SZ Magazine is committed to providing informative, accurate and high-quality articles to our readers. We prefer our writers to have a background and working experience in a journalism and/or communications-related field, and possess excellent writing and organizational skills. An interest in mental health issues is considered an asset.

Our editorial objective is to serve as a guide for those with schizophrenia who want to live healthier, more balanced lives. SZ Magazine delivers inspiration and information to its readers; the Magazine also tries to provide a forum for discussions on cutting-edge thinking and emerging topics about schizophrenia. 

SZ Magazine typically includes three to five feature stories in each issue. Main articles are between 1,500 and 2,500 words and cover subjects of broad interest, such as emotional coping, health and/or treatment issues, research, personalities, lifestyles and creating a more stress-free pattern of living.

Each issue also contains regularly appearing short features (between 650 and 750 words) on such topics as: interviews with those living with schizophrenia; food and nutrition; healthy living; spirituality; exercise, etc.

Unlike some other magazines, SZ Magazine hires and pays its freelance writers and photographers on a (flat rate) per-assignment basis, which means we do not calculate fees based on word counts, but rather on the assignment as a whole. Payment includes North American rights for original material and for rights to post the story on our Web site. Whenever possible, copy is to be prepared in a Microsoft Word document and submitted electronically as an e-mail attachment. Text should be double-spaced in 12-point, Times New Roman font. SZ Magazine follows the Chicago Manual of Style (15th Edition) and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th Edition).

The following is a list of guidelines that we expect all of our writers to follow when preparing copy for publication in SZ Magazine:

1. Focus on what is unique in each consumer’s experiences with schizophrenia, especially anything that seems to have helped him or her. Many seem to go through a similar cycle of different medications and related side effects, not taking medications and having relapses. What about family? Are there special individuals whose presence has made a difference?
   
   
2. Stick to the basics. Profiles, in particular, are intended to be instructive and inspirational—how one person dealt with his or her diagnosis and how they’ve coped, or even overcome their condition. The profile should include:
   
   
   • Background on the person’s life before their psychotic break—family, schooling, job, etc.
     
     
   • What happened: Early symptoms/warning signs; what, if anything, may have triggered/fueled the break; and its impact (loss of job, family, etc.) Avoid dwelling on this too extensively, but it does need to be present in some capacity so readers can relate.
     
     
   • Course of recovery: What was/were the key(s)? Support from friends and family? A particularly important doctor or therapist? Was there a key moment of acceptance?
     
     
   • Key coping skills: Exercise, diet, sleep, medication side effects, socialization, etc.
     
     
   • Present and future/what’s ahead: Where are they now: job, social/family life, etc. What’s their outlook on the future, what are their goals, etc.?
     
     
3. Carefully review timelines and dates. Often consumers do not recall events sequentially and/or correctly, probably due to their very complicated and busy lives; make sure dates of events cited fit a logical time sequence.
   
   
4. Check facts in general; it is important to get precise titles and exact institution names for all individuals cited or quoted. Include middle initials when they are known. Verify whether an individual is a PhD, an MD or holds another professional degree. Fact checking is important and readers expect information to be correct.
   
   
5. Verify every expert name used with the expert—name, spelling and location.
   
   
6. Introduce speakers with their quotes as a general rule, as opposed to naming and giving the position(s) held first, before the quote or paraphrase. This method if writing is much more compelling, as illustrated through the following examples:
   
   Example (good): “The consequences of an untreated mental illness like schizophrenia can be far-reaching,” says Jane S. Doe, MD, chair of the new Wellness Center at the University of Podunk’s John. H. Smith School of Medicine.
   
   Example (weak): Jane S. Doe, MD, chair of the new Wellness Center at the University of Podunk’s John H. Smith School of Medicine reports that, “the consequences of an untreated mental illness like schizophrenia can be far-reaching.”
   
   
7. Avoid unnecessary formatting: use single spaces between sentences and characters. Submit all copy double-spaced in Microsoft Word (preferably).
   
   
8. Write to within 25 words of the specified word count given at the time of assignment unless the assigning editor has given a range.
   

Unsolicited submissions are accepted, though we prefer to assign stories to pre-screened freelance writers. Nevertheless, we will consider all query letters from writers who propose writing a story for the Magazine. We seek features that are:

• Useful to our readers, (for example, they can relate the material to their own lives.)
  
  
• Meaningful to readers on a personal level through the use of stories, quotes, anecdotes and humor.
  
  
• Educational and rich in comments from experts and those living with schizophrenia.
  
  
• Informational and inclusive of resources, such as Web sites, books, and so on.
  

Writers interested in submitting queries to SZ Magazine should have significant knowledge about schizophrenia and should already be familiar with the format and content of the Magazine. If you cannot find a copy through a mental health agency or your library, call 1-866-672-3038 to arrange to have a copy sent to you (a $4.95 plus shipping fee applies).

Your query letter should include the topic that you would like to write about and why we should run the story. We want to know why you’re the right person to do the article. Please include a current resume and/or short description of your writing experience.

If you plan to contact experts in the field, name them. The quotes and stories of people who have schizophrenia are meaningful to our readers, as are the voices of medical experts. When choosing sources (either experts or lay people with schizophrenia), strive for diversity—in terms of geography, ethnicity, gender, age, etc. Above all, stories need to be topical, interesting and accurate.

We expect any story submitted to SZ Magazine to contain the same high quality of writing and depth of research as stories published in other limited-circulation national magazines.

Please be advised, we cannot guarantee a response to unsolicited submissions, nor are we looking for individuals to write a regularly appearing column for us. We do not accept poetry or artwork submissions, though we will accept applications from freelance photographers willing to take on assignments in their area.

The editors at SZ Magazine work to preserve the author’s voice; however, all accepted manuscripts will be edited for space and clarity according to the magazine’s style and format.

We prefer not to receive queries by telephone. Instead, please forward your query letter to the Editor-in-Chief via email. Send your query letter in the body of an email, not as an attachment. Your query should be accompanied by three recently published attached samples and a professional resume.

Although we try to read all submissions in a timely manner, it may take us up to two months to respond to a query.