What is REPTILES? Who reads it? REPTILES is a monthly magazine that caters to reptile and amphibian hobbyists. It covers a wide variety of reptile and amphibian-related topics, including captive care, field herping and herpetocultural trends. REPTILES also has an annual sister publication titled Reptiles USA, which is geared toward beginning herp enthusiasts.
Advice for “reptile people.” Please query us first via e-mail at reptiles@bowtieinc.com. Be sure to give us an idea of your herp background. If you have some experience with the animals you wish to write about, or a particular type of setup, that’s the best place to start. Long-term success with keeping reptiles and/or amphibians is great, and a track record of successful breeding is even better. This type of experience is much preferred over an author who simply scans a book or does some brief research on the Internet before churning out an article.
Advice for freelance writers. Submissions from freelance writers are welcome, though we ask that you query first at the e-mail address listed above.
Articles that interest us:
Husbandry — Husbandry articles about a particular species of herp, or family of herps, should contain a bit of natural history as well as detailed care and husbandry of the animal(s) in captivity. Include info about tank size, food, temperature, tank setup, potential cagemates, temperament, lighting, potential life span, etc.
Breeding — Include information about how and when to brumate, courtship, gestation lengths, nesting, incubation, hatchling care, etc.
Field herping/travel — Articles about domestic and foreign herp-hunting trips should include a sidebar that outlines travel information, such as how to get there; other attractions; where to stay and eat, if applicable; etc.
Interviews — Q&A-style articles with “name” people and personalities in the reptile world.
Latest trends — New developments in the hobby, i.e. new morphs, new husbandry techniques, etc.
How-to’s/tips — Step-by-step how-to’s and specific advice on setups, keeping, lighting, feeding, handling, etc.
Health — Articles about disease are typically assigned to our veterinarian authors, but if you’re a vet with expertise in treating herps, you are welcome to send health-related articles.
All freelance submissions are sent “on spec.” This means “on speculation,” which translates as, “You send, we read, we either accept or we don’t.” We’re under no obligation to accept your article. Even if you query first and we tell you to go ahead and write the article, the submission will still be on spec. Our telling you to go ahead with your article idea does not guarantee acceptance once we receive it. It may be a while (few weeks to a month… maybe even longer) before you hear back from us. Please be patient. Contacting us once to make sure we received your materials is fine.
General comments about writing style. Articles should be easy for beginner hobbyists to understand. For the most part, we prefer a somewhat folksy tone to our articles, and some humor is always great, of course. Break the text up using subheads for specific sections. Of course, anything that appears in the magazines is subject to editing by our staff.
Show some pizzazz in your opening comments. Avoid beginning your article with a comment such as, “The Uromastyx lizards have grown tremendously in popularity.” We know that. Jazz up your opening comments, and grab the reader immediately.
Regarding references: It is fine to send us a list of references, and you should because we sometimes use them to fact check information in articles. But you should not expect a lengthy list of references to appear at the end of your article. While we may run a short references list on occasion, we don’t have the room or the inclination to run an exhaustive references section. References may appeal to some of our readers, but if the references are out of print, obscure papers or foreign publications that our readers cannot get hold of, they are of little use. Occasionally, if an article really warrants a lengthy list of references, we may decide to list them on our website, and reference that in the article. But for the most part, we are not trying to present technical papers or dissertations that need a large reference backup.
Regarding charts and diagrams: These should be used sparingly. If you send a chart or diagram that you did not create yourself, you need to let us know the source. We cannot simply reprint one that has already appeared elsewhere. Detailed charts with a mind-numbing glut of figures typically turn off our readers, so keep charts to a minimum, please. Include them only if their information cannot be condensed and included in the article proper.
Regarding acknowledgments: Even though it’s a nice gesture, we prefer that you thank the people who helped you with your article in person or with a personal letter, not in print. Acknowledgments are nice for those receiving them, but they have zero benefit for our readers and take up valuable space that could otherwise be used for text/photos.
Biographical information: If you send us a short bio (one or two sentences), we will include that with your article, if accepted for publication. Please include a bio with your submission.
We do not accept poetry or fiction.
Mailing and submitting: When mailing us materials that you want back, such as articles, computer disks or photos, be sure to provide a self-addressed, stamped envelope with sufficient postage to cover their return in case we choose not to keep them (or for return after we’re done using them). You can e-mail articles to us as text-only attachments. You can also send articles using regular mail; please include a hard copy, as well as an electronic copy on a disk.
Got photos to go with your article? Many of our writers supply their own photos, and you can, too. Be forewarned, however: Even though you send photos specifically for your articles, we may still use other photographers’ photos to illustrate your article. As for format, we prefer 35mm slides. Good-quality prints can work, too, but slides are best. As for digital photos, they must be sized at least 5x7 inches at 300 dpi, tif, jpg or eps formats. See our photographer guidelines for more information.
Contracts: If we like your article, we will send you a contract telling you we want to purchase it for potential future use in the magazine. You’ll need to sign the contract and return a copy to us before we can use the article. It is unlikely that we will be able to tell you exactly when the article will appear in the magazine. You will be provided two contributor copies upon publication.
Pay rates. Prices can vary, depending on length, level of technicality, if the article is assigned and excellent photos are provided. We generally pay about $500 for a 2,000- to 2,500-word article with good photos; less for shorter pieces. We do not pay for Table of Contents photos or cover insets if they appear elsewhere in the magazine. Payment is made upon publication, during the cover month of the issue in which your work appears (e.g., you will be paid in May for an article that appears in the May issue).
What rights do we purchase? We primarily buy first-time North American rights. Online use, licensing options and foreign language rights are covered in our article contracts. Do not send articles that have been published elsewhere. We also do not accept simultaneous submissions.
Where to send your stuff. Our mailing address is REPTILES, P.O. Box 6050, Mission Viejo, CA 92690. E-mail can be sent to reptiles@bowtieinc.com. If you have further questions, phone us at (949) 855-8822.
We make every effort to handle materials with the utmost care and respect. However, we cannot be held responsible for lost or damaged materials.