Atari writers wanted for Pixel Addict magazine

[pixeladdict]

Hi I'm not sure if this is the best place to post this, I'm sorry if I'm breaking any rules or this post needs to be moved.

 

We are launching a new classic computing magazine which will feature retro gaming, software, interviews, history pieces, computer memories and general vintage tech/digital culture.

 

Of course Atari is a very important part of all of the above! As we're currently looking for contributing writers, I thought this may be a good place to post.

 

A mock-up front cover is attached and our website is www.pixeladdict.media if you are interested. Please get in touch. Many thanks :)

[Mockduck]

Is this one of those "we'll pay you in exposure" things or are you willing to pay your contributors?

[+x=usr(1536)]

3 hours ago, Mockduck said:

Is this one of those "we'll pay you in exposure" things or are you willing to pay your contributors?

This.

 

Never work for exposure, getting your name out there, or how it'll look on your resumé.  Time is money, and if you're not being compensated for your time (and attendant effort), you're being used.

[pacman000]

If you pay by word I have some very, very, very good articles for your printed magazine publication about video games, computer games, and other types of electronic games.

 

Kidding; what would you like? Does it matter if it’s been published elsewhere?

[pixeladdict]

Hi, yes we pay every writer that has their work published in Pixel Addict.

 

However, I do have to disagree with x=usr(1536) somewhat. If I had not worked for free myself as a trainee journalist at a local Newspaper (and then also later worked again for free at a nationally printed magazine) then I wouldn't have had a 20-year-long career and moved on to the jobs that came from that experience and portfolio of work. So, although we do pay, I would always say work for whatever reasons you like and don't be all about the money. Passion goes a long way in life, especially if you're trying to stand out from the crowd! Any old job can pay the bills, so go and do any old job if that's your priority.

[pacman000]

Who owns the copyright to submitted articles?

[Lostdragon]

Please don't fall into the same trap the likes of Gamestm, Retrogamer Magazine and Wireframe Magazine and others have and let Jane Whittaker have a column or an interview, just to repeat the same stale nonsense about AVP, Goldeneye, The Sims etc. 

 

Passionate writers can make for the most interesting articles, but also cause the most headaches. 

 

 

A basic read through on a few threads  on this site will give you a basic understanding of which individuals have caused problems for book and magazine publishers and why they no longer write for them, their articles have been pulled from online, replaced in revised editions and will never appear in collected works. 

 

 

 

 

 

Good luck with the magazine. 

 

Edited February 3, 2022 by Lostdragon

[+x=usr(1536)]

On 1/21/2022 at 2:59 PM, pixeladdict said:

However, I do have to disagree with x=usr(1536) somewhat. If I had not worked for free myself as a trainee journalist at a local Newspaper (and then also later worked again for free at a nationally printed magazine) then I wouldn't have had a 20-year-long career and moved on to the jobs that came from that experience and portfolio of work.

How did you support yourself during these times of willingly working unpaid?

 

While anyone can certainly do so if they wish, the reality is that there are bills to pay and roofs to keep over heads.  Gaining experience is valuable, but unless you can fund doing so for free from other sources of income, you're going to end up in rather unpleasant financial straits.

On 1/21/2022 at 2:59 PM, pixeladdict said:

So, although we do pay, I would always say work for whatever reasons you like and don't be all about the money. Passion goes a long way in life, especially if you're trying to stand out from the crowd!

Conversely, there are more than enough people out there who think that the word 'scruples' only refers to a board game, and they will happily use anyone who comes down the pike for their skills and / or willingness to work unpaid.  Don't be a victim of your own passion.

On 1/21/2022 at 2:59 PM, pixeladdict said:

Any old job can pay the bills, so go and do any old job if that's your priority.

Yes, but can working unpaid also pay the bills without an independent source of income?

[pixeladdict]

On 2/5/2022 at 12:42 PM, x=usr(1536) said:

How did you support yourself during these times of willingly working unpaid?

 

While anyone can certainly do so if they wish, the reality is that there are bills to pay and roofs to keep over heads.  Gaining experience is valuable, but unless you can fund doing so for free from other sources of income, you're going to end up in rather unpleasant financial straits.

