Face the Current (FtC) magazine is designed to give health-motivated, educated, affluent readers who embrace health and sustainability values, powerful, practical tools, techniques, wisdom and inspiration to become their healthiest, happiest, most authentic selves.
As a contributor, it is important you follow these guidelines to help maintain a fully immersive experience and voice across multiple channels. Please review and adhere to these standards so they are reflected in the content you provide for our print, social and digital channels, as well as promoting the content through your channels.
To help ensure consistently with the FtC mission and message, content providers are highly encouraged to familiarize themselves with our editorial calendar. This will help you develop or suggest article ideas that have an increased chance of being accepted.
Our Mission
Face the Current is an award-winning aspirational and inspirational magazine and fast-growing digital destination for all those seeking purposeful, conscious, and connected living. With a double meaning, Face the Current is about living in the now (in the current moment) while also facing life and all it brings as we aspire to be our potential and live with purpose.
Launched with a simple yet powerful mission, Face the Current strives to be more than just a magazine as we work to create a ripple-effect of positive change. Why? Face the Current believes that media can be purpose-driven
and inspiring, so we committed to fostering a sense of interconnectedness in the world. We showcase the very best in people while building connections between family, friends, ourselves, the environment, food, places and to life itself.
Face the Current helps our readers maintain their lives with forward-thinking, well-researched coverage on the multiple lifestyle segments, and we encourage our readers to use the information we share in an action-driven way to impact and contribute to their communities and to our world. Inspiration is our main ingredient—we are Face the Current, and we are fuel for an inspired life.
Magazine Description
FtC is an award-winning aspirational and inspirational bi-monthly magazine and fast-growing digital destination delivering international content on travel, culture, music, sports & fitness, and health. The stories and insights we share are at once fascinating and entertaining, but also deeply meaningful catalysts for positive personal and societal change.
As a rule, FtC does not explore potentially controversial or sensitive topics such as religion, politics or sex. This conviction supports our community’s desire to pursue a positive, conscious and inspired lifestyle. Please only submit content that reflects the editorial philosophy or FtC.
Questions?
If you have any questions regarding our Content Provider Guidelines, please email contributor@facethecurrent.com
Timing:
Submissions may be sent to FtC at any time.
Content Provider Agreement
All content providers who submit content for FtC need to sign our Content Provider Agreement. The agreement outlines ownership and use of content used on FtC channels. To request an agreement, please email contributor@facethecurrent.com
Provider Collaboration
FtC encourages content providers to promote their content published in FtC channels to their own audiences. We can provide links and other graphics or information as needed. FtC suggests that content providers promote in their own channels within on week of the work appearing in an FtC channel and promote the work again for up to two weeks after the work appears in the FtC channel. See the Social Media and Content Collaboration section for details.
Simultaneous Submissions
We do accept multiple submissions. We understand it’s unreasonable to expect content creators to provide an exclusive look at a work unless the FtC can respond within a month. We want you to be successful. We are willing to lose a quality story or content to another channel that may review your submission faster than we do. We would be sorry to lose your contribution but applaud your success!
If your content has previously been published, or you have an agreement to publish, provide the details in your Content Provider Agreement.
Response Time
Our response time varies from one to four weeks.
Payment and Compensation
While FtC is strongly committed to supporting our providers’ work, we may not always offer monetary compensation for content provided to FtC channels. Because FtC channels offer significant engagement with key audiences, there are significant opportunities for awareness and customer growth for your products and services.
Queries
All queries must be submitted in writing via email to contributor@facethecurrent.com. Do not telephone to discuss proposals and do not submit materials by fax. Editors make every attempt to respond to queries within one month.
Queries must be brief while outlining the story idea or content, subject matter, exact details about locations, and point of view. Do not submit more than three ideas per query letter. Authors who have not previously written for FtC should include or provide links to writing or other samples of similar work. Please note in your query if your proposal or manuscript is being submitted elsewhere.
If we like your ideas, we will ask to see your story or idea on speculation, then set a content plan and deadline. A “go-ahead on spec” does not constitute an assignment or guarantee publishing. Content creators may be asked to revise or add content.
Submissions
We only accept electronic files via e-mail in Microsoft Word or Rich Text formats. Stories or content must be formatted for 8-1/2×11 inch paper, double-spaced, one sided, 10- or 12-point type. Do not add any special or automatic formatting to the document or embedded images.
