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Open Call

The Daring Magazine Open Call for Essay and Memoir

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How to Pitch The Daring


Thanks so much for your interest, we look forward to reading and seeing your work. The Daring publishes pieces from freelance contributors and is always looking to commission new writers, storytellers, and artists. Our stories are organized around four categories: Art, Music, Poetry, and Opinion. This includes photography, illustration, drawing, painting, mixed media, multimedia, and video.

Our stories focus on but are not limited to the intersection between art and life, deepening craft, and mental health. Our guiding principle is a curiosity about how the literary and visual arts relate to the human experience. A strong piece for us has an element of the personal and also raises questions or addresses issues that are more universal.

We’re thrilled to get to know your work! When submitting, please keep your pitch to one to two short paragraphs, no more than 500 words. Include in your pitch your idea, methodology, and your sense of why now. Please, no artspeak or academic papers. We are looking to foster human connection with each piece.

We look forward to receiving your pitches! Below, please find the main topics we are interested in expanding upon at this time.

Music

We love stories that resonate for reasons other than just the artists’ songs. Artist profiles are great, so are essays about relationship to craft or about how a piece of music changed perspectives in a surprising or profound way.

Rate: $80 minimum for 800–1,800 words. 


Opinion

We’re interested in personal essays and memoir, especially pieces that delve into identity, mental health, and the intersection between art and life.

Rate: $80 minimum for 800–1,800 words.

Deadline: May 31, 2022

Terms & Conditions

  • • Upon publication, commissioned contributors will be paid a fee, amount depending on the format and length of works published.
  • • Authors retain copyright.
  • • We acquire first serial rights worldwide in English and non-exclusive anthology rights.
  • • Each piece will be published in our online magazine and will become part of The Daring archives.
  • • We accept simultaneous submissions. Please withdraw your submission or notify us if your work is accepted elsewhere so we can wish you a warm congratulations and remove your work from our queue.
  • • We’ll do our utmost to respond within three months, but due to the volume of submissions we receive, and the careful and collaborative nature of our review process, that may not always be possible. Thank you for your patience.

We would like to be upfront about a contributor's rights in the event that they are published at The Daring. Here is the relevant portion of the contract:

The Contributor agrees not to publish or permit others to publish the Work in any form prior to its publication on The Daring website or for a period of one (1) month after the publication on The Daring website without the prior written permission of the Publisher. If the Work is selected for a “best of the year” anthology, the Publisher agrees to waive this clause, provided the Contributor gives the Publisher prior written notice of the selection. The Contributor further grants the Publisher the following rights for the Work:

  • • for the website, thedaring.co, as a part of The Daring archives
  • • exclusive worldwide audio rights solely for use in The Daring's podcasting program and the dedicated web page for the Work, for one (1) month after the Work is published.

The Contributor grants the Publisher the non-exclusive right to use and re-use the Contributor’s name, image, biography, and excerpts of the Work in advertising and promotion of all Publisher’s publications in online media. Upon request, the Contributor shall provide the Publisher with a Contributor portrait and a short bio written in the third person for such use. Except as above, Contributor retains all other rights, including copyright.

All rights not expressly granted by the Contributor reside exclusively with the Contributor, including, but not limited to, multimedia art, film, TV, and dramatic adaptations.

The Contributor represents and warrants that:
  • • they have full power to make this grant of rights
  • • the Work is the Contributor’s original work
  • • the Work is accurate and factually correct
  • • the Work contains no matter which infringes copyright, trademark, or other rights, is defamatory or otherwise unlawful, invades the right of privacy or publicity, or which infringes any other proprietary right of any third parties
  • • the Work has not been previously published in English by the Contributor or any third parties, except in such cases as are previously agreed to in writing by Publisher and Contributor
  • • if the consent and permission of any third parties are required to use the Work described above, including persons depicted in the Work, Contributor has obtained such consent and permission in writing and will submit copies to Publisher on delivery of the Work.
(Click here for Visura's Terms & Condititions)