Author's Guidelines

Selvedge is an independent, 100-page full colour magazine published six times a year. The magazine is image led and has an uncompromising design.

Directed towards an international audience, Selvedge covers fine textiles in every context with illustrated features on fine art, fashion, interiors, ethnographic textiles, important collections, travel and shopping. The latest book reviews, exhibitions and comprehensive listings feature in every issue. The magazine provides a wide-ranging, unbiased and critical overview of the textile world.

The Selvedge readership is composed of all those who claim textiles as their first love, not simply makers and academics. They include professional artists, textile students, collectors, fashion and interior designers, museum curators and gallery owners. Selvedge is also aimed at an audience beyond those with an established interest in textiles. Discerning consumers are amongst our readers. Intelligent and curious they use Selvedge to learn about the history, techniques, artists and designers that made the items that furnish their lives.

We aim to provide a publication which reflects the creative lifestyle and tastes of this group without isolating or restricting readers. The magazine serves as a link to many other areas of interest, inspiration and knowledge.

Commissioning

Decisions relating to commissioning are based primarily on the quality of the images submitted. Selvedge is an image-led magazine and no writing however good can justify inclusion unless accompanied by extremely high quality images.

When submitting a proposal please send slides or digital files (300dpi jpeg or tiff files) that illustrate the subject, along with a 1-page outline and a prose synopsis of the article. Please do not send original slides or transparencies with speculative proposals as materials will not be returned. If the proposal is of interest, the editor will contact you to arrange specifics such as word length, angle and to schedule the article's appearance. Selvedge does not provide payment for unsolicited articles but is happy to publish new material that may be of interest to our readers.

Copy deadlines are final and are as follows:

15 th September	January issue
15 th November	March issue
15 th January	May issue
15 th March	July issue
15 th May	September issue
15 th July	November issue

Please adhere to the following conventions when preparing articles and reviews.

1. Text must be supplied as an unformatted word document. Please send copy on a CD or as an e-mail attachment. Send a hard copy of the article and permission to publish forms, 1 for each image sent, by post. If you are unable to send the article on disk or by email, please contact the editorial office. The number of words should be as commissioned. Please do not exceed this number without prior agreement with the editor.
   
2. Publication-quality transparencies, 35-mm slides or 300 dpi tiffs must accompany each article. They should be named and numbered with a red dot on the bottom left hand corner. Please send plastic mounted slides in a plastic sleeve, not a box. While every effort will be made to return slides and transparencies after publication original material should not be sent. Selvedge cannot be held responsible for lost or damaged materials. CDs will not be returned.
   
3. Please supply an informal yet stylish photograph of yourself, which may be printed in our contributor’s section. Please include details about forthcoming books or exhibitions you wish to be publicised.
   
4. Please send the text, slides or CD in a strengthened envelope by recorded delivery or registered post. While every care will be taken with the material submitted, we cannot accept liability.
   
5. Your article should reach the editor by the deadline stated on the contract. Any delay will result in your article not appearing in the agreed issue and may result in it not appearing at all.
   
6. Our editing philosophy is to preserve the author's voice, while monitoring clarity, grammar, usage, etc. The editor reserves the right to edit your material as necessary to fit the style, format or other requirements of Selvedge magazine.
   
7. Tear sheets of your article and payment will be sent to you and your transparencies returned following publication.
   
8. Articles are accepted by Selvedge on the basis of First British Serial Rights. The author warrants that the same or similar material has not been sent to another publication.
   
9. Selvedge pays a discretionary honorarium for commissioned articles at a rate of £10 per 100 words printed unless otherwise stated. This should be settled with the Editor before publication. Selvedge does not pay a drop fee and acceptance of an article is not a guarantee of publication. Payment will be provided on publication for the printed word count.
10. No payment of any kind will be provided for articles that promote or publicise a book, product or a public event in which the author has been involved or has a commercial interest.
11. Selvedge does not commission photography or pay photographers expenses. We are happy to review existing stories and buy images at a standard rate of £100 per page.

Book Review Guidelines

Please supply the following information:

• Title
• Subtitle (if any)
• Author(s) or Editor(s)
• ISBN No -
• Publisher
• Price
• Any other information (e.g. of supplier)
• Review Length- As specified
• Reviewer's name

Reviewers are entitled to keep the book as payment. The content of your review should not be disclosed to anyone without the prior permission of the editor.

Exhibition Review Guidelines

Please supply the following information:

• Title
• Venue
• Dates
• Complete Tour Schedule
• Review length– As specified
• Please send a copy of any exhibition catalogue.

You should provide a summary of the overall quality, significance, focus and context of the exhibition, and then evaluate selected pieces. The format of our exhibition reviews means we are able to illustrate a maximum of works from an exhibition. Not all work deserves praise; honest and thought-provoking criticism is part of the Selvedge ethos. Bear in mind that Selvedge has an international readership. A 'who's who' approach (a list of artists' names, tiles of work, and short descriptive phrases) is inappropriate. Similarly a list of award winners has little value. Reviews cannot be accepted where individuals have participated as an artist, organiser, curator, juror or contributed to the catalogue.

Please contact the press office to obtain publication quality slides (35 mm) or arrange for digital images to be e-mailed (300 dpi tiffs) of all the work cited in the review. Please submit an invoice for agreed travelling expenses and receipts with your review. The content of your review should not be disclosed to anyone without the prior permission of the editor.

Feature Articles

Feature articles in Selvedge reflect the diversity of the field. The magazine welcomes challenging, informed and well written articles that have a genuine link to textiles. Very general themes should be avoided. Profile pieces on individuals, groups and companies are acceptable but must be written independently. Travel pieces should be discussed with the editor before undertaking a journey and arrangements made regarding photography and style. Selvedge is not an academic journal and material should be presented with an informal but intelligent tone. The maximum word count for any article is 2,500.

Shorts

One-page short articles, news items and column ideas are welcome. The maximum length of these pieces is 350 words.

All written material must be accompanied publication quality images, a 35 mm slide or 300 dpi tiff. The editor does not encourage individuals to write about their own work but is happy to view slides and consider commissioning an article. Please submit a minimum of 12 slides and an artist’s statement.