Become a Contributor

by Holly | January 9, 2012 2:07 pm

We are looking for a few new authors and guest contributors. Read the guidelines below for more information.

Guidelines for Article Submissions and Guest Posts on A Martha Heart

A Martha Heart (AMH) is a unique website for the Christian woman. Our mission is to inspire and encourage women to spend time at Jesus’ feet, enjoy His presence every day, and make plans for their family and home in an intentional manner. We strive to provide Christian women with resources and practical advice on every aspect of our day-in, day-out lives, all the while focusing on Jesus and a(our) relationship with Him. Our goal is for all women to give every part of their heart and homes to Jesus.

Submissions

Are you interested in joining A Martha Heart‘s team? Whether you are looking to become a scheduled writer or wish to submit a one-time piece, we are always looking for writers who are talented, engaging, encouraging, inspirational, and have a passion for helping women with everyday life, while emphasizing the importance of a continually growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

Guidelines

In order for an article to be considered for publication on A Martha Heart, it must meet our guidelines.

Articles should be edited carefully for spelling, grammar and form; submissions should appear as you would like to see them published.
Articles must be original and exclusive to A Martha Heart. If an article is published anywhere else, whether electronically, in print, or otherwise, it will be rejected by the AMH editors immediately.
Submissions should be emailed to submissions@amarthaheart.com.
Please include the following with your article: first and last name, state or country where you reside, email address, social media profile links, URL of your blog or website (if applicable), and date of submission.
Articles must be between 750 and 1200 words.
Formatting must be set to Times New Roman, 12pt including before paragraphs, with a single return between paragraphs and a single space between sentences.
Do not indent or format your submission by using italics, bolding or underlining.
When submitting a Word document, all photos must be emailed separately or the article may be rejected in its entirety.

Please note that we only accept electronic submissions.

Both non-fiction and fiction articles as well as devotional-type articles will be considered.
Articles should appeal to a wide range and variety of Christian women.
Articles should be written from a personal perspective; they should be relevant and well researched. Remember AMH‘s audience. Write about what you know!
Scripture references are welcome but are not required.
Articles containing inflammatory words or references, or which denigrate any particular denomination of Christianity will not be accepted. Submissions should be carefully and lovingly crafted. AMH‘s mission is to be inspiring and encouraging. All submissions should fit AMH‘s mission.

Response

We make every effort to respond as quickly as possible. Please understand that it may take us a few weeks or up to a few months to reply. If you have submitted an article and we have not responded within six weeks, please feel free to contact us about the status of our decision.

Acceptance

If your submission is accepted by AMH, you will be notified by email. We will then let you know when your article will be published on our site.

We will need a short biography and a photograph of yourself which will accompany your article when published on AMH. These must be received within 5 days of article acceptance.
Ownership of the article remains with the author. However, once it is published on AMH an article will not be removed except by AMH‘s editors and only at their discretion.
You are advised not to republish an article elsewhere. Republishing decreases the authority and search rank of every site a duplicate post is published on.
We ask that you promote your article on your blog by posting a short enticing description containing a direct link to the proper URL on AMH.
Promote your article and AMH via social media like Twitter and Facebook.
Please engage and respond to readers in the comment section of your article on AMH.

Publishing

If your article is accepted for publishing on A Martha Heart, you will receive an email letting you know when the post is published.

We promote articles through social media such as Twitter and Facebook; we ask that you do the same. You should also promote your AMH article on your blog or website with a direct link to the proper URL.
Check the site several times to answer questions and/or respond to comments left on the post. Please reply to each comment separately.

Payment

Writers are not compensated for regular articles submitted to or published on A Martha Heart. Submissions are done on a voluntary basis only.

Rights

AMH reserves the right to:

edit articles for content, length or wording
change the title of an article if it doesn’t suit the content, as determined by AMH‘s editors
refuse any article at any time if it does not best serve AMH‘s audience and community
refuse to publish any article that contains inflammatory language, a judgmental attitude, is condescending, racially biased, or is in any way unsuitable for A Martha Heart

A Martha Heart appeals to readers of every country, nation, class and race.