Conversely, there are more than enough people out there who think that the word 'scruples' only refers to a board game, and they will happily use anyone who comes down the pike for their skills and / or willingness to work unpaid.  Don't be a victim of your own passion.

Yes, but can working unpaid also pay the bills without an independent source of income?

Thanks to everyone for their replies.

 

The writer will own copyright for their work, as it is their work - however when we publish said work and send a payment over, the idea is that piece of writing is then for the magazine, so we'd just ask that you then let us know and check with us if you're then wanting to publish elsewhere. In most cases we won't mind at all, but we'd just like to be aware where duplication may appear.

 

In terms of my own background, I'm happy to answer how I paid my bills etc. I suppose it is the same for most people in the creative industry - this sort of work is interesting and fun. It is hard yes, but we do tend to do it without expecting to earn lots as the primary goal (at least that's always been how I've felt). I think if you're writing to simply earn money, you may struggle to write something interesting and could be doing it for the wrong reasons.

 

Just like any struggling artist, I always tried to get my name out there and gain experience - then more pay, respect and wages came along as a result of those efforts. So for myself, while I was a trainee journalist, I worked for 6 months at the newspaper and then had a second job at a museum to pay my bills. I'd do the tours for school groups etc. I'm not sure that where I used to work is that relevant really, so I won't go too off-topic - but I guess my point is I wasn't writing for my income, I was trying to get into the industry so that one day it could lead to an income. If it hadn't led anywhere, well so be it! I tried.

 

It sounds like you must have had a bad experience in the past x=usr(1536)? I do feel for you if you've worked hard and expected money and been let down or not received what you deserve.

 

But again, I can't see any problem with submitting writing to a publication without being paid (if you already know you aren't going to be paid) and you're doing it as a hobby, or for your interest. Sometimes it is nice (and reward enough) to have your name in print and know others are reading your article.

 

As I say though, we do pay our writers. But I'm not going to start telling other magazines what they should or shouldn't be doing. It's a free country (world?!) - and as long as people know what they're offering up, I'd try not to be too cynical and spoil their fun. I respect your opinion though, we've all got that right to speak our minds. No one wants anyone being exploited or cheated.

Edited February 7, 2022 by pixeladdict

[pixeladdict]

On 2/3/2022 at 5:49 AM, Lostdragon said:

Please don't fall into the same trap the likes of Gamestm, Retrogamer Magazine and Wireframe Magazine and others have and let Jane Whittaker have a column or an interview, just to repeat the same stale nonsense about AVP, Goldeneye, The Sims etc. 

 

Passionate writers can make for the most interesting articles, but also cause the most headaches. 

 

 

A basic read through on a few threads  on this site will give you a basic understanding of which individuals have caused problems for book and magazine publishers and why they no longer write for them, their articles have been pulled from online, replaced in revised editions and will never appear in collected works. 

 

 

 

 

 

Good luck with the magazine. 

 

Thanks for the reply. Yes we plan to keep trying to do something different. The magazine is niche and expensive to produce - so it would be pointless for us to just be a clone of the others out there. The idea is to talk about tech stories that don't usually get reflected on much. Hopefully we can achieve this.

[Mockduck]

I could see myself submitting an article for this. How would you go about doing it, and are you more about open submissions or assignments?

[+x=usr(1536)]

15 hours ago, pixeladdict said:

But again, I can't see any problem with submitting writing to a publication without being paid (if you already know you aren't going to be paid) and you're doing it as a hobby, or for your interest.

Emphasis above is mine.

 

Doing any work on what is essentially a volunteer basis is between the person performing the work and the person it is being performed for is an agreement that is between those two parties.  However, as I have stated previously, there are those who absolutely will take advantage of that willingness to perform.

 

From what you have said, it appears though your publication does not fall into that category of unscrupulousness.  This is a good thing to hear, particularly given that the retrogaming world has an unfortunate history of charlatans, fraudsters, and thieves taking advantage of it. 

