Thank you for your interest in The Bear Deluxe Magazine,
a nationally distributed environmental arts publication. Published twice per
year, The Bear Deluxe includes a wider array and a higher-percentage of visual
art work and design than many other publications. Artwork is included both
as editorial support and as stand alone or independent art. The Bear Deluxe
has included nationally recognized artists as well as emerging artists. As
with any publication, artists are encouraged to review a sample copy for a
clearer understanding of the magazine¹s approach. Unsolicited submissions
and samples are accepted and encouraged. Established in 1993, The Bear Deluxe
has been recognized for both its editorial and design excellence. Over the
years, awards and positive reviews have been handed down from Print magazine,
Utne Reader, Literary Arts, Adbusters, the Bumbershoot Arts Festival, Orion,
Fact Sheet 5, the Regional Arts and Culture Council, The Oregonian, and the
Library Journal, among others.
The Bear Deluxe is published by Orlo, a nonprofit organization exploring environmental
issues through the creative arts. In 1998, The Bear Deluxe changed its name
from The Bear Essential. Nineteen thousand copies of each issue are distributed
free of charge across the country with a primary focus on the western United
States. Stories and art work, however, are not limited to a regional or national
focus. While informative and graphic, The Bear Deluxe has the additional goal
of engaging new audiences. Cross-town appeal is achieved by including a spectrum
of visual forms and divergent styles, including satire and parody.
EDITORIAL
Nonfiction in General
Unsolicited nonfiction manuscripts are considered, but it is less common that
they find a home in The Bear Deluxe. More often, nonfiction writers approach
editors with a story idea or are asked to write on ideas generated internally
by the magazine. Specific ideas should be presented in a detailed query letter
format and accompanied by writing samples, suggestions for artwork and SASE.
Features Several independent features are included in each issue. Features
are typically timely, have an overarching perspective or appeal and include
strong elements of reporting. Word range: 750-4000 words. Departments Portrait
of an Artist: Profile of artist or arts group with unique or new environmental
focus. 750-1500 words. Front of the book: eclectic mix of shorter stories,
including news updates, shorter interviews, found writing, lists and odd tidbits.
100-1,000 words. Reporter¹s Notebook: less formal news reporting with
individual perspective. 800 words. Back of the Book: creative opinion, first-person
pieces. 750 words. Interviews: feature reviews with creatives outside of traditional
environmental circles. 1,500-4,000 words. Short interviews with more insider
types: 750-1,500 words. Reviews: New titles, lost classics, films, videos,
products, theater, fast food and pop corn. Almost anything goes. 100-1000
words. Found writing: interesting tidbits from the past and present. 100-1,000
words. Fiction/Poetry/Essays/Other The Bear Deluxe has an open submission
policy for fiction, essays, poetry and other forms. The magazine¹s Creative
Review Group considers submissions on an ongoing basis. The magazine is moving
away from using the term ³environmental writing.² Quality writing
which furthers the magazine¹s goal of engaging new and divergent readers
will garner the most attention.
Fiction/Essay/Poetry/Other
750-4,500 words. Essays: 750-3000 words. Poetry: 50 line limit. Please submit
only 3-5 poems. Do not combine submissions, rather submit poetry, fiction
and essay in separate packages. News essays, on occasion, are assigned out
if they have a strong element of reporting.
Theme Issues and Sections
The magazine averages one theme issue every four issues. Theme stories tend
to be developed in close consultation with the editorial staff. You can add
your name to the e-mail list-serve for notification of themes and other editorial
updates by sending an email to bear@orlo.org Evergreen Lists The Bear Deluxe
is developing an ³evergreen² list of story ideas that we have targeted
but for which we have to find an appropriate writer. Such stories typically
involve a strong element of reporting or are located outside of our current
slate of writers.
Copyright & Compensation
The Bear Deluxe pays for 1st time publishing rights only. After publication,
all rights revert to the authors. The Bear Deluxe compensates its writers
with five cents per published word ($20 per poem and review), contributor
copies and a one-year subscription. The magazine covers incidental costs (including
phone and postage) only upon prior agreement.
Deadlines
The Bear Deluxe does not have strict, published deadlines but considers submissions
and story ideas on an ongoing basis.
E-mail Submissions
E-mail submissions are accepted but not generally encouraged. Regular mail
is still preferred. We can only respond to those e-mail submissions chosen
for publication. Send stories as e-mail text, not as attached documents.
Submission Formats
Submit double-spaced text on clean hard copy. Do not send discs. Writers are
encouraged to suggest headlines, subheads and pull-quotes, though final decisions
in these areas are made by the editorial staff. Include a 20-word biographical
statement. Send submissions to appropriate editor: i.e. ³poetry editor,²
³fiction editor,² or ³nonfiction editor.² No fax submissions.
