The topics we cover here on Loving BDSM – podcast, video, and text – are just a sliver of the full BDSM experience. We discuss what we know and believe to be true, what we’ve experienced, and even our growing understanding of a topic. But there are some topics we’re just not qualified to talk about or it wouldn’t be right for us to discuss it.
That doesn’t mean those topics shouldn’t be discussed. It also doesn’t mean those topics aren’t welcome on Loving BDSM. What we need (and want!) are for the real experts to share their experiences and thoughts.
To do that, we’re looking for contributors to our blog.
For 2018, we would like to publish one contributor piece per month, and we pay for your work although it’s a minimal amount. (You’re not going to pay bills with our compensation.) As our resources expand, so too will the opportunities to contribute as well as compensation. Our ultimate goal is to have a steady stream of contributors (one a week at least) and pay competitive rates – but we all have to start somewhere, and this is it.
What should you write about?
We’re looking for very specific topics, but that doesn’t mean this is the full list. If you have another burning topic in mind, pitch it. We may love it! Here’s what we know we’re looking for related to any part of BDSM, kink, and/or D/s relationships:
- Mental Health
- Abuse
- Aging
- LGBTQ experiences
- Race
- Religion
- Body Positivity
- Sexism
- Non-binary or gender fluid experiences
- Disability
- Or any topic you think needs more attention
You can write an informative piece based on research and your own education or a personal essay based on your own experiences — or a combination of the two.
We expect that if you name anyone other than yourself, you have received their permission first. We respect the privacy of other kinksters, and we expect contributors to do the same.
No kink-shaming allowed – don’t yuck on anyone else’s yum.
You’ve got an idea. Now what?
Please send a pitch to [email protected]. Your pitch should give us an idea of what you want to write about in one paragraph and a quick intro of who you are. If you have a detailed outline – with potential subheading topics – you can send that, too, but make sure it’s easy to read.
If you have them, send links to other pieces you’ve written (on your own blog or for other sites) so we can get a feel for your style.
Expect a reply to take no more than about two weeks. We may suggest a tweak, ask for alternate ideas, say yes, or politely decline. But we will reply to every pitch.
Please do not send a fully written piece until we’ve accepted your pitch. And do not send an attachment until we request it.
Not all pitches will get accepted.
Not all pitches get accepted. We cannot and will not provide feedback on rejected pitches. But if your idea doesn’t make it, here are some common reasons:
- The topic has already been covered.
- The topic is being written by another writer and will be published soon.
- Your idea doesn’t fit with the theme or purpose of the site.
- Your writing style doesn’t fit the site.
- The quality of your writing does not meet our standards.
- Or a million and one other reasons not listed here.
While we will tell you if your pitch was accepted or not, we won’t go into why. Why not? Because if we did, we’d spend most of our time only doing that. You are always welcome to send in another pitch later with a different idea.
We liked your idea. Yay! What’s next?
In our email exchange, we’ll hammer out details like deadlines and any questions either of us have. Here are some details that will stay fairly constant:
- Your piece should be between 800 and 1000 words, but if you think the piece needs to be longer, let’s talk about it. Convince us.
- You can provide images to use in your piece (as long as you own the rights to those images) or we will add our own images.
- Google Doc or Word Doc are the preferred formats to send in your work.
- Your piece must be unique and never published anywhere else prior to the publication date. If you want to submit it to other outlets after that date, you may do so 90 days after it goes live.
- Once you email your piece, we may do light edits or send it back to you if we think it needs more work. Send your best work: spell check, proofread, correct grammar errors. If we can’t read it, we’re sending it back.
- For UK or other non-US writers, we may change any spellings to US versions if you don’t – but it’s not something we’d hold against you.
You mentioned money earlier?
The pay is not much and for right now, we can only offer one or two contributor spots per month. No one should think you’re going to pay the bills or buy groceries with this opportunity, but we also don’t think you should work for free, either.
Compensation goes like this:
$25 per piece and a byline (feel free to use it as a clip elsewhere!)
Payment will be made by the 10th of the month after your piece is accepted. For example: if you write a piece and send it in on January 11 and all edits are done by January 20, you’ll be paid by February 10. If your piece is written, submitted, and accepted by March 2, you will be paid by March 10. Your piece may not be published right away, but you will be paid for your work as soon as possible.
All payments are made by PayPal.
What else do I need to know or do?
Make sure you give us the name you want a piece published under if you use one name for writing and the other for payment.
At the bottom of your submitted piece, give us the following information:
- A one to two sentence bio
- Your social media handles or links to your social media pages
- A link to your blog/website
You may include links in your piece – to your website or other relevant sites – but we reserve the right to remove links from your piece if they’re not sites we’re comfortable linking to.
Your piece shouldn’t be an opportunity to sell your products or services. This is an opportunity to share your experiences with a wider audience, start a conversation, or raise awareness on an issue that’s important to you.
If you have other questions or you’re ready to pitch your idea, send them to us at [email protected].
