Submissions FAQ / Guidelines

This thread will attempt to answer the frequently asked questions about submissions to Wisp.

Feel free to add your questions here too.

What are the guidelines to submit?

Guidelines are quite flexible as you can see in the past issues.
We are interested to hear about what people have to genuinely share from their personal experiences or viewpoints, whether it is stories, artwork, essays, etc.

Our primary focus is on first-person accounts: what you have to share. But most of all, our intent is to publish something that people will be delighted to read and in which they can see the bright side of life, in all its shades.

Of course it means that usual guidelines apply (no plagiarism, preaching or discriminative work evidently)...

Can I submit articles which are not mine?

What we love at Wisp above all is creativity and new ideas. If you find an article or blog, or artwork which you think would look good in Wisp, don't hesitate to contact us and we'll contact the author directly.

Thank you for helping us grow!

How long can my article be?

In theory, there are no limits (as one might say, the subject dictates the length.) However, keep in mind that a reasonable length will make your article more attractive. If the subject allows, a serialization can be a good idea too (Past issues may give you an idea of what you feel is a good length for your subject.)
On a technical point of view, Wisp is published in a magazine format, which means the size of the font is smaller than what you would use on your screen (around 8 to 10pt). If you want a good idea of what size it will take, you can take 1,000 words = 1 full page as a gauge. Ideally, a one page article will be around 800 words...

What format should I send?

We can deal with most traditional formats (word, RTF, OpenOffice etc.)
Just make sure you send illustrations separate from the text.

Also, keep the formatting to a minimal as much as possible (bolds, italics, headers, etc.) If you have special needs to emphasize certain aspects of your article other than bolds and italics (placement of an illustration, special font etc.), be sure to mention them when you submit it.

What about my pictures?

We are glad to use your best pictures on a few conditions:

• you own the copyrights or it's an illustration on the public domain or similar license.

• it's of relatively good quality to be printed without compression artifacts (simply speaking, a digital photography with maximum resolution on most digital camera fits into those standards, and most pics snatched on any internet website will do poorly — for these, we may reserve the right to find an adequate replacement.)
  On a technical point of view, we need pictures that will print at a given size at a resolution no less than 200 dpi (ideally 300 dpi) — usually, regardless of the resolution, a picture at more than 2 Mpx (2000 px) should be ok.

Can I have a link to my website, a short bio etc.?

Short answer: yes.
Long answer: you can of course submit a (short) biography to go with your article/art etc. and links to your website(s), we'll do our best to integrate it. As links sometimes do not translate well on the printed version, we reserve the right to adapt it for a better impact, so to speak.
In any case, your links will be added on the website version.

What are the deadlines?

Wisp is tentatively a monthly ezine. Why tentatively? Because there are no absolutes and we believe that it doesn't serve to push an issue until it feels complete and ready, so to speak. So far, it has worked well, but it may change at any moment, which is the fun in doing it!
With this current setting, it means that Wisp is out roughly during the first week of a month, and last submissions may enter around the 1^st of said month. If you feel you have something and you may want a few more days, don't hesitate to contact us directly, and we'll make arrangements.

Will I earn anything from my submissions?

As much as we would like to, Wisp contributors are not paid for their fantastic contributions, and the small profits made on the books is exclusively used to cover the web hosting costs.
If you prefer, instead of thinking instant money, you can consider that  your efforts are very appreciated, and will earn you more coverage for your creations.

Who keeps the copyrights then?

You, as creator of your submissions will keep the copyrights of course. You remain the sole owner of your work, and are absolutely free to publish it elsewhere.
All we ask is your agreement for the publication in Wisp (web version, and possibly bound printed version) of your submitted work(s).

That is why it is important that you are the author and copyright holder of the works you submit. We want to credit them properly.

Can I help in any other manner?

There are certainly manners in which to be helpful. Your feedback for one is valued, and will help us improve the quality of Wisp.

You may also consider sharing the links with your friends, or with your social networks. And you can also participate in scouting new great content!

You can also join our small team of reviewers, to keep Wisp as typo free as possible.

And if you haven't done so already, you can also acquire the books; not only are they quite unique, but they'll also look great on your coffee table!