Writers’ Guidelines

Thank you for your interest in writing for Black Ink Magazine. Black Ink Magazine is the only professional and business publication featuring stories and educational content designed to empower and unite professionals, entrepreneurs, associations and community organizations across Canada in a world of commerce. With a focus on and particular responsibility to black Canadians, Black Ink Magazine features news and information for black professionals in a wide variety of occupations including entrepreneurship, finance, law, health, entertainment, and executive coaching. Black Ink Magazine understands the value and role that diversity plays in the long-term success of corporate, business and social organizations, and is committed to making a unique contribution to the value of diversity for these organizations.

Our mission is to be a publication that creates the effects of: (i) educating its readership on current issues and trends in the business and professional community; (ii) empowering its readership by sharing tools and resources that will facilitate the achievement of their business and professional goals; (iii) inspiring its readership to define and achieve their business and professional visions; and (iv) facilitating its readership’s commitment to the creation and delivery of value in their respective realms of activity. We also aim to recognize outstanding black Canadians and to generate support from the community, to grow and shape young entrepreneurial and professional minds.

SPECS
Manuscripts can be anywhere from 500 to 1,000 words for print publication and 500 to 750 words for web publication, and should fit in to one of the sections listed below:

FEATURES

The heart of the magazine! it catches the eye of the public and sets the theme for the issue. This section spotlights a professional black Canadian who has an engaging story to tell. The feature will highlight which skills and talents this professional used to become successful in the world of business.

BUSINESS – Legal, Real Estate, Technology, Women in Business, Young Entrepreneurs

The business section gives our readers tools, tips and strategies on everyday business activities such as Marketing, Public Relations, Operations, Human Resources, Sales and Business Development. This section will be especially helpful to entrepreneurs and small or start-up business as they embark on the journey to create wealth and achieve independence.

The Canadian legal system is unique and it is very important to understand your rights in the business world. This section educates black Canadians about the Canadian legal system. The section also covers any legal issues that are important to the black community (tax law, corporate law, criminal law, family law, immigration law, etc.).

The current state of the Canadian real estate market has been negatively affected in this economy after record highs for the last few years. It is important to remember that real estate has consistently been creating wealth for many centuries. This section discusses investing in the Canadian real estate market and everything you need to know when getting into real estate in good and bad times.

Technology is the blood of today’s business world and it will become even more important in the future. The speed and ease of access to information and the ability to communicate with anyone, anywhere, anytime via the internet, smartphones and other gadgets have changed the rules of business. Here, the reader will be informed about the latest business-related technology.

Dedicated to the black Canadian businesswoman, this section showcases their skills, abilities, and talents while telling our readers their stories. This section also highlights the challenges that black women face in business in an effort to groom and prepare young professional women for the road ahead.

Young Entrepreneurs spotlights black Canadians under the age of 40 who are entrepreneurs or professionals (executives, lawyers, doctors, etc.). Readers learn what the younger generation of Black Canadians are achieving – an introduction to the future leaders of Canadian business.

COMMUNITY – Non-Profit, Inspiration, The Real McCoy, Green Business

The Community section looks at organizations and businesses which work for the greater good. Readers learn about black Canadians who are working to make the world a better place. This section is open to anything or anyone that inspires us to help others and give back.

The Real McCoy is a tribute to black Canadian business professionals from the past. They are the pioneers in the community who blazed the trails before us. This section educates the readers about black Canadians who have accomplished things in business that were ahead of their time.

Businesses are seeing the value of sustainability, going green and helping our planet. This section will help our readers discover, learn about and implement their own strategies for environmental sustainability.

EDUCATION

Canada has many high-quality colleges and universities that are known worldwide. Readers can find information in this section about these schools and what their students are achieving. They can also learn about scholarship opportunities, new programs and career paths.

ENTERTAINMENT – Music, Sports, Arts

The Canadian music industry continues to grow, and for black Canadians in the music business it has been a long journey to get to where they are today. The Music subsection shows readers the success stories of black Canadians in the music business.

