Content: Educational and how-to strategy oriented. Promotional material deemed to be an advertisement for a particular product will be rejected. Query first to see if the topic is of interest.
Writing style: In general, do not write in the first person (“I”, “my” etc.). Do not try to get too cute with your prose but also don’t be too dry – an anecdote may be the best way to pull readers into an article or to explain something. Avoid self-serving “fluff.”
Layout: Don’t “lay out” your copy in any way – don’t create columns or fancy subject headings, etc. – and don’t try to determine how many pages your article will be. Leave the layout to us.
Technical matter: Full disclosure of any indicators integral to the technique discussed is required for all Trading Technique articles. If the indicator is not important to the discussion (for example, the article is really about money management or risk control after the trade is put on), then there may be some leniency in requiring full disclosure, but the method still would have to be discussed in sufficient detail so the reader could understand why the trade was being made.
Lead time: Articles should arrive three months ahead of the target issue date – July for the October issue, for example – to be considered for that issue; in some cases, an agreement may be made to deliver copy later but no later than the 10th of the second month before the issue date – for example, Aug. 10 for the October issue. Missed deadlines after an article has been scheduled and promoted will severely jeopardize future opportunities for your articles to appear in Futures.
Preferred text: Electronic Word file sent via e-mail to dcollins@futuresmag.com. Tables can be in Excel (preferred) or Word and also sent as an e-mail attachment. Excel, ELA or EFS files should be complete and ready to put on the Futures web site if they are integral to the article and can be downloaded by the reader.
Length: 1,200-2,000 words, depending on graphic or sidebar items or as negotiated.
Sidebars: Desirable if some items can be isolated into a box of 200-400 words. Unless mathematical formulas comprise the whole article, formulas should be separated into a sidebar so that the reader can read only the main article without interruptions by formulas or can look to the sidebar to study the formulas.
Bio: Brief description of 2-6 lines focusing on your current information and expertise for writing the article; include e-mail or web site contact information.
Graphics: Diagrams or charts are desirable in every article and are often worth a thousand words to portray an idea. However, don’t go overboard on charts – they all take up space – and don’t clutter up a chart with too many elements. Make a point or two on a chart and make it clearly. Charts generally should be recent examples.
Almost any electronic graphic file is okay if the image is large enough – gif, tif, bmp, jpg, even Word or Excel. Charts should have a white background with dark type for bars and price/time axis scales – no black or dark backgrounds. Be sure any letters, trendlines, arrows, etc. are large so they will show up when the chart size is reduced for the magazine page.
In many cases, charts may be reconstructed for design reasons. For hand-drawn or non-computer generated images, high-definition original prints (not faxes or low-quality copies) should be submitted with your article. If you have any questions about providing graphics, contact us before taking time to produce something that may not work.
Editing process: This may involve two stages: (1) If significant changes are necessary, you will receive an initial edit of your article with any questions we may have. Because of space or other reasons, certain sections may be significantly altered; it is up to you to make sure the information in the article is accurate and reflects your original ideas. If your changes are small, you can call them in. If not, fax or e-mail us your changes/additions – boldface, underline or otherwise highlight all your changes so we don’t miss them. Don’t be shy with your changes or in telling us that we screwed something up. It’s your name that will appear on the article.
(2) You may receive a second edit of your article, laid out as it will appear in the magazine, preferably via fax. This is your last chance to make changes or check to see that all changes on the first draft were made. Double-check everything. It is extremely important to look carefully at any charts, graphics and formulas. Make sure the scales on the charts are accurate; make sure an exponent hasn’t been dropped from an equation, etc. Typos do occur in the layout process, as the art staff must retype some data onto the designed page. Just because something was correct in the previous draft doesn’t mean it is now. The reason we go through a multi-layered editorial process is to catch these errors. If you breeze over your article, you’ll be the one to suffer if something isn’t the way you want it.
Unless we tell you otherwise, if you receive an edit of an article in the morning, we expect your corrections the same day. If you receive the edit in the afternoon, we expect your response the following morning. If you have some kind of scheduling problem or emergency, tell us immediately. We operate on strict deadlines with our printers: One delayed article can hold up a whole section and cost us a great deal of money.
Submission terms and payment: Covered in the contract for each article, which must be signed before the article can appear. Basically, the article should be your original work and should not have been published or submitted anywhere else. Ask for a copy of the contract if you have any questions. Your submission should include all information on how to reach you – postal address, phone number, fax number (important if you want to see layout), e-mail address.
Contact info:
Daniel P. Collins, dcollins@futuresmag.com, (312) 846-4617