Writer's Guidelines

For more than 27 years, Canadian Biker Magazine has offered a uniquely Canadian take on the sport and lifestyle of motorcycling. Published ten times a year, with offices in Victoria, British Columbia, Canadian Biker delivers experiential-style accounts of life on two wheels in our ten provinces and three territories. We try to serve all this up with a quirk and a twist because we believe that, above all, motorcycling is about having fun and enjoying life here in the greatest country on earth.

Though we place a high premium on the first-person open-road story, Canadian Biker is primarily about motorcycles themselves. To that end, an editorial staff of seasoned test riders and specialist editors evaluates all the important new bikes of the season and brings clear unbiased reports to the reader, whether their tastes lie in the sport or cruiser realms or somewhere in between. These we complement with personality profiles, event reportage, industry news and choice selections from Vintage, Off-Highway and Custom worlds.

Though we’re mandated to inform motorcycling Canadians as events unfold, our number one mission is to produce a crackling good read, supported by top-notch photography and high editorial standards.

A Word Regarding Freelance Submissions

Canadian Biker Magazine encourages freelance submissions, but we are not a training ground for amateur writers. We will consider queries only from writers with a strong publishing background or individuals recognized as experts in their field. New writers who can demonstrate a commitment to the craft through their attendance at workshops or formal training sessions will also merit consideration.

We actively discourage lengthy memoirs, pages of loosely connected travel journals, flowery philosophical prose or purple ramblings about the “ethereal joys” of motorcycling. Nor do we consider dry tech tips or “how-to” advice for entry-level riders because the majority of our readers are veterans of the open road and we do not believe in naïve preachments to the already converted. Writers of shop profiles, book, movie or artist reviews, blatant product endorsements, political rhetoric, rants, poetry and fiction must also find their markets elsewhere. Flawed logic, factual and grammatical errors, lack of style, self-aggrandizements and general bad writing are the classic traits of untrained writers or scribblers with zero respect for our readership. Hastily thrown together story pitches or those containing any of the preceding blemishes will not be indulged by editorial staff.

A Word Regarding Photography

A magazine, by its very definition, is an assemblage of parts, all equally vital. But no single element is more important than a crisp photo with story-telling qualities. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. If you intend to supply photos to support your manuscript, and you’re not a professional photographer, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

1. By far, our preference is for the digital format. (Prints seem almost quaint these days.) We’re looking for high-res captures taken by (minimum) 6-megapixel cameras.

2. A variety of perspectives result in the most compelling images. Try close-ups, mixed angles, vary your lenses, climb a tree and shoot down on subjects, anything at all that changes your viewpoint from the very boring flat, staid and rigid. We’re not looking for snapshots, but photos that have been composed with thought and originality.

3. Details, details, details. Shoot fence posts, signs, rusty cans, people’s faces, dogs, the corners of buildings, everything and anything at all. The greater variety of detail you can bring to your photo collection, the happier we’ll be.

4. Consider light. The very best times of the day to shoot happen before and after sunrise and sunset. This is when the world is bathed in a gorgeous low-angle light that infuses everything with a “golden glow” as we call it. It’s not always possible to shoot at those times, but it sure is desirable from our perspective.

5. Composition and light are supremely important, of course, but even more so is a photo’s “story-telling” quality. Can viewers take one look at the image you’re presenting and “get the picture” about what’s happening without being told? If they can, that’s a great shot.

What constitutes a good story?

1. To begin with, writers must demonstrate a close familiarity with Canadian Biker Magazine and a passion for motorcycling. They will have observed how the publication is comprised of various departments and feature items and will reference their pitch accordingly. This means that before they submit anything, they will have read RECENT issues of our magazine and absorbed the style and content.

2. Queries may arrive by email, courier or by Canada Post, but not via the fax machine or telephone. DO NOT send us your URL. Even if Giller Prize material does exist there, we will not make time to follow the link. Those who make unannounced drop-ins to our office will encounter a cranky editor who will most certainly turn a deaf ear to the most earnest pleas.

3. Ideally, a query is a five-paragraph document that serves as a substantial story outline, demonstrates the writer’s style, shows how the proposed story fits into the magazine and why it’s timely or pertinent for Canadian Biker subscribers. It will reside on a CD that contains 12-15 sample images or very strong suggestions regarding photo opportunities. This package will also contain a brief author bio and short samples of previously published work.

4. Queries will take into consideration that we place a huge premium on Canadian-based stories. We’re quite certain you have intriguing points to make about Daytona, Sturgis and the Bahamas, but we publish perhaps only one or two international pieces per year.

5. Queries often relate to events not yet unfolded, such as a planned road trip. But, it’s not enough to tell the editor in your query that your plans are, for example, to visit the Big Muddy Badlands in southern Saskatchewan and, boy, would that ever make a cool story! You must be far more precise about your intent, why the trip will make a good story and how you propose to write it. What will be the slant? Do you have sources for the colourful quote and can you bring a fresh perspective if your destination is well known?

6. We will consider an already written manuscript provided it is accompanied by a cover letter hitting the highlights mentioned in Item Three, above. The writing in manuscripts themselves must be tight. It will contain brisk transition points, specific detail, bold colour and timely quotes that serve to paint a picture of the speaker and add spice to the story. Specific detail is the most valued.

This is what we mean by specific detail:

“We rode east on the old Jones Road for five kilometres before encountering Richardson’s Saw Mill (est. 1847). My riding companion, Bob Richardson, said his great-great grandfather, a cabinetmaker trained in England, built the mill here on Finnegan’s Creek one year after he’d immigrated to Canada.”

As opposed to this:

“We went on for a bit longer until we got to this old place where Bob said someone in his family had once been.” Fascinating eh? But this is the sort of document we’re often asked to read.

Banalities must be avoided with prejudice:

“We stopped at this very nice café where my wife enjoyed hot soup while I had a delicious sandwich. We finished off our hearty meals with pie.” It goes without saying this type of writing makes us reach for the delete button.

7. A query is tailored to Canadian Biker. If your story has been previously published, we’re not interested. Nor should we be included on your multiple query list; we’ll consider it bad form if you’re sending a simultaneous query to another publication. Nor do we approve of the “shotgun” approach; one story idea at a time please.

8. Always include a SASE with your query or materials you wish returned, and allow three weeks for a response.

9. Feature-length stories (1,500 to 2,500 words, on average) need to be accompanied by two sidebars or sidebar possibilities. Shorter stories (500 to 700 words) will target specific departments i.e. Road Signs, Ride Canada etc.

10. All story queries and general questions regarding style and/or content must be directed to the editor.

Send your submissions to:

e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

s-mail: Canadian Biker Magazine 108 - 2220 Sooke Rd Victoria, BC V9B 0G9

Rates

Payments are negotiated with writers on the individual basis.

Usage Rights

Canadian Biker Magazine buys first print rights, and the right to mount both the story and related images to our website.

In Closing

1. All materials are subject to the editing process, which adheres to a modified Canadian Press style. Headline treatments, decks, cutlines and the reworking of your document to comply with our style are all part of the experience and we insist on the right to perform these functions. But your input is treated with respect and consideration.

2. Factual errors compromise the integrity of your manuscript and, when detected, will lead to the ultimate rejection of your piece. Bear in mind, Canadian Biker does not pay “kill fees,” so check and recheck the details you provide us.

3. The editor WILL NOT permit your sources to preview your story; simply too many complications arise from this practice.

4. Canadian Biker reserves the right to place your story in the issue it deems appropriate.

5. Deadlines must be considered immoveable.