We retain the right to editorial discretion when reviewing articles that have been submitted. This includes the right to change “slang,” wording and photographs, or to reject an article in its entirety.
Any article found to be plagiarism may result in legal action. Please make sure all of your sources are given proper credit. This is the responsibility of the author alone, and does not depend upon AMH‘s editorial staff.

Photographs

All photographs submitted for publishing with an article must be original.
Photos should be 600px (width) by 400px (height) or larger for horizontal orientation; 450px (width) by 500px (height) for vertical orientation.
Photos should be good quality, with a clean background and proper lighting.
AMH‘s editors reserve the right to refuse any photos that do not meet these standards.

By submitting your article, you agree to the following:

I certify that I am the author or sole owner of the article that I am submitting to A Martha Heart and its subsidiaries. I certify that I have given reference to any sources that may have been cited within the article. I certify that I have permission to use any copyrighted material within the article. I give permission to A Martha Heart and its subsidiaries to publish, display, edit, modify, and otherwise use the material for any purpose in any form and on any media. I understand that I am giving A Martha Heart non-exclusive rights to archive my article on the site for future readers for an indefinite amount of time. I understand that I do not lose rights to my work at any point in time but I do understand that I damage the rank and reputation of sites if duplicate posts are published on them.

We encourage you to pitch an article to the AMH editorial staff before writing it. We would love the opportunity to help you craft your article to fit our audience while retaining your voice and ideas.

If you would like to contribute an article for consideration, simply send your article to submissions@amarthaheart.com by the 5^th of each month. Any articles submitted after the deadline may be considered for future featured articles on our website, but will not be considered for the upcoming month.

A Martha Heart is always looking for submissions on the following topics:

Foyer ~ devotional-type articles relating to praising and worshiping God. The object is to focus on God and Jesus, not ourselves and our problems.

Family Room ~ focus on God-honoring, family-friendly and inclusive activities; movies, television, games, books, products and product reviews.

Kitchen ~ recipes, techniques, tips, gadgets, menus, shopping, bulk cooking, crock pot cooking, etc.

Office ~ organization related articles: time management, budgeting, couponing, home management, living simply.

Study ~ encouraging and inspiring articles, Bible study, devotionals, prayer, encouragement, journaling, cultivating a quiet and gentle spirit. Also includes teaching our children about God and grooming them for a lifetime of loving, living and learning.

Laundry Room ~ washing away of stains, both external and internal, focusing on the heart.

Closet ~ issues that we would like to keep out of sight: adultery, pornography, abuse, negative self-talk, destructive behaviors, lies. We try to cover them up, but God sees them and knows our heart.

Bedroom ~ intimate issues between married couples as well as the struggles with these kinds of issues faced by singles.

Dining Room ~ hospitality, family dinners, ways to entertain, ideas for successful family dinners as well as opening your home to others.

Backyard ~ the benefits of clean air, a little sunlight (vitamin D) and some exercise: healthy mind, body and spirit, nutrition, proper diet.

Powder Room ~ external beauty. While this is not something we should obsess over, our external appearance can make a difference, especially with our husbands! An appropriate, balanced view of one’s outer beauty points to the Creator.

Attic ~ articles relating to storing away treasures for future generations to enjoy: blessing your children/grandchildren, passing your faith on to your children/grandchildren, teaching future generations about the things that were important during your lifetime. Everything here is meant to bless and inspire those who come after us.

Front Porch ~ reaching out to your neighbors: another spot for hospitality, cultivating an atmosphere around the outside of your home that is inviting to neighbors and other who pass by. Imagine sitting on your front porch with an ice cold pitcher of lemonade, enjoying talking with your neighbors as you watch your children play with the other kids in the neighborhood. That’s the feel of articles listed under Front Porch.

Time Away ~ taking the time to recharge your batteries is important. Whether you take a family vacation, do a “stay-cation,” attend a women’s retreat, or just spend a few hours alone in your home with no distractions or other responsibilities, everyone needs time to unwind, relax, reconnect and marvel in God’s goodness. Possible topics include family-friendly vacations (preferably budget-friendly as well), stay-cations that are a hit with the whole family, the ins and outs of attending women’s retreats (there truly is an art to attending larger retreats without becoming overwhelmed), and even how to create a spa in your own bathroom.

Source URL: http://www.amarthaheart.com/become-a-contributor/