Grit Guidelines for Writers & Photographers

GRIT is a nationally distributed bi-monthly magazine with a circulation of approximately 150,000 through subscriptions and newsstand distribution. GRIT celebrates the intergenerational bonds among those who live on the land with spirit and style – a legacy of self-sufficiency, audacious ingenuity, and pragmatic problem-solving that gave this country its backbone and continues to shape its unique character.

DO NOT try to write for GRIT if you know nothing about rural life, gardening, or urban farming. We intend to be an authoritative and sometimes playful voice for rural lifestyle farmers and country or small-town dwellers, and we require our writers to be informed about that way of life.

NO unsolicited manuscripts will be accepted; authors must query first. We only accept email queries, which must include “Query” and the subject of your query in the subject line. Include full name, address and phone number. If a query is accepted, the author will be contacted regarding the article assignment. Send queries to Letters@Grit.com. Articles are assigned; no editorial calendar is published.

GRIT purchases shared rights, which grants the publisher the right to publish or republish the work in any form in any country, at any time. The author agrees not to publish the work in any other media for a period ending one year after the date of the issue in which the work initially appears. After this period, the author retains the right to republish the work in any form in any country at any time.

Submissions & Payment

GRIT publishes feature-length articles on topics of interest to those living in rural areas, on farms or ranches, or those interested in the rural lifestyle. Features generally range from 1,000 to 2,000 words. Departments and columns are usually 500 to 1,500 words. Good quality photos accompanying manuscripts are welcomed. To submit via email, include your full name, address, and telephone number, along with an attached Word document. Indicate article title in subject line. Send to Letters@Grit.com.

Payment is upon publication. GRIT assumes no responsibility for any material lost or damaged. Rates vary depending on experience and expertise. Fees are negotiated on an individual basis. Payment will include two contributor’s copies.

Freelance photographers are contacted via an email callout that lists specific topics for an issue. To be added to the callout list, email Letters@Grit.com.

A sample copy of GRIT is available upon written request; please send $6 to GRIT Editorial, Attn: Editorial Assistant, 1503 S.W. 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609.

GRIT History

German immigrant Dietrick Lamade set the type for GRIT’s first headline and designed its pages when the newspaper was first printed in December 1882 by the daily newspaper in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. A little more than a year later, the struggling edition looked ready to fold.

Lamade believed in the publication, put a group together, and purchased GRIT. The years that followed were a struggle, and many partners came and went. But Lamade was determined to succeed.

The turning point for GRIT came when Lamade coordinated a prize drawing that could only be entered through GRIT. The drawing introduced the newspaper to a larger audience, and circulation increased. He also introduced a news-carrier program, in which local youngsters sold GRIT door-to-door in their hometowns.

Since that December day in 1882, GRIT has seen many changes. The magazine is now owned by Ogden Publications, located in Topeka, Kansas, and is a rural-lifestyle magazine published six times a year and sold by subscription and on newsstands.

Despite the changes, GRIT’s philosophy hasn’t changed. We continue to strive to be America’s favorite rural lifestyle publication and to brighten our readers’ lives.

GRIT
1503 S.W. 42nd St.
Topeka, KS  66609
(785) 274-4300
Fax: (785) 274-4305
Subscribe: (866) 803-7096
Visit our Web site at www.Grit.com
Email us: Letters@Grit.com