Quote

As I say though, we do pay our writers.

Excellent!

[ColecoGamer]

On 9/17/2021 at 4:37 PM, pixeladdict said:

Hi I'm not sure if this is the best place to post this, I'm sorry if I'm breaking any rules or this post needs to be moved.

 

We are launching a new classic computing magazine which will feature retro gaming, software, interviews, history pieces, computer memories and general vintage tech/digital culture.

 

Of course Atari is a very important part of all of the above! As we're currently looking for contributing writers, I thought this may be a good place to post.

 

A mock-up front cover is attached and our website is www.pixeladdict.media if you are interested. Please get in touch. Many thanks

Check your PM, please.

[ColecoGamer]

Hi @pixeladdict

Do you guys ever check your email? I even went to your website and submitted a message to you from there , but as of right now, I have not received a response.

[pixeladdict]

On 2/12/2022 at 8:52 PM, ColecoGamer said:

Hi @pixeladdict

Do you guys ever check your email? I even went to your website and submitted a message to you from there , but as of right now, I have not received a response.

Hi thanks ColecoGamer, apologies it does take us a while sometimes to get back in touch. I replied to your email last night, but don't worry we'll always get back to everyone - unfortunately we all work day jobs as well as working on the magazines and around families etc. You know how it is! Sorry again to be slow.

[pixeladdict]

On 2/7/2022 at 4:52 PM, Mockduck said:

I could see myself submitting an article for this. How would you go about doing it, and are you more about open submissions or assignments?

We have some submission guidelines published here on our website: https://www.pixel.addict.media/contact.html

 

Thank you so much for your interest. We're open to most ideas, especially articles about computer hardware, companies or games/game studios that don't normally get much coverage or if there is an interesting angle/story there.

[ColecoGamer]

10 hours ago, pixeladdict said:

Hi thanks ColecoGamer, apologies it does take us a while sometimes to get back in touch. I replied to your email last night, but don't worry we'll always get back to everyone - unfortunately we all work day jobs as well as working on the magazines and around families etc. You know how it is! Sorry again to be slow.

No worries, thank you for responding. I did receive your email as well. I will be replying to it today.

[+Gemintronic]

@pixeladdict

 

Is there a minimum amount of images required?  What is the recommended resolution?

 

Who retains rights to the article?  Say, if I would like to also put the work on my own web page?

[harmonyFM]

I would be down, do you have any topics you're looking to cover as themes in your initial issues or are you just looking for anything in the wide world of retro gaming topics?

[pixeladdict]

On 2/19/2022 at 10:14 PM, Gemintronic said:

@pixeladdict

 

Is there a minimum amount of images required?  What is the recommended resolution?

 

Who retains rights to the article?  Say, if I would like to also put the work on my own web page?

Hi thanks for your interest!

 

600 words is usually our minimum (which is approx. one page), and yes you'd be free to retail the rights to your work and put the article online - just let us know where it is going if that's OK and we may even be able to link to it too.

 

We have some article submission guidelines here that will hopefully help: https://www.pixel.addict.media/contact.html

[pixeladdict]

On 2/19/2022 at 11:19 PM, harmonyFM said:

I would be down, do you have any topics you're looking to cover as themes in your initial issues or are you just looking for anything in the wide world of retro gaming topics?

We're open to any article pitches via email, we tend to find that if you're really passionate about a particular computer, game/publisher or tech innovation then you'll already have a good story in mind (perhaps something that often is overlooked and doesn't get much coverage online). Interviews are welcome too if you would like to try to reach out to any interesting personalities in the retro computer world. Even articles on peripherals, joysticks, printers, dialup, related movies - there's loads of scope for good topics. Please feel free to send any ideas over via email to discuss further.

[ColecoGamer]

I apologize for bumping this old thread, but I’ve been trying to reach PixelAddict via their email for weeks, and so far I haven’t received a response.
 

I understand you’re busy and have many priorities to attend to.

 

Can you please check the multiple emails I have sent you, @pixeladdict? I would greatly appreciate it!

Edited March 21, 2022 by ColecoGamer