Contributor Guidelines

Cerca magazine promotes enjoyment and respect for the region surrounding Las Vegas, primarily within 300 miles, including parts of Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and Southern California. It does not accept material about casinos, resorts, or gambling but is interested in the region's natural beauty and opportunities for outdoor recreation, its wildlife, its small towns, and its history. It seeks free-lance contributions from the best photographers in these fields and from professional writers. Most content is free-lance.

Created by the state's largest newspaper, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Cerca is distributed separately to its own subscriber list, and is sold at bookstores and newsstands. Many subscribers live in Las Vegas, but others live outside the state, so contributors should strive for treatments that seem fresh to both audiences.

Cerca first appeared in October 2001 as a quarterly; in 2003 it will publish six bi-monthly issues.

SUBJECT MATTER

Cerca needs both photos and stories on scenic areas, outdoor adventures, interesting small towns, back road trips, hikes, scientific and educational subjects uniquely linked to this region, Native American people of this region, and a few personalities who have made unique contributions to the region.

Some of the categories for which we will purchase submissions are:

PORTFOLIO - Photo packages about a specific beautiful location easily reached from Las Vegas, or about a subject especially associated with the region. A short text of 200 words may accompany photos, or we can arrange to have it written.

TRAVEL - Photo-heavy packages with longer texts (up to 1500-word narratives, but length will be dictated by subject) concentrating on the experience of visiting an area. Not necessarily first-person but should give details of a specific trip (or trips) by an identified visitor or visitors. Provide the how-tos (minimum includes directions and mileage from Las Vegas, accommodation information, a telephone number for further information, but most writers include restaurants, campgrounds, whatever writer considers useful to visitors)separately, in list form, for display as a sidebar. Include web addresses wherever possible. Sidebar does not count against word limit.

ADVENTURES - Off-beat or high-energy travel stories involving mountain climbing, pack-train travel, whitewater, hang-gliding, etc. at specific locations in this region. Should also meet "Travel" requirements above, but how-to-go box will lean toward campgrounds and climbing information, etc. for a more active reader. Up to 1200 words, plus sidebar.

SETTLEMENTS ­ Concentrates on some interesting community. Up to 1500 words, plus getting-there sidebar, for town with major attractions, perhaps 800 for a colorful backwater village.

EDUCATIONAL-SCIENTIFIC - Involves archaeology, biology, and other scientific subjects specific to our area. Word length 400-1,200.

HISTORY - Historical events in this region, which should lend themselves to thorough photo documentation. Length 600-1,200 words.

DIRT ROADS, BACK ROADS, AND COWPATHS - Routes off the beaten track to and through interesting places. Must be lawfully negotiable by motor vehicle but not necessarily a 2-wheel-drive sedan; you must specify the kind of vehicle needed and other necessary details, and include with your submission a good map or photocopy thereof, with the route marked on it. (We'll use it to draw our own map for publication.) Up to 1,000 words.

HIKES - Choice hikes, usually of one-day duration, in the region. Narratives of 500-800 words; photos will show the country's appearance. Put how-to details (directions, length of hike in hours and miles, difficulty, time of year to do it, etc.) in separate box for display as sidebar.

WILDLIFE ­ Short feature on some animal (or bird or fish or insect) of the region. Try to make it multi-dimensional; the most interesting aspect may not be its natural history but its importance in Indian lore, pioneer diet, or effect on its environment. About 800 words.

PERSONALITIES ­ Profiles of people uniquely associated with region. Have used an Arizona Strip rancher, operator of diner on Rt. 66, and ballerina who performs in Death Valley. About 800 words.

MAN VS. NATURE - A single, outstanding photo juxtaposing the presence of man with a spectacular and/or beautiful natural setting in our region. These photos will always be given full-page display. A caption is the only text required, but if there's an anecdote about how you got this picture, send it along and we'll try to use that also.

AROUND THE BEND ­Tidbits (100-400 words) about regional history, plants, artifacts, and outdoor lore.

PHOTO REQUIREMENTS

Photos must be of high professional quality and we prefer large-format transparencies. Black-and-white may be acceptable for historical pieces. We cannot work from color negatives or prints, or digital images, at this time. Stories and photos are often bought as a package. However, all categories of photos and stories are accepted separately with Cerca management assuming responsibility for arranging the other half of the package. But to appear in Cerca, every story should lend itself to outstanding photography.

SUBMISSIONS

Send queries to ad@cercamagazine.com or to A.D. Hopkins, editor, Cerca magazine, P.O. Box 1600, Las Vegas, NV 89125-1600. Please do not send photos or manuscripts until we have answered your query. Telephone queries okay in case of looming deadlines; (702) 383-0270.

QUERY EARLY FOR SEASONAL STORIES

Ideally, photos and stories are suitable to the season in which they appear, so contributors seeking assignments should submit queries and be prepared to cover the subject a year ahead of publication. This is why we tend to pay on acceptance for assigned work.

Cerca also buys many stock photos, as well as stories based upon the writer's earlier experiences. Cerca normally buys first North American Rights, and expects original work, but occasionally considers previously published material.

TERMS OF SALE

Terms of each sale are arranged individually.

In most cases contributors cover an assignment for a pre-arranged fee and work at their own pace. Rarely, Cerca agrees to pay day rate, $500 for photographers and $300 for writers. By prearrangement, Cerca pays reasonable expenses but requires documentation.

Cerca pays a fee agreed upon in advance taking into account the importance of the story and the perceived difficulty of doing it. We do not pay by the word; however, for purposes of comparison to other markets, that payment has usually worked out to 35-80 cents per published word.

Most photos are bought as a package but when the agreement is to pay space rate, those rates are:

TIMELY PAYMENT

On package deals where the amount owed is clear upon acceptance, we pay at that point. In cases where the amount owed depends on flexible factors such as number of photos we select or display we are able to give them, we will pay promptly on publication.