Our Sports section focuses on stories in the business of sports, which is affected by the economy and other economic and social trends just like other types of businesses. Sports-based organizations need solid management to create a strong presence in the market place and generate revenue for owners and shareholders. Professionals in the business of sports include players, agents, physicians, lawyers and more. They have all focused their skills and talents while selling their brand.

In The Arts, we speak from a business perspective. Professionals in the Arts share their stories of success with our readers.

FINANCE

The finance section discusses money in all its forms (credit, debt, investments, etc.) whether positive or negative. The negative side is used only as an educational tool because it is important to learn from our mistakes. The positive side is the brain of the magazine; it teaches us how money works and how to take advantage of it. Although money is man-made, life can be easier with money than without.

LIFESTYLE - Health & Wellness, Fashion, Leisure

While we all know that eating properly and exercising improves our quality of life, black people have health and wellness issues that are different from other groups. For the black professional that is starting to take a closer look at individual health, the Health & wellness subsection provides information about living a healthy and wholesome lifestyle.

The Canadian fashion industry is alive and kicking and this subsection focuses on black Canadians in the business. This section will also feature trends in business fashion.

We all need to unwind from time to time. This subsection shows our readers the luxuries that can come with success and gives them a chance to use their imagination and treat themselves.

POLITICS

The politics section will talk about the political news and information that matters to Canadians, but it will also take a look at black Canadians in politics and how they have worked to make a difference in political arenas that extend into the community to help youth, businesses and various other causes.

WORLDWIDE

This section will feature news and information from black professionals around the world as well as black Canadians who have taken their professional abilities or their business beyond our Canadian borders, showing the world black Canadian talent and potential.

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE
We welcome original manuscripts by both published and new writers that appeal to Black Ink readers; however, we are also open to reprinting previously published work. The preferred procedure for submitting material is to send a query via e-mail to the Editorial Department at editorial@blackinkmagazine.com.

To propose an article, send an email or letter to the Editorial Department describing your subject matter, angle and illustration material. Images for the initial query can be low-resolution digital files or photocopies.

A writer’s contract must be signed by the writer and a representative of Black Ink Magazine before the assignment is confirmed. The mailing address for submissions is:

Editorial Department
Black Ink Magazine
1801-1 Yonge Street
Toronto Star Building
Toronto, ON M5E 1W7
Email: editorial@blackinkmagazine.com

DEADLINES
Black Ink Magazine is distributed quarterly. Deadlines for print and online submissions are as follows:

Print
Summer Issue: March 1
Fall Issue: June 1
Winter Issue: September 1
Spring Issue: December 1
Submissions are due two months prior to the issue deadline.

Online
Online content is updated monthly; the publishing deadline is at the end of each month. The query deadline for online submissions is one month prior to the publishing deadline.

GUIDELINES

Include an end-of-article About the Author byline. The byline should appear in italics and be no more than 3-4 lines long. The About the Author byline will appear at the end of the writer’s manuscript and will be separate from the byline under the headline.
Manuscripts should be factual rather than opinion-based.
Quote experts whenever possible.
Writers should be knowledgeable about their topics to allow us to provide credible information.
We do not publish manuscripts that have as their primary purpose the solicitation of funds.
We prefer tightly written manuscripts in the active voice and reserve the right to edit for clarity, grammar, punctuation, and space constraints.
All manuscripts should use Canadian spelling i.e. “honour” not “honor”

TEXT FORMATTING GUIDELINES

Submit manuscripts electronically as Word documents attached to an e-mail message, or send a hard copy via regular mail. Please provide photos. See photo guidelines for further information.
Use Times New Roman 12-point font, 1.5 spaced. All text should be left-justified.
Use one space (not two) between paragraphs, words and sentences, particularly after periods.
No space bar entries to start paragraphs. No extra lines between paragraphs. No special formatting, underlining, centering, or bolding. No page breaks, headers, footers, paginations, or style tags.
Unless you have more than five references, include them in the article text, instead of as footnotes at the end of the article. For example, write: “According to Cathie Black in Basic Black, communicating well with potential employers is critical in building a successful career.”
Add subheads to define sections. Use title (upper) case. No periods after subheads nor special formatting or indenting.
Omit periods in all-capital abbreviations unless the abbreviation is geographical or refers to a person. Also, when referring to a person by their first and last name for the first time in the article, it is customary to refer to them by last name only throughout the remainder of the article.

