Writing for PyMag
PyMag is primarily a resource written by Python enthusiasts for Python enthusiasts. If you have a clever solution to an interesting problem, or knowledge in an area that helps you build better Python applications, chances are that there are many other developers out there who will want to hear what you have to say.
The first step towards becoming an author is to submit one or more article ideas to our editorial department. We are always looking for new authors, and welcome all submissions—even if you have never written for a magazine before.
Author Mailing List
Interested authors should also subscribe to the authors mailing list—a moderated, low-traffic mailing list used to make calls for articles, requests for reviews, etc. To join, simply send a blank email to the list system.
What We Are Looking For
PyMag is designed to cater to a technical crowd and, therefore, the articles that we publish tend to provide in-depth coverage of a very specific topic. We like to publish a mix of theoretical and practical pieces, with articles that offer a mix of both being our favourite. Normally, we do not publish generalist articles, but we are interested in well-written beginner pieces if they focus on a particular topic.We broadly divide articles in three categories:
- Features are an average of at least 4,000 words in length and feature prominently in our magazine. These are our preferred pieces for one-time topics, as they give us the opportunity to provide the kind of in-depth coverage that our readers want
- Sidebars are shorter, 2,000-word-long articles that we will sometimes publish to provide additional coverage on a specific topic. For example, if an issue focuses on XML, we may want to publish a sidebar on, say, XHTML generation and parsing.
- Reviews are, as their name subtly implies, reviews of products—books, software, and so on—that are relevant to the Python world.
Please note: reviews that appear in PyMag must be written by a third party that is not connected to or sponsored in any way by the company that produces the product being reviewed. If you would like to see your product reviewed in PyMag, please contact our editorial staff and they will assign the review to one of our authors.
Do Articles Have To Be About Python?
The fact that PyMag is a Python magazine doesn't mean that all our articles need to be about Python—but it certainly does mean that they have to be connected to it. After all, software development doesn't happen in a vacuum, and Python developers are likely to write code that needs to interoperate with other languages and rely on other technologies to function properly.Thus, for example, we are unlikely to write an article about .Net—but we probably would be interested in an article about allowing Python to communicate with .Net applications.
How Our Editorial Process Works
Being writers ourselves, we value our authors' time. Our editorial process is geared towards ensuring that you can dedicate yourself as much as possible to your primary task: writing. With the exception of some preliminaries and a few revisions, our editorial process is entirely transparent to our authors: all you need to worry about is coming up with great ideas, get them in a text file, and send them to us—we'll do the rest and come back to you with a galley to ensure that we haven't introduced any mistakes, as well as with payment once the articles have been published.
Here's a step-by-step overview of the path that an article takes from inception to publication:
- The author makes a proposal to our editors
- The editors may approve the idea right away, or (more likely) come back with a few question and help the author refine it
- Once an idea has been approved, the editors and the author decide on a deadline, and a contract is issued
- The author writes the article, and turns it in
- At this point, a tech editor goes over the article to ensure that it is technically sound. If there are any areas of concern, the tech editor discusses them with the author
- From the tech editor, the article is handed over to an editor, who makes sure that grammar and orthography are top-notch
- Next, the article is passed on to our layout department, where it is composed and laid out in the final form that will appear in print (or in PDF)
- Finally, PDF galleys are produced and sent back to the author (time permitting) for one last check to make sure everything is fine
Submission Format
You can discuss your submission format with your editor once your article has been approved for production. In general, however, you do not need to worry about any special requirements: our authors submit their articles using nothing more than simple text files.The format we use is designed to ensure that your work goes through as few hands as possible before being laid out on paper—thus minimizing the chance that errors will be introduced accidentally during production.
Where To Go From Here
If you have a great idea, we want to hear from you!
Your next step should be to send an e-mail to our editorial department. Provide a brief description of your idea, and a synopsis of your article (or articles). There is no need to submit a complete article—in fact, it's best to discuss your ideas with our editors first to give them an opportunity for some feedback early on.
Thank you for your interest in writing for us, and good luck!