Manuscripts are returned only if accompanied by appropriately stamped SASE.
Response Times Nonfiction query letters and manuscripts: 3 month average.
Fiction, poetry and essays: 6 month average. Please do not call or write regarding
the status of your submission until after this review period. Travel Budgets
and Stringers The Bear Deluxe doesn not have an extensive travel budget. For
this reason, we encourage writers to let us know if they can serve as stringers
in their region. Granting Opportunities As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organizatoin,
The Bear Deluxe can receive publishing, editorial and art grants. When appropriate,
we can also serve as an umbrella or fiscal agent for writers and artists looking
to pursue such grants on their own. Any grant application under the auspices
of Orlo or The Bear Deluxe Magazine must be preapproved before submission.
Contact Info and Sample Copies Contact the editorial staff with further questions.
Send all material to: The Bear Deluxe Magazine, c/o Orlo, P.O. Box 10342,
Portland, OR 97296,
(503) 242-1047. E-mail: bear@orlo.org. Orlo and The Bear Deluxe Magazine accept
no liability for submitted writing or artwork. Do not send material to the
street address. To receive occasional updates from The Bear Deluxe, you can
be added to the e-mail list-serve by sending a note to bear@orlo.org. Sample
copies are available for $3. Mail check or money order payable to The Bear
Deluxe/Orlo to P.O. Box 10342, Portland, Oregon 97296. Include an appropriate
SASE with all submissions or manuscripts will not be
returned.
Artists contribute to The Bear Deluxe in various ways,
including:
Editorial Illustration
Editorial Photography
Spot Illustration
Independent Art
Cover Art
Graphic Design
Cartoons
Production
Support
Art Direction/Planning
The Bear Deluxe is now able to publish gray-scale, line art and four-color
images.
How To Submit
The best first step is to send us your current work samples and a brief cover
letter outlining your availability and turn-around time estimates. Let us
know if you¹d like to be considered for editorial illustration/photography,
or only independent art. Send slides (not more than one sheet), prints, high-quality
photocopies, or high-resolution scans (tiff files please) on a Zip drive or
CD-Rom (no floppies). Cartoonists should continue to send us their latest
and greatest, not just samples. If you submit via e-mail, send PDF format
files only, or a url address for us to visit. (Note on e-mail submissions
and url suggestions: we still prefer hard-copy work samples but will consider
electronic submissions and links. We cannot, however, guarantee a response
to electronic submissions.) Always include an appropriately stamped SASE for
the return of materials. No faxes. The Bear Deluxe assumes no liability for
submitted work samples.
Deadlines and Response Time
The magazine doesn¹t publish strict deadlines and considers submissions
and work samples on an ongoing basis. Our response time is 3-6 months, depending
on where we are in the production schedule. Please do not call or write regarding
submissions during this review period. Artists are encouraged to join our
e-mail list-serve for occasional updates on our publishing schedule.
Copyright & Compensation
In most cases, The Bear Deluxe pays for 1st-time publishing rights only. Unless
otherwise specified, all rights revert to the artists after publication. In
work-for-hire and collaborative cases, a prior copyright agreement should
be made before proceeding with work. Our general pay schedule is: $200 per
cover image; $100 per back-cover image; $75 per inside-cover image; $50 per
full-page independent art piece; $30 per published editorial photo or illustration;
$30 per spread design; $20 per cartoon or spot illustration. In addition,
all contributing artists receive a free subscription, contributor copies and
invitations to events. The magazine covers incidental costs such as film and
developing only upon prior agreement. We understand that this is a modest
pay schedule and are working to increase our rates. Still, we believe that
The Bear Deluxe is a great place for artists¹ work and it helps them
to reach new audiences. Contact Info and Sample Copies Contact the art department
staff with further questions. Send all material
to: The Bear Deluxe Magazine, Art Department, c/o Orlo, P.O. Box 10342,
Portland, OR 97296, (503) 242-1047. E-mail: bear@orlo.org Do not send
material to the street address. To receive occasional updates from The Bear
Deluxe, you can be added to the artists¹ e-mail list-serve by sending
a note to bear@orlo.org. Sample copies are available for $3. Mail check or
money order payable to The Bear Deluxe/Orlo. The Bear Deluxe Magazine assumes
no responsibility for submitted artwork or work samples. Work will not be
returned unless accompanied by an appropriately stamped, self-addressed return
envelope. Submitting Materials for Editorial or Gallery Review If you would
like to submit your work (or group¹s work) for possible editorial review,
or for consideration by Orlo¹s gallery group, forward those submissions
separately either to the ³Nonfiction Department² or ³Gallery
Group.²