Writers’ Guidelines:
Better Health is a bimonthly health and wellness magazine that offers its 500,000 readers perceptive articles on health, medicine, fitness, nutrition and personal well-being. Our aim is to help people live smarter, longer and make better-informed healthcare decisions. The magazine is published by the Hospital of Saint Raphael in New Haven, Conn. Although it has subscribers in all 50 states and parts of Canada, its primary circulation area is Southern Connecticut. Thus, Connecticut health professionals and people are featured along with national experts in all our stories. Established in 1979, Better Health is always looking for exceptional writers who accept nothing but the best from themselves and the publications they work for.
Please observe the following guidelines, so you can be considered seriously for publication:
1. Always query in writing. Never submit a finished article. In your query, be sure to describe not just your story idea, but the approach you will take and possible sources. All articles published in Better Health must contain some quotes and narrative from Saint Raphael health professionals, or affiliates of the Saint Raphael Healthcare System. Include 4-5 published clips with your query, as well as a SASE so we can respond to your idea. Mail to:
Better Health
Hospital of Saint Raphael
1450 Chapel St.
New Haven, CT 06511
Do not fax or e-mail your query and clips.
2. We buy feature articles throughout the year. Each piece runs between 1,500 and 3,000 words, as determined by the editor. We do not run essays, poems, fiction, cartoons, filler material, or book or product reviews.
3. We do not accept reprints or simultaneous submissions. Also, since we are part of a Catholic healthcare system, we do not accept material advocating birth control, abortion, or any other issues at odds with Catholic church doctrine.
4. If we ask to see your proposed article on speculation, be sure to include your name, address, phone number and e-mail address. Your name should be on the top of the first page, as well as every page that follows. Also include a SASE. Our asking to see your article does not guarantee its publication.
5. Your manuscript should be written in an up-beat, lively, active voice, observing the highest standards of writing and grammar. It should be error-free in spelling and syntax and – most importantly – in facts. We reserve the right to edit all material and to add or substitute our own material, as needed.
6. Final versions of all assigned/accepted stories must be submitted in a text only format on a CD or via e-mail, along with a mailed or faxed hard copy.
7. We pay on acceptance, $250 to $1,000 depending on the article size, and purchase First North American Serial Rights. We pay some expenses, which are agreed upon in advance. If we accept an article but then decide not to publish it, we pay a 20% kill fee. All stories must be received on, or before, the assigned deadline date to be considered for acceptance.
8. Please give us at least one month to review, and respond to, your query. Do not call our office. We will contact you with our decision within a reasonable period of time.
Thank you for your interest in Better Health, and good luck! If you have not seen a recent issue of the magazine, we suggest sending a $2.50 check for a sample copy.
This page was last updated on March 5, 2007