Do not indent; instead leave a space between paragraphs.
Please email contributor@facethecurrent.com and submission of your high- resolution images should be submitted via https://facethecurrent.wetransfer.com/
General Writing Style
In the vast majority of published content, FtC follows Associated Press style guidelines (see Style Guideline section for more details) and content creators are advised to use those guidelines when submitting content. In addition to basic style, please keep in mind the following elements:
Format:
· Eye-catching headline
· Subhead of about two lines
· A short, inviting informative sidebar (summary) to go with the article.
· 600-1,000 words (in size 12 font)
· Social media content suggestions (see Social Media and Content Collaboration)
· Finished, HD quality, copyright free, video that can include FtC logos and promotional sections, if applicable
· Six to 10 high quality copyright free, high resolution images with credits details, if applicable
Write in a positive manner:
Use positive language rather than negative language. One way to detect negative language is to look for words such as “can’t,” “don’t,” etc.
· Yes: To get a donut, stand in line.
· No: You can’t get a donut if you don’t stand in line.
Choose interesting, unique angles
Write for all readers and a global audience: Some people will read every word you write. Others will just skim. Group related ideas together and use descriptive headers and sub- headers to help improve readability
Character: Friendly, inspiring, creative, upbeat, aspirational
Tone: Personal, honest, direct, human, fresh
Language: Insider, expert, Informal, straightforward, engaging
Purpose: Beneficial, educational, informative, empowering, intriguing
Focus your message: Create a hierarchy of information. Lead with the main point or the most important content, in sentences, paragraphs, sections, and pages.
Be concise: Use short words and sentences. Avoid unnecessary modifiers.
Be specific: Avoid vague language. Cut the fluff.
Be consistent: Stick to the copy patterns and style points outlined in this guide.
Please refrain from adding Emojis
Style Guidelines
Abbreviations and acronyms
Spell out a title or phrase before you use an abbreviation or acronym. Then use the short version for all other references. If the abbreviation isn’t clearly related to the full version, specify in parentheses.
· First use: Network Operations Center
· Second use: NOC
· First use: Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) · Second use: UTC
If the abbreviation or acronym is well known, like API or HTML, use it instead (and don’t worry about spelling it out).
Common punctuation and typography uses in FtC
Use only a single “?” or “!” at the end of sentences. Use exclamation points sparingly. Spell out numbers lower than 10.
When linking a thought, only use three periods with no space before or after.
Right: Tom shouted…the silence gone. Wrong: Tom shouted …. the silence gone. Use colons instead of hyphens
Right: Date: Wednesday, Feb. 5 Wrong: Date – Wednesday, February 5 Use a comma after the day, date:
The luncheon was scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 17, in the garden. For events, use time, day, date, place:
The group meets at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, May 3, in the restaurant.
Type in a.m. and p.m. with periods in between and without :00 after the time.
Right: 7 a.m. or 7 p.m. Wrong: 7:00 am or 7:00 pm Place punctuation inside a quote.
Right: “He is a great editor!” Wrong: “He is a bad editor”! Comma usage:
Use a comma after the second to last item if it is a complex construction or phrase, but not if it is a single word or simplistic. Examples:
She bought grapes, peaches and pears.
She bought a barrel of wine, a bag of peaches, and a box of pears. Do not use attributes (such as bold, italics, etc.) in the file.
Do not type words all in capitals. The first letter of the word is okay but not the whole word, sentence or paragraph. If something must be highlighted in some way, please indicate it as a note to the editor at the beginning of the article.
Right: The little brown fox Wrong: THE LITTLE BROWN FOX
Do not add the year when referring to the date of an event held during the current year. When referring to a date, do not add “th”, “st” or “rd” after the number.
Right: Dec. 1, Jan. 2, Feb. 3 Wrong: December 1st, January 2nd Remove any unnecessary spaces between sentences, paragraphs, articles and headings. Prices should be stated in the smallest possible way.
Right: $60 Wrong: $60.00
Social Media and Content Collaboration
FtC encourages content providers to promote their content published in FtC channels to their own audiences. We can provide links and other graphics or information as needed. FtC suggests that content providers promote in their own channels within one week of the work appearing in an FtC channel and promote the work again for up to two weeks after the work appears in the FtC channel.