La Cocinita Magazine

	volume 7, number 1 January 2002
New Mexico's Premier Food, Arts and Lifestyle Magazine

Writer's Guidelines

La Cocinita is a monthly food and lifestyle magazine that explores and highlights the best of New Mexico and the Southwest. Our mission is to provide local readers and tourists in New Mexico with information about the state’s vibrant food scene and the people behind it–from farmers to markets to world-class restaurants. La Cocinita also features recipes, kitchen techniques and in-depth information on specific foods and ingredients, including stories on harvests, food history, nutritional facts and more. Our editorial coverage also extends beyond food to travel, home, garden, events and art.

Circulation
La Cocinita distributes more than 35,000 free copies every month in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos. Our distribution continues to expand with each issue, as do our subscription mailings which reach readers throughout the U.S. from California to New York.

Queries and Submission Policies
To be considered for a writing assignment, La Cocinita requires a written query with one to three writing samples. Send queries by U.S. mail or e-mail to the addresses listed below. Please, no queries by phone. With all correspondence, include contact information including your name and address, e-mail address and daytime telephone number. La Cocinita may look at your unsolicited manuscript but assumes no responsibility for reading or responding to it; unsolicited manuscripts will be returned only if a SASE is included. Send queries to:

e-mail	U.S. Mail
gwyneth@lacocinita.com	Gwyneth Doland Editor La Cocinita Magazine 2118 Central SE, Box 38 Albuquerque, NM 87106

Assignments, Rights and Payment Policies
New writers can expect any assignments to be on speculation, meaning that La Cocinita is under no obligation to publish the piece. All writers, whether writing on spec or by assignment, should expect to complete revisions requested by La Cocinita, often on short notice.

We buy first North American serial rights. Payment is on publication not to exceed the assigned word count. If we reject an assigned article, we pay a kill fee of 25%. Established writers may be reimbursed for dining expenses; amounts are determined on a case-by-case basis.

Style
La Cocinita conforms to AP style in most cases, but also uses a La Cocinita style guide in some circumstances. La Cocinita writers will be provided with our in-house style guide.

Sections and Departments
Familiarity with La Cocinita’s editorial sections is the best way to learn what kinds of articles we typically accept.

Features
Every month, La Cocinita runs up to three feature-length stories of approximately 700 to 1,200 words. Any topics within the La Cocinita realm, from fine dining to travel, may be the basis for a feature story.

Dining Out
La Cocinita’s Dining Out section includes profile pieces (500 to 1,400 words) of food establishments in New Mexico such as restaurants, markets, producers or distributors. Such profiles generally include some history of the business as well as current information and quotes from the owners or others involved in the business. The Dining Out section also includes interviews with chefs, restaurant owners and other local food personalities and generally run from 500-1,300 words long. Interviews should include a short introduction (approx. 100 words) preceding the interview itself.

Eating In
The Eating In section places an emphasis on cooking at home. This section covers a wide range of topics, such as specific foods (e.g. information about shiitake mushrooms, plus recipes); cooking techniques (e.g. deep-frying or poaching); kitchen equipment (e.g. stoves or gadgets); or ethnic cuisine (e.g. Thai or Ethiopian cooking). Stories range from 500 to 1,300 words long, they may be feature-style, or may be recipe-driven; recipe-driven pieces should include a lead-in of approximately 250 to 500 words in addition to the recipes (three to five, depending on length of each).

What’s Growing
The What’s Growing section is reserved for in-depth stories about specific food products, including produce, spices, herbs, poultry, fish and meats. Stories generally focus on growing seasons and harvests, history and any current issues such as major crop failures, dwindling wild fish populations, organic farming methods or genetically altered foods (issue-driven pieces may belong in the Forum section, described below). Stories may be from 500 to 1300 words long.

Bottoms Up
Stories about beer, wine and liquors comprise La Cocinita’s Bottoms Up section. Besides a monthly wine tasting by a panel of experts, the Bottoms Up section also features profiles of wineries and microbreweries in the region, features on cocktails (including drink recipes), and stories about specific liquors such as grappa or slivovitz. Story length may range from 500 to 800 words.

Travel & Leisure
Our Travel & Leisure section offers profiles of destinations in New Mexico and beyond, including information on bed and breakfasts, area restaurants and other attractions. This section also includes information about local culture and events, including art exhibits, performances and events, as well as profiles of the artists behind them. These stories range from 800 to 1,300 words in length.

Forum
Our Forum column is reserved for current, issue-driven stories such as New Mexico water rights, the economic climate for restaurants in Santa Fe or bioengineered food products. Story length is generally from 800 to 1,300 words.

Tasteful Reads
The Tasteful Reads section offers reviews of recently published cookbooks and other food-related titles. The section may include one review (up to 500 words) or a collection of two or more shorter blurbs.

For more information, contact La Cocinita’s Editor at (505) 346-0660 ext. 245.