So You Enjoy Writing About Motorcycles . . .

Since our first issue, in January 1989, over 400 different individuals - including regular riders, shop owners, mechanics, distributor reps, racers, and other motorcycle enthusiasts - have written stories, taken photos, drawn illustrations, penned poems, and created cartoons for the MOTORCYCLE TIMES. Other than the editor and the managing editor, every contributor to the MOTORCYCLE TIMES is a freelance writer or artist.

If you have something to contribute about motorcycling, we would love to hear from you.

Writer Guidelines

We prefer stories to be sent by email or on a PC-formatted disc. .TXT (ASCII) files are best, since we can always open them. (Besides, all we need are your words, not your caps, fonts, indents, etc.) If you are snail-mailing your manuscript, it should be typed clearly enough for us to electronically scan it in. We will spell-check and edit all submissions. If we have time, and you so desire, we will try to return copy to you for a “final edit.” Of course, we reserve the right to make editorial changes as we see fit.

Since a bi-monthly like the MOTORCYCLE TIMES cannot be a “news” paper, non-time-sensitive topics are best. Articles that relate directly to Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia or West Virginia are given preference. We especially appreciate “Beguiling Byways” (nice roads or routes), “Club Profiles,” “Hangouts” (motorcycle-friendly restaurants, taverns and inns), and “Things That Work” (accessory evaluations). Always run an idea by us first, in case it has been or is being done by someone else. New issue release dates are on or about the 1st of January, March, May, July, September and November. Time-sensitive manuscripts, for instance, “Event Previews” about upcoming events (which, since they often have an advertising/publicity purpose, we don’t always pay for), should arrive at least a month before the release date.

We pay for first rights (including the right to reprint the story in our online “Story Archive”), meaning you are free to resell your article. We do need to know if articles have been previously published, or if you are also offering them to publications other than the MOTORCYCLE TIMES. We do not reprint articles that have previously been published by competing regional motorcycle publications.

Because we try our best to live up to our motto of “Giving Voice to the Motorcycling Community,” we often publish stories which, frankly, needed a LOT of editing. For that reason, our rate scale starts at: first 500 words, $.05 per word; second 500, $.03; third 500, $.02; over 1,500, $.01 per word (example: for 800 words, we pay $34.00 - $25 + $9). The decreasing scale is intended to encourage short articles (we like stories to fit on one or two pages of the magazine). No “regional” can pay as well as the national glossy magazines, of course, but writing for the MOTORCYCLE TIMES can be rewarding in other ways. For example, we mail complimentary copies to many major motorcycle mags, so our contributors are quite widely read - in fact, several people who first wrote for us now regularly contribute to the nationals. We can also put contributors in touch with non-competing regional publications, where they might be able to resell their articles. Each contributor also receives a one-year subscription dating from their last published article. Payment is made upon publication.

Photo & Illustration Guidelines

The MOTORCYCLE TIMES is admittedly word-heavy, but we really do like photos! If you want to snail-mail us photos, that’s fine. We need prints, not slides. We will scan them in at 300dpi, then return them to you. If you email the shots, save them as either TIF, BMP or JPG files and attach them to the email. JPG files are smaller and therefore easier to email, but sometimes the quality suffers. We will let you know if we need a better quality image. It is a good idea to send an email first letting us know that the mail with the photo attachment is coming next. Color photos are best - we can always make them black and white, but not vice versa!

We pay varying amounts for photos. The least we would pay is $4.00 for what is obviously just a snapshot. If it’s clear that a certain amount of effort went into the shot, we will pay more. Cover photos are worth a minimum of $20.00.

We also pay for illustrations, maps, cartoons, etc. Before expending your creative energies, check with us to see if we can use your artwork. Pay rates will vary, but we can give you a minimum figure when you Contact Us.