Editorial Submissions

Freelance Writer Guidelines

About Pitching Virginia Living

Freelancers who pitch Virginia Living should think macro—the magazine is everything Virginia, with an emphasis on global lifestyle trends and engaging news items. We cover the entire state of Virginia and have our own distinct regions: Northern, Eastern, Southwest, Central, and the Shenandoah Valley, which encompass the entire state. Our topics center on lifestyle, including travel within the state, health and wellness, food and drink, recreation, home and garden, and other lifestyle news. 
 

We are primarily a print magazine, and potential writers are encouraged to read the magazine before pitching. Subscriptions are available online, or single issues are also available for writers to gain an understanding of the voice of the publication and the scope of the coverage. 
 

Our coverage areas:

Region Map

We publish special super sections throughout the year:

Special Super Section

x per year

Issues

Average Page Length

House+Garden

3

March/April, July/Aug, Nov/Dec

Health+Wellness

3

Jan/Feb, May/June Sept/Oct, 

Waterlife

1

July/Aug

Weddings

1

Jan/Feb

20

State of Education

1

March/April

Drink

1

Sept/Oct

Retirement Living

1

Nov/Dec

10


A Good Pitch Sells Your Story

A pitch should be short and include a 200-word (or shorter!) encapsulation of the entire story. It should include a proposed hed and dek, the type of story, why it should be written, the potential sources, the source of the artwork for the story, the timing for when the story should be published, and any trends in the national news that story is following. Pitches formatted to call out these headings are always well-received. Pitches that include a photo (with photo credit) are even better. 
 

Give us a little detail about yourself with the pitch as well–why are you the writer to cover what you’re pitching to Virginia Living? Are you a subject matter expert? Are you a seasoned journalist? Are you a published author? All of this would be great to know–and please send us three links to clips published in the last calendar year. 


Lead Times Vary

Since we are primarily a print publication, longer lead times are the best approach. We work anywhere from six to twelve months out, so pitching a winter getaway idea in early summer would be timely, but pitching a fall getaway story in the late summer tells us you don’t know how a magazine works. Pitching openings for restaurants four to six months in advance of the slated opening is perfect timing. As always, if it’s a terrific story and your pitch is very solid, we will try to make room for anything last minute that’s not been covered elsewhere. 


Response Times

With pitches, we do our best to respond to everyone, but given the volume that we receive and the fact that we are a bi-monthly magazine, we cannot get back to every single idea that lands in our inbox. If you have not heard from us in a month, please feel free to take your pitch elsewhere. You do not need to follow up—if we are interested, you will know sooner rather than later. 


Sending Your Pitch

Please pitch directly to Meredith Lindemon, Special Projects Editor at Virginia Living. She covers lifestyle and interior trends and works with writers focused on delivering trend-driven editorial coverage of anything newsworthy in the lifestyle space. 

You can reach out to her at MeredithLindemon@CapeFear.com

Thanks for thinking of us—and good luck!
 


Other Submissions

Events: We accept event submissions on a rolling basis. E-mail events for print consideration; use the online form to add them to the calendar on our website. We do not automatically add events to the online calendar. 

E-mail: Meredith Lindemon, MeredithLindemon@CapeFear.com

Online calendar:  VirginiaLiving.com/Events/Submit.html

Charitable events (post-event print coverage): MeredithLindemon@CapeFear.com

Made in Virginia: To nominate a business for Made in Virginia, submit the business name, location, and contact information, and we will add them to our mailing list. Businesses must be owned and operated primarily in Virginia, with specific products available during the publication period (typically November and December).
E-mail: Meredith Lindemin, MeredithLindemon@CapeFear.com


Dining, Drink, and Recipes: We welcome queries related to the many wonderful food options available in Virginia. We do not cover businesses located outside the state. For recipes, a chef must be willing to write the recipes and cook them with a photographer and stylist in the kitchen. 

Bonus Material: We accept submissions and press releases for our bonus projects on a rolling basis. Please add us to your press release list (see below). If you want to be on our list for specific project-related emails, please contact Meredith Lindemon, MeredithLindemon@CapeFear.com

Press releases: Editors@CapeFear.com

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