Interested in contributing to Hokkadio Explorer? We’d be glad to have you. This page offers a brief overview of the types of articles we want and the process of submitting them. We’ll add more information to this page over time.
Example types of articles
The categories listed here are just ideas. Feel free to pitch something new or something which doesn’t seem to fit anywhere below.
Travel feature
This could be somewhere in Hokkaido, Japan or the world. Travel features should focus on the experience of the trip, giving readers an idea of what it might be like to make a similar trip.
Travel trends
Examples might be a new budget airline serving Hokkaido, a surge in travelers from a certain country, or the efforts of a town to attract new travelers.
Travel essay
This is a guest column by someone writing about a travel experience, though it is not crafted like a feature article. This may focus more on individual experience or a particular story within the trip.
Profile
Profiles feature one person (or possibly a small group of people), covering a noteworthy angle.
Interview
The contributor interviews a subject and presents the full or edited interview as a Q and A.
Photo Essay
The contributor submits 5-10 high quality photos, each with a detailed description. We also request a brief introduction to the photo essay.
News
News articles could be short and to the point or longer with more details and comments. Some news articles could be made into longer features discussing an issue in depth.
Events
Event articles should go beyond the basic event listings and offer some interesting background or details. These articles are best timed before the event, but in some cases we could use an article that was reported on during the event.
Features
This is a wide category, covering things like arts and culture, music, technology, health, the outdoors, or education. Features go into a topic in depth, with possible sidebars, photo essays, or interviews being packaged along with the main article.
The process
Commissioning
The first step in preparing to contribute to Hokkaido Explorer is to discuss the idea with an editor. You can contact an editor any time at editor (at) hokkaidoexplorer (dot) com. Upon commissioning, we will discuss some more details such as length, angle, or the need for photos. Also at this stage, a deadline should be determined.
Submit
If you have a contributor account on our WordPress backend system, you can create a post and place your article there. Any necessary changes will be discussed and made at this stage. When the article is ready, we will publish it to the website. Note: If you do not have a backend account, you can email your contribution directly to us. However, we will be happy to set up a contributor account for anyone who plans to submit articles on a regular basis.
Style / Usage
We are developing a style guide and it will be available to contributors soon. When in doubt, refer to Associated Press style.
Payment
Contact us for details about our pay system.
Questions? Email the editor using the form below:
