The American Gardener: Market Spotlight
For this week’s market spotlight, we look at the The American Gardener, the bimonthly magazine of the American Horticulture Society.
For this week’s market spotlight, we look at the The American Gardener, the bimonthly magazine of the American Horticulture Society.
The American Gardener: Market Spotlight
The American Gardener is the official publication of the American Horticulture Society. This bimonthly magazine goes out to its more than 20,000 members. And its primarily written by freelance writers.
The editors say, "We stress environmentally responsible gardening practices, including minimizing use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, preventing illegal collection of plants from the wild, and avoiding plants with the potential to escape and damage natural ecosystems."
Payment for features ranges between $300 and $600; payment for departments is $150 to $200.
What They’re Looking For
The American Gardener publishes a mix of feature articles and department pieces. Features typically run between 1,500 and 2,500 words. Department lengths are listed below:
- Natural Connections. Explains a natural phenomenon or symbiotic relationship that may be observed in the garden or in nature. Length: 750-1,000 words.
- Plant in the Spotlight. Profile of a single plant species or cultivar. Length: 600 words.
- Homegrown Harvest. Authoritative information on growing edible plants delivered in a personal, reassuring voice. Length: 900-1,000 words.
The editors say, "Among the topics of particular interest to us are profiles of individual plant groups; innovative approaches to garden design; profiles of prominent horticulturists whose work has a national impact; plant research and plant hunting; plant conservation, biodiversity, and heirloom gardening; events or personalities in American horticultural history; people-plant relationships (horticultural therapy, ethnobotany, and community gardening); environmentally appropriate gardening (choosing plants suited to one's region, using native plants, conserving water, etc.); and plant lore and literature. We also seek articles that describe and show how to construct simple garden features such as ponds or paths, or illustrate useful gardening techniques such as grafting, pollarding, or propagation."
How to Submit
The editors prefer writers submit a proposal via email at editor@ahsgardening.org.
The editors say, "All proposals should include a description of the proposed topic and an explanation of why it is of interest to a national audience of knowledgeable gardeners, as well as an outline of the major points to be covered in the manuscript."
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Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