PUNCTUATION AND GRAMMAR

Use the active voice, not the passive voice. Write: “The student received an award” rather than “An award was received by the student.”
Avoid excessive use of the first person (“I”).
Enclose quotations in smart quotes (“ ”). Use straight quotes (?) only for units of measurement.
Use quotation marks only when quoting someone. Use italics rather than quotation marks to represent unspoken thoughts or interior dialogue. Example: “Drive faster,” she said. We’re too late, I thought.
Avoid run-on sentences.
En dashes vs. em dashes: Use the en dash where the phrase could be read by replacing the dash with the word “to” (e.g., April-June) or for an adjectival phrase that contains an open compound (e.g., post-Civil War). Use the em dash—which is most commonly used to break up an interrupted thought, sentence, or speech—in other situations that call for a dash. Do not insert a space on either side of the em dash (i.e. I went outside—despite the weather—to buy milk).

VARIOUS USAGE AND PUNCTUATION NOTES

Remember this distinction: “e.g.” means “exempli gratia” (“example given,” “for example”); and “i.e.” means “id est” (“that is,” “in other words”).
If you use leader dots (ellipses), set them off with a space before and after each dot, for a total of four spaces and three dots . . . like that. When a period appears at the end of a quote, use four dots. . . .”
Do not put a comma after the “and” in a series of three or more names or brief listings: Brian, Pat and Jim will thank you for that.
Periods and commas always go inside quotation marks: “You’ll see what we mean,” said the editor. The writer said, “Yes, I will.”
Question marks and exclamation points go outside the quotation marks when they are not part of the material being quoted. You’ll see what we mean. Do you understand what we meant by “You’ll see what we mean”?
Colons and semicolons that are not part of a quotation always go outside the quotation marks.
“Okay” is okay. “OK” is not okay.
“TV” is okay; “BBQ” is not okay (“barbecue” is).
Avoid unnecessary, superfluous, space-wasting adjectives. Employ strong verbs.
Avoid, where possible, the words “very” and “that.”
Avoid jargon and unnecessary technical terms.
Use contractions sparingly. For example, instead of “We’d prefer you didn’t say,” write “We would prefer you did not say.”

NOTE: Proofread your article carefully before submitting it to us. Incorrect spellings, especially of names and key terms, can call into question your understanding of the subject you are covering.

STYLE AND USAGE GUIDELINES

Use your word processor’s spell check and grammar check functions, but do not rely on them entirely. Again, be mindful of Canadian vs. American spelling.
Ethnicities should be lowercased, for example: black, white.
Use “website,” not “web site.” Use “email, not e-mail.” Internet addresses should begin with www.
Spell out the names of Canadian provinces and U.S. states in article text. Abbreviations are acceptable for photo captions, author biographies, and event listings. In these cases, use postal abbreviations for provinces and states. Example: use ON.
Do not use “their” to avoid a gendered pronoun, as in “The owner didn’t visit their veterinarian.” Use “his” when in doubt. Alternate with “her” as needed and if desired.
Use italics for emphasis (not bold or all caps).
Italicize the titles of books, magazines, television shows, movies, plays, albums, and other works. Put magazine and newsletter article titles in quotes, as well as song titles.
Brand names and medical terms: Try not to use brand names unless they are essential to the article. Use a generic term, like adhesive bandage instead of Band Aid® or antibiotic cream instead of Cortaid® or cotton-tipped applicator instead of Q-Tip®. If using a brand name, insert the trademark as appropriate (for example, ® or ™). For prescription medication, use the generic name in lower case. Disease names are also lower case.

