Who We Are

Midwest Living is the definitive voice of the Midwest, a bi-monthly lifestyle magazine with a circulation of 925,000. Our articles take a positive, practical approach to helping readers make the most of their lives in four main categories: travel, food, home and garden. The majority of our articles take a service approach, providing detailed information our readers, most of whom are female, can use on their next trip or project. We also include a couple of features per issue that focus on capturing the essence of a place or topic that speaks to "being Midwestern"--always followed with service info for readers that want to connect. Our article lengths are generally between 300 and 1,000 words. We define the Midwest as Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. We sometimes do stories in bordering states such as Kentucky, Arkansas and Tennessee. Our writing tone is accessible, but upscale and entertaining. We include writer bylines on nearly all of our stories.

Successful Pitches

Most of our freelance articles are written on assignment, so sending clips and a cover letter explaining your qualifications as a potential writer for Midwest Living is usually the best approach. If you'd like to pitch a story idea, however, keep the following tips in mind:

• Focus on our 12-state region.
• Look for little-known story subjects or truly innovative angles on familiar topics. Our articles must go beyond what readers could learn from a destination's web site or brochure.
• The concept should be of high interest to readers across our 12 states, not just to residents of the areas featured in the story.
• Summarize your background research to show you have specific sources and locations in mind.
• Sum up your idea in 2-3 well-crafted sentences. If you can't sell it that quickly, your idea isn't fully developed yet. We don't just want a general story subject idea; we want your plan for covering the subject.
• Read several recent issues for a sense of Midwest Living's tone and content. Make sure your story could fit into that mix.
• Explain the unique qualifications that make you the best person for this assignment.
• We tend to develop new writers on small items first. New writers rarely receive a full feature assignment. Your best opportunity comes from pitching a smaller item such as a short news item on a new or notable hotel or restaurant.

What We're Not Interested In

• personal essays
• stories about your vacation
• humor pieces
• nostalgia/reminiscent pieces
• celebrity profiles (with rare exceptions)
• routine pieces on familiar destinations such as the Dells, the Black Hills or Navy Pier
• completed manuscripts
• previously published works

Lead Time

The heart of our annual issue planning occurs in the late summer and fall, but we are glad to accept story pitches throughout the year. Most of our articles are researched one year before publication date, especially if they are dependent upon seasonal factors such as snow, festivals or foliage.

How to Submit An Idea

Send your idea with several clips to: Query Editor Midwest Living 1716 Locust St. Des Moines, IA 50309 Note that we are unable to return unsolicited materials; please do not send originals.

Payment

If we decide to use your query, we will contact you, negotiate the story details and rate and then send a written contract. We buy all rights and pay 2-3 weeks after accepting the completed article. (NOTE: Editors may request text revisions and request follow-up information after the article is accepted.) Our rates vary depending on the article, the writer and the amount of research involved, but are generally in the range of 80 cents to $1 per word, plus expenses.

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