty is written in-house.

When you submit a story idea:

• Please do not telephone with your idea. Briefly summarize your proposal in writing indicating theme, main points you would cover and research to be done, and approximate length of article. Attach your resume to the outline, along with tear sheets of previously published work.

• Do not send original tear sheets which you need returned. Because of the large number of submissions, we cannot guarantee the return of material sent to us.

• Never begin work on the final piece until the idea has been accepted and fully discussed. At Flare, we send our writers an assignment letter confirming the assignment and any pertinent details. Flare will not publish unsolicited manuscripts. Please remember, Flare does not publish fiction.

• We try to reply individually to every person but, sometimes, sheer volume makes this impossible and we must send a form letter.

When writing your article:

• Alterations are a normal request, and the writer’s story may be returned for revisions. Minor changes made by the assigning editor or copy editor will be shown to the writer for checking, except in the case of last-minute cuts necessary for space limitations.

• If your research leads you to change the storyline, consult with us well before the deadline. Fundamental differences from the original assignment may be a problem.

• Do not give your sources a preview of the manuscript. Assure them that a fact checker will call them to verify the material used. If your interview subject places this condition on the interview, discuss this with us first. We may prefer to drop the story.

• All sources from your article must be detailed in a fact checking sheet attached to your first draft. Our researchers must be able to verify every fact before we print a story. The fact checking sheet must include names and daytime phone number of those you interviewed.(It helps if you point out possibly hostile subjects, or subjects who will be out of town for an extended period of time.)Include a copy of all books you drew material from including the page numbers, or at least a photocopy of the cover and relevant materials.

For your information our address is:

FLARE MAGAZINE
One Mount Pleasant Road
8th Floor
Toronto ON
M4Y 2Y5

Or you can email us at:
editors@flare.com