Contributors' guidelines

[All Contributors Welcome] [Payment] [Editing Policy] [Accuracy] [Republishing] [Protecting Your Work]

All Contributors Welcome

Irked Magazine is committed to the basic idea that people improve when they know someone is paying attention. We think people's lives can be made better by the sort of dignity that comes with publishing something for a mass audience. We believe that in each of us lies an artist, and that in each of us lies a story that is dying to be told.

We actively encourage submissions from people of all walks of life. We love working with guerrilla journalists, maverick educators, freelance liberators, imaginative emancipators, spontaneous editors, cultural engagers, pronto printers, bohemian librarians, oral historians, folkloric anthologists, drive-by publishers…

Whether you're handy with a pen or a paintbrush or a camera, whether it's written on the back of a matchbook or on personalized letterhead, whether you want a byline or anonymity—trust us…we're interested in your story.

Write about what propels you. Take photographs on your worst day. Make a documentary about how you are coping with the treacherous terrain that is your life.

Propose a project that will blow our minds…

Short, punchy, revealing, highly-emotional submissions are what we like best. (But then again, who doesn't?)

We won't publish boring, or condescending, or judgemental.

We will publish brave and humane, no matter how controversial. We will publish truths, no matter how stark.

And if you are serious about wanting to be published, we will publish…you.

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Payment

We at Irked are, currently, poor. This is to be expected, being new magazinists and all, but still it sucks. As such, unfortunately, we can't yet afford to pay our contributors very much money for their brilliance. This may seem unacceptable, but wait until we tell you what we have to say next:

Our full-time staff don't get paid anything at all!

That's right—believe it or not, Irked Magazine, currently a staff of three, is 100% volunteer-run.

We hope to change that, fast.

Soon, we hope to be able to provide our contributors (not to mention ourselves) with a living wage. For now, will you accept something like $0.02/word, $5 a pic, and something similar for a video? If you're published in our magazine, in addition to sub-human wages (!) you'll also be able to use Irked Magazine in your portfolios, and as a reference when you apply for other work.

For those who can afford to forfeit their wages, as unprofessional as it sounds, just until we get off our feet, we ask that you re-donate your salary back to Irked. As soon as we start making some dough, we promise to lift this silly request…

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Editing Policy

Irked Magazine reserves the right to edit contributions for size, clarity and accuracy, although much attention is paid to preserving the original tone, style and message of all submissions we publish. We prefer to work closely with artists, so we may have questions and might ask for revisions.

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Accuracy

If you are including facts, confirm them. If you're quoting someone, then “quote” them.

We require neither facts nor quotes. We are most interested in your story.

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Republishing

Go for it. We were hoping that getting published in Irked would give you the confidence to realize that you are a talented, fascinating individual. Shop your work around, see if anyone else is interested.

If you do get the opportunity to publish your work a second time, Irked Magazine would appreciate (though we don't require) being listed as the original publisher of the work (e.g. “This article was originally published in Irked Magazine in July of 2005”).

We encourage our talented freelancers to actively pursue their careers. Let us know how we can help.

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Protecting your work

At Irked, artists retain ownership of original work. Nothing in Irked may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher or original artist. Contact sacha@irkedmagazine.com for permission to reprint. Please note: Irked Magazine reserves the right to publish commissioned works on our website, in print, and in promotional material.

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