Guidelines for Writers

The Ozarks Mountaineer publishes factual articles about the hill country and highlands between the Mississippi River and the lakes country of eastern Oklahoma, bounded on the south by the Arkansas River and on the north by the Missouri River. Subjects of interest include, but are not limited to, personalities, crafts and crafts people, our environment, architecture, geography, historical and current events in the region and humor. We do not usually use fiction or fictionalized fact.

If you intend to submit manuscripts to The Ozarks Mountaineer, it is strongly urged that you become familiar with our magazine before submission. Our readership is nationwide, but our slant is exclusively Ozarks. Our outlook is friendly. We receive a great quantity of stories that relate little more than warm memories. We have far more of these than we can use and would prefer that writers avoid such pieces. Historically factual recountings are much more desirable.

Manuscripts should be 200-1500 words, as shorter pieces have a much greater chance of being used than long ones. Manuscripts should be typed and double-spaced, with one-inch margins all around.

A self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) should be included with submission so that we may promptly return your information after use. Computer disks or e-mail submissions of text are also accepted and are actually preferred.

NOTE: We would like to have permission to use your story or image in our magazine and/or on our website. Please complete the Permission Form and send it with your information.

Do not expect particularly prompt replies. Our staff is limited and our decision-making process is quite involved. The longer we have your work on file, the better the chance we intend to use it. Telephone inquiries about submissions are discouraged, but should be made directly to the editor, Fred R. Pfister, at (417) 336-2665. Send mail inquiries to The Ozarks Mountaineer at 1335 W. Hwy. 76, Ste. S, Branson, MO 65616. Please indicate any urgency for response in a cover letter. Send e-mail inquiries, our preferred method of dealing with writers, to .

Illustrative photographs or drawings are important to all feature articles. Either black and white or color photos or slides are acceptable. Always provide captions with your photos. Photos and/or drawings accompanying manuscripts will be returned in your SASE following printing or upon rejection. It is your responsibility to include proper cardboard protection to prevent damage. Digital images on cd as jpg or tiff files or sent via e-mail are also acceptable and are preferred.

The Ozarks Mountaineer is published 6 times a year. The majority of the magazine’s content comes from our subscribers and from freelance writers. We buy first rights, and Internet posting rights for our website. Our payment is modest. Payment is increased for assigned stories or if there are unusual expenses incurred for a feature. Likewise, payment is decreased if we have to commission an illustration or find illustrative materials for submitted writings; if a great deal of editing/re-writing needs to be done before the feature is useable; or if a SASE is not included for return of manuscript and materials.

Book reviews are done on assignment to our regular contributors. There is no payment for poetry (but we do provide contributor copies) or letters to the editor.

Mountaineer Deadlines

Since our features are “more timeless than timely,” deadlines are not that important, but we do plan issues months in advance. Materials that are timely or relate to seasonal events should be in our hands at least four months ahead of time, preferably five or six months. If a topic really is timely, query by letter or e-mail for an assignment. If you feel you have one of these circumstances, please call and inquire. You can always ask for a copy of the planned “editorial schedule” of materials and deadlines.
We encourage submission on disk or cd or by e-mail to the editor at .
Always include a phone number and your e-mail address on your postal correspondence, and your postal address and phone number in e-mail communications.

Our Enduring Nature

The Ozarks Mountaineer has “lengthy readability”; our features are “more timeless than timely.” Subscribers often keep issues for years, much like many keep Smithsonian or National Geographic. It is a magazine that’s read, treasured, and preserved. Surveys indicate there are six to eight readers for each copy, Many historical societies and libraries subscribe for their reference sections, and our magazine is a major source for researchers and scholars for information about the Ozarks. Readers and collectors of Ozarkiana vie for collections of back issues at estate and garage sales and on e-Bay.

More About The Ozarks Mountaineer

For more information about The Ozarks Mountaineer, or for subscription or advertising information, call (866) 784-9444. Or, visit other areas of our site, www.ozarksmountaineer.com.

A sample issue, with writers’ guidelines, is available by sending a check for $5 to The Ozarks Mountaineer, 1335 W. Hwy. 76, Ste. S, Branson, MO 65616