please direct all manuscript/photo correspondence to publisher/editor, Stu Osthoff- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. It is always a good idea to email story queries to me so I can help steer you in the right direction. BWJ article topics include wilderness canoe route trip journals, fishing-how/where to, wilderness skills, canoe tripping gear, wildlife profiles, historical pieces, boundary waters personalities, natural resource/conservation issues, fiction, wilderness essays, hunting, winter activities, and more. The best articles are built around a given theme. Rather than just recounting the events of a given trip, it is better to illustrate that theme with a composite review of several trips. This breadth of experience gives the writer greater credibility. Not all trips produce “anything to write home about”. What one would record in a personal trip journal is generally not going to work for BWJ. The best articles combine a detailed description of where you went with an interesting account of the sites/fishing/wildlife/people that were a part of the trip. We look for a balance of useful information and interesting thoughts/events. Reviewing past issues of BWJ is the best guide for what we like to publish.

Most BWJ articles are unsolicited freelance submissions- about half the articles in each issue are by writers new to BWJ. Please submit manuscripts as a word document attachment to an email. Most manuscripts are reviewed/responded to within 30 days. Upon acceptance by the editor, the author must sign /return/abide by the terms of the BWJ writers agreement. Most BWJ stories are 3000-4000 words- longer than what most magazines publish. We prefer feature articles with real substance- where the author really digs deep into the particular topic. We do not publish any regular columns and run very few short pieces. The typical payment for a feature article with 1-2 photos is $400. Accompanying photos are welcome but not required. Payments are made 30 days after publication.

BWJ prefers high-resolution digital photos. Digital SLR cameras are preferred over point-and-shoot cameras. Please put all digital images on a disk or flash stick and mail to our Ely office. Do not send photos by email. Photo suggestions: magazines are done in a vertical format, so be sure to take plenty of vertical shots along with the more common horizontal shots. We use far more vertical shots than horizontal. We prefer bright, vibrant, colorful shots. Colorful clothing in full sunlight is ideal. Gloomy, overcast conditions do not make for striking color. BWJ invests heavily in quality paper and color photography, so we need photos that really capture/inspire readers. We prefer photos with something happening- we publish very few pure scenics. Try to get a boundary waters landscape/background behind that canoe, fish, camp etc. We are always looking for good photos of anything happening in canoe country in all seasons.

Photo payments are as follows: ½ page- $50, full page- $100, 1 2/3 page- $125, 2-page spread- $150, and front cover- $150. Photo payments are made 30 days after publication.

Feel free to contact me by email if any questions on article/photo submissions. Thank you for your interest in the boundary waters journal.

Stu Osthoff
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
9396 Rocky Ledge Road, Ely, MN 55731
218-365-6184