Writer's Guidelines

American Profile celebrates the American spirit and its audience is hometown America, generally communities with populations under 100,000. Our stories spotlight the people, places and things that make America great. Our articles are personal, informative and concise; full of detail and color, and writing at its best. Our readers are intelligent and discriminating, our standards are high. This is not a market for beginners; submit only your best, original ideas in the following categories: American Artisan, American Roots, Celebrities, Cover story, Hometown Hero, Hometown Spotlight, Incredible Kids, Made in American, My Collection, Odd Jobs, On the Job, Places and Profiles in History. (See examples below.) No fiction, poetry or first-person stories. Coverage of people and places must be enlightening and thorough, and have broad national relevance. We also cover family matters, health, gardening, home projects and personal finance. Articles should be topical, but have a long shelf life. Length varies from 350 to 1,000 words. Payment within 45 days of acceptance. Fees are competitive but vary. Byline given. Mostly freelance written. No reprints. American Artisan
These stories feature American craftsmen and artists. See examples at these links:

• www.americanprofile.com/article/19685.html
• www.americanprofile.com/article/19334.html
• www.americanprofile.com/article/19790.html

American Roots
These are stories based on places or things with unique American roots. See examples at these links:

• www.americanprofile.com/article/25484.html
• www.americanprofile.com/article/28910.html
• www.americanprofile.com/article/33965.html
• www.americanprofile.com/article/27744.html

Celebrities
These stories feature American entertainers or other well-known public figures with backgrounds, current projects or other areas of interest that resonate with our readers. See examples at these links:

• www.americanprofile.com/article/4937.html
• www.americanprofile.com/article/3975.html
• www.americanprofile.com/article/31953.html
• www.americanprofile.com/article/26036.html

Cover story
These stories have broad national relevance and feature American people, places, activities, issues, nostalgia or ideals. See examples at these links:

• www.americanprofile.com/article/34319.html
• www.americanprofile.com/article/19331.html
• www.americanprofile.com/article/33395.html
• www.americanprofile.com/article/33224.html

Hometown Hero
These stories feature Americans who serve others, their community, or take pride in honoring, restoring, preserving, or celebrating an aspect of hometown life, be it their work, passion, or pastime. See examples at these links:

• www.americanprofile.com/heroes/article/21457.html
• www.americanprofile.com/heroes/article/33672.html
• www.americanprofile.com/heroes/article/23359.html
• www.americanprofile.com/heroes/article/25197.html

Hometown Spotlight
These stories focus on American communities that are unique, or take pride in or celebrate an aspect of their history, heritage, passion, claim to fame, or future. See examples at these links:

• www.americanprofile.com/spotlights/article/34494.html
• www.americanprofile.com/spotlights/article/33814.html
• www.americanprofile.com/spotlights/article/29291.html
• www.americanprofile.com/spotlights/article/26110.html

Incredible Kids
These stories feature extraordinary American children and teenagers. See examples at these links:

• www.americanprofile.com/kids/article/25009.html
• www.americanprofile.com/kids/article/26494.html
• www.americanprofile.com/kids/article/32249.html
• www.americanprofile.com/kids/article/29014.html

Made in America
These stories feature companies that produce American-made products. See examples at these links:

• www.americanprofile.com/article/32856.html
• www.americanprofile.com/article/33495.html
• www.americanprofile.com/article/25738.html
• www.americanprofile.com/article/23568.html

My Collection
These stories feature Americans with large, odd or interesting collections. See examples at these links:

• www.americanprofile.com/article/34773.html
• www.americanprofile.com/article/33012.html
• www.americanprofile.com/article/30852.html

Odd Jobs
These stories feature American workers with unusual occupations. See examples at these links:

• www.americanprofile.com/article/19621.html
• www.americanprofile.com/article/19256.html
• www.americanprofile.com/article/21817.html
• www.americanprofile.com/article/20536.html

On the Job
These stories feature dedicated American workers or people with longtime careers. See examples at these links:

• www.americanprofile.com/article/24276.html
• www.americanprofile.com/article/27396.html
• www.americanprofile.com/article/20603.html

Places
These are stories about museums or sites of historical significance in America. See examples at these links:

• www.americanprofile.com/article/34191.html
• www.americanprofile.com/article/30150.html
• www.americanprofile.com/article/29654.html
• www.americanprofile.com/article/24058.html

Profiles in History
These are profiles of people important in American history. See examples at these links:

• www.americanprofile.com/article/32065.html
• www.americanprofile.com/article/25202.html
• www.americanprofile.com/article/23365.html

Queries: Send a one-page query with published writing samples and SASE to: Queries, American Profile, 341 Cool Springs Blvd. Suite 400, Franklin, TN 37067. No phone, fax or e-mail submissions.