Submission Guidelines

Heart of the Matter Online’s unique style consists of educational journeys, inspirational tutorials, and joyful experiences submitted by “real people,” the parents and caregivers that are on the job, for the edification of the family as a whole. Our goal is to bridge the gap between the child and the parent, a relationship designed by God. We hope to provide resources so that the families can take ultimate control of their child’s well-being and education as well as articles that are informative, engaging, factual but entertaining, and above all, filled with love!

We dislike our readers being written down to, preached at, or judged. There will be no one sided articles published (about, for example, natural childbirth is superior to hospital births) but we do invite articles on the benefits of these practices. We provide a magazine, online conferences, videos, how-to tutorials, reviews and more for the busy family. I think what sets us apart is that we are women of an eternal God, placed in this day and time for a reason, so we are not living in days past.

We want to meet the needs of every family. That includes those in urban and suburban areas; families with moms that stay-at-home or work outside of the home; families that consist of lots of children or just one child, single dads or single moms, new families, homeschooling families or co-schooling families, grandparents or other family that are primary caretakers of children. All classes, all races, all denominations have the same thing in common: a desire to be the very best that they can be.

Please note that Heart of the Matter Online is always looking for:

• Articles pertaining to homeschooling, marriage and parenting in general
  
• Photographs for the magazine cover and for articles
• Printables or other forms
• Projects
• Links
• How-to videos or written tutorials

For full guidelines and a calendar for Heart of the Matter Magazine, download this file.

Please see guidelines below before you submit any of the above to The Heart of the Matter.

Submit
Your article must meet our guidelines (bottom) to be considered. Articles should be edited carefully for spelling, grammar, and form. It should appear as you would like to see them published. We may assume that any “errors” we encounter are part of the artistic angle of a piece or we may choose to edit confusing segments. Please email your submissions to the.amies@heartofthemattermagazine.com. Along with your submission please include your First and Last Name, State or Country where you reside, Email Address, and the Date. We only accept electronic submissions.

Response
We make every attempt to respond as quickly as possible. However, please understand that it may take us a few weeks or up to a few months to reply. If you have submitted an article and we have not responded within two months please feel free to contact us about the status of our decision.

Acceptance
If you are accepted you will be notified via email. We will then let you know when your article will appear and we will also request a short biography and photo to accompany your article. This will be needed within 3 days. Ownership of the articles remains with the author however, once an article is published it will not be removed from the site.

Payment
We do not offer payment for articles submitted to The Heart of the Matter. Submissions are done on a volunteer basis only.

We will not link to any blog or website that does not meet the following guidelines: The blog must not contain profanity or lewd comments. The blog must not contain inappropriate photos. The blog must not be degrading to or belittling any particular homeschool method or faith.

Content

• Articles must be between 750 and 1200 words.
• Formatting must be set to Times New Roman, 12pt including before the paragraph and a single return between paragraphs.
• Articles must be non-fiction pieces that target families with children from birth through college. We are looking for humorous, inspirational or thought-provoking personal stories and well-researched practical information that appeal to a wide variety of families and will inform families on subjects relevant to their lives.
• Articles must be written from a biblical, not doctrinal, perspective. We welcome the use of scripture but be advised that we do not accept devotional style material.
• Each issue is theme based and the content you submit should be relevant to the theme. Please see schedule below for a timetable of themes.
• Submit articles prior to or on due date specified in order to be considered for that issue.
• The following must be included on the first page: the author’s name, address, email address, phone number, title of piece and the word count of the article.

Be Advised

• The article must not contain profanity or lewd comments.
• The article must not contain inappropriate photos.
• The article must not contain anything that is anti-biblical in nature, stance, or perspective.
• The article must not be degrading to or belittling any particular parenting or educational method or faith. The best way to get your point heard is to speak positive about your position and not negatively about another person or group’s position.
• Previously published articles are welcomed as long you retain all rights to the work. We do request that you provide us with a list of places the article was previously published.
• We will not link to any blog or website that does not meet the following guidelines: The blog must not contain profanity or lewd comments. The blog must not contain inappropriate photos. The blog must not be degrading to or belittling any particular parenting or homeschool method or faith.

By submitting your article you agree to the following:

I certify that I am the author or sole owner of the article that I am submitting to Heart of the Matter and its subsidiaries. I certify that I have given reference to any sources that may have been cited within the article. I certify that I have permission to use any copyrighted material within the article. I give permission to Heart of the Matter to publish, display, edit, modify, and otherwise use the material for any purpose in any form and on any media. I understand that I am giving Heart of the Matter non-exclusive rights to archive my article on the site for future readers for an indefinite amount of time. I understand that I do not lose rights to my work at any point in time.