NUMBER USAGE

Spell out numbers zero through ten. Eleven or above are numbers except at the beginning of sentences (such as this one).
Use figures, not words, for ages, as in “My son is 2 years old.” Fractions should also appear as figures. Use “My son is 2 ½ years old.”
Use numbers for units of measurement. Examples: “The four boxes weighed between 60 and 72 lbs. Cut a board to 8 ft 4 in. long.” Straight quotes are also acceptable to represent inches and feet. Do not use curly quotes as in 8” if you mean 8″.
Units of measurement may be abbreviated (lbs, oz, mg) without a period. Use a period to indicate inches. (The tail was 20 in. long.)
Spell out fractions smaller than one using hyphens. Example: three-fourths.
Use commas in numbers larger than 999. Example: 1,000, not 1000.
Use per cent, not %.

PHOTO GUIDELINES

Please supply sharp, well-exposed photos or slides taken with film-based cameras. Photos taken by standard film-based cameras are strongly preferred. Use a commercial photofinisher. We never publish (print or online) photos printed on a home printer. We do not accept unsolicited digital photos.
Use an address label on the back of the photo to identify the photo as yours. If you must write on the back, please use a fine point, permanent ink pen or affix a label and use a regular pen. Include the name of the individual(s) in the photo if necessary or a short description of the photo, your name, and your address.

Writers supply illustrations for their manuscripts. Photography is commissioned for special occasions only. Writers must obtain all permissions for the use of photographs or other images. Permissions fees will be reimbursed only with prior approval from Black Ink Magazine. We accept digital images only. Digital images must conform to the following minimum specifications:

300 dpi
TIFF, PDF or JPEG format
Please email the Creative department at creative@blackinkmagazine.com for instructions on sending large files. Images can also be sent on a CD. Please do not email large files.
Include a MS Word or PDF document of colour thumbnail images labelled with digital file names.
Include a MS Word document listing the image file names with caption information and photo credits for each image.

RETURN OF MATERIAL
Photos submitted to Black Ink Magazine cannot be returned. We cannot use Polaroid photos or low-resolution digital photos printed on most home printers. Although we appreciate and enjoy all the photos we receive, we cannot print them all. We will keep them for possible use in future issues.

PAYMENT
Black Ink Magazine is currently not offering monetary compensation. Instead, Black Ink Magazine provides writers with a byline and a copy of the issue in which their article appears. All regular contributors receive a subscription to the magazine.

FAQ’s
What types of stories should writers not submit?
Black Ink will not publish manuscripts that do not have a business or professional focus i.e. unsolicited fiction or manuscripts promoting particular religious movements.

NOTE: We strongly encourage prospective writers to study manuscripts on www.blackinkmagazine.com to get a feel for our tone, content selection and approach to subjects.

NOTE: We only accept submissions from writers who have read our guidelines. When submitting an article, it is very important that you indicate whether you have already reviewed these guidelines; otherwise, you will receive them automatically, and be asked to re-conform your article to meet them.

Do not send your article in hard copy only; we must have an electronic copy.

Black Ink assumes no responsibility or liability for acknowledgment or return of unsolicited manuscripts, including computer disks or other items included in a submission. All unsolicited manuscripts must be accompanied by a sufficiently stamped, self-addressed return envelope or they will not be returned.

If your article is accepted for publication, we will contact you within 3 weeks to let you know if your article has been accepted.

Will my article be edited?
All manuscripts submitted to Black Ink Magazine are subject to whatever editing or rewriting our editors deem necessary.

What about rights to my article?
Our policy is to accept manuscripts on an “all rights” basis. The fee paid for an article is a one-time fee. Black Ink reserves the unrestricted right, in perpetuity, to make use of material appearing in the pages of Black Ink, whether in part or in entirety, in other forms, including but not limited to: posting it on our websites, reprints, special compilations, and promotional materials.

Where can I get back issues of Black Ink?
Back issues can be purchased through our marketing department. Send an email to marketing@blackinkmagazine.com with your request. You can also find many of our past manuscripts on the Web at www.blackinkmagazine.com.

Thank you and we look forward to reading your stories!