writing

Q) So how do I submit something?
A) We prefer to receive submissions via e-mail at punkplanet[at]punkplanet[dot]com, although you can also mail the story (on CD and on paper) to Punk Planet, 4229 N. Honore, Chicago IL 60613

Q) When should I check back to see if you’re interested in running my story?
A) You should give us a least two weeks to get back to you. Sometimes we will be able to respond to submissions immediately, and sometimes we are putting an issue out and dont’ have time to look over new submissions. Do e-mail a note about two weeks after you’ve sent in your submission, however, just to be sure we’ve received it.

Q) Why don’t you interview [band X]?
A) There are about a million bands out there right now, we can’t interview all of them. However, we have interviewed close to something like 600 bands in the first 10 years of publishing. We also accept submissions from writers, so if you really want to see an interview with a band, you might want to do it yourself. Send it over to us for a look-see, and if we like it, we’ll run it.

Q) Do you accept unsolicited submissions?
A) Yes. Sometimes they are great, and we run them with very little editing in the next issue of the magazine. Usually we ask for rewrites, however, and sometimes we can’t run your submission at all—although most often because we’ve already run something on your subject (or they’re not independent). That said, we probably only print two out of every 50 submissions or so we get. If your piece is good, however, it tends to shine through the murk we normally wade through. Many of our regular contributors started as people that just sent something in on whim, so this isn’t meant to discourage you.

Q) How would you describe what you’re looking for?
1) We always need articles and interviews. We never need columns or “rants.”

2) For articles, we tend to look for stuff that’s underrepresented in the mainstream press, or stuff that gives a new/unique angle on the headlines. Generally, articles under 1,500 words are too short for us to work with. Conversely, pieces that are over about 5,000 words are usually too long. We expect articles to be well-researched and generally should be more than one-source pieces. If your article is just a rehash of other articles and includes no new sources or reporting, it ain’t going to run. Additionally, if your article is actually an opinion piece commenting on the news of the day, it ain’t going to run either. Because they are more work, articles pay more than interviews. However, because they pay more, we are much more picky. We don’t usually run “profiles” or “featureized” interviews. If you’ve got someone great you want to write about, conduct an interview first and send it to us as a QnA. If we see a potential in it for a larger article, we will suggest it then.

3) For interviews, we look for pieces that show us something about the person. Asking about tour stories, favorite foods, or what someone’s influences are not good ways of peering into someone’s inner workings. Listening to them and having a real conversation is the A-number-one way to get a great interview. If you walk up to someone with 15 questions scrawled down, ask them in order and then walk away, the interview you get is going to really suck. Don’t have questions as much as directions you want to go in, let the conversation evolve naturally, acting less like an interviewer than as a traffic cop, gently guiding the ebb and flow of the conversation. God, I sound like a hippie.

4) We also ALWAYS need DIY topics for the DIY files. If you know how to do something, we want to know how to do it too! The DIY files has ranged from how to buy a van, to how to make your own dildo to how to make soap or defend yourself—it’s WIDE open.

5) We’re also always looking for fiction. We print one short (700-1500 words) fiction piece an issue.

6) If you’ve read all this, and are still awake, and still want to send us your submission, download our PP WRITER’S GUIDE or PP INTERVIEWER’S GUIDE from this page. They’ll help you prepare for the interview and shape the story into something awesome!

Q) What about your front section, Static—it seems like you run kind of different stuff up there.
A) Yes. You’re very observant. Static serves as an entry point to Punk Planet. It, in 10-13 pages, kind of encapsulates all the different stuff that you may encounter in the magazine that follows it. That means there’s music stuff, political stuff, life stuff, art stuff and all points in between. Writing for Static should be short—500 to 800 words—and immediately hook a reader in. That means for interviews: have a point, get to it and get out. For articles, ditto. Pieces in Static really run the gamut. It’s a great way to get your foot in the door here at the magazine, as we accept a lot more unsolicited stuff.

Q) I’ve heard you pay your writers.
A) That’s right, we do. We don’t pay a lot (interviews get about $50 each, articles about $100 each, with material for our Static section, DIY files, and fiction getting more like $30), but we do pay something, ‘cause we feel it’s important to pay people at least something for their work.

Q) How long does it take to get paid for a piece of writing you’ve run?
A) That’s a tricky question to answer. Independent publishing is notoriously volatile and sometimes there is money in the bank and sometimes—most of the time—there isn’t. As a result, a check can take upwards of three or four months to make its way to you. We wish it could be different, but no-budget publishing is like that. During times that we’re a little more flush, we tend to pay faster. Because of the speed and the amount, don’t look to us to make your rent or anything, just as an outlet for your super-cool writing.