Thanks for your interest in writing for Kobold Quarterly! As a small magazine, we need all the help we can get to grow and become a Great Wyrm someday. We’re looking to find a new generation of writers, while drawing on the best existing talent.

Magazine Queries and Submissions

KQ is taking queries from all Open Design patrons, from Kobold Quarterly subscribers, and from established freelancers in the tabletop RPG field.

It’s up to you to decide what you’d like to query, though I’d ask that you not query more than two articles at a time. As the Open Design ‘zine, anything sword & sorcery, tabletop RPG, and D&D-related will get a hearing.

I’ll respond to queries within 30 days. If you haven’t heard from me by then, I’ve been sucked into the slush pile; please send a rescue party. Or just ping me about your query.

Please send your queries by email to Wolfgang, and include “Query” in the subject line, plus a brief description of the article’s topic, approach, rules set, and likely length.

What We’re Looking For

On the one hand, we’d like to imitate our betters, and just do everything that Dragon magazine did, back when it was a colossus of the newsstands. On the other hand, Kobold Quarterly is its own magazine, small but fierce, and has already begun to develop its own stable of regular authors and its own voice. Check a current issue to see what sort of articles we run, but don’t just query a rehash of something we did in a prior issue.

What does a Kobold-in-Chief really want? Your best stuff, meaning exciting articles that work at the game table for both Dungeon Masters and players. Since it’s a small shop, provide clean, snappy text that doesn’t require a ton of development. “Good idea, lousy execution” will get a rejection every time.

1. Short player-focused articles with titles like Gear for Rogues, Weather Mages, Clerical Vows, or 10 Unusual Ways to Slay a Demon and Take Its Treasure. I’d also be interested in new spells (in small, related groups) and in trap articles.
2. Monster ecologies of creatures that Dragon and Kobold Quarterly have not covered. You’ll find a complete list in the Monster Ecologies book by Paizo and here on the site.
3. Articles on the minis/tactical aspect of D&D, such as combat maneuver combos, terrain, or combat in ranks or shield walls. Anything that requires a battle mat, in other words.
4. Official Pathfinder articles. These are subject to approval by Paizo (which Wolfgang would handle). Send a pitch for Golarion-based crunch, but be aware that the Golarion-based elements might need to be stripped out if they do not meet with Paizo approval.
5. Top-notch clockwork and steampunk material. Getting the queries approved is the easy part; I hold these to a very high standard because I love the subgenre.
6. The easiest to break into print is with a player-focused, short article under 900 words. Next easiest is a Friday Funny, or other Web article for this site’s front page (see the web guidelines below). The hardest areas to break into are the features, such as Ecology articles and new base classes.

What I’m NOT Looking For

I’m not interested in long adventures, poetry, fiction, character writeups, CRPG material, D&D minis, or game reviews. All of those are great things, but they are all out for right now.

KQ does not hold a license to use copyrighted material from the Forgotten Realms, Eberron, Greyhawk, and other campaign settings. Sure, we’ll talk about those settings, but we won’t (and can’t) publish official game material for them.

Requested Manuscripts: Length and Formatting

If your query is accepted, please send your completed article as a Word or RTF attachment with minimal formatting. Include your name, address, and the total wordcount on the manuscript. Also, use page numbers. Allow 1 inch margins and at least 10 point type. I’m looking for items under 2,200 words, and under 1,500 is better.

3E and Pathfinder RPG monsters should be formatted using the Paizo style, as shown in any recent Pathfinder adventure. 4E monsters should be formatted as shown in the “Ecology of the Centaur” article in issue #7 or any 4E monster from the Monday Monster series.

Check your manuscript for spelling and grammar, as well as for rules consistency. If you include material from a d20 or Open source, please note this in your cover email and in the manuscript. If you include 4E material from any source other than KQ, note this in your cover email and in the manuscript.

Payments and Rights

Rates and payment varies depending on KQ‘s ability to pay (we’re broke at all times is our motto). However, we hold to a strict minimum payment of 1 cent a word for all print articles; Web content has a strict maximum of 1 cent a word and is frequently unpaid.

Depending on the article, KQ acquires all rights or first worldwide rights. For first rights, this means that all article rights revert to you after publication. All Zobeck-related articles are all-rights-only to allow for free development of the shared world without legal obstacles.

If you are comfortable selling all rights, your article will be considered for The Best of Kobold Quarterly, Vol. 1. We dare to dream.

Web Submission Guidelines

Web submissions are largely held to the same standard as print submissions, but follow a slightly different process for submission and publication.

These articles should be less than 800 words long and do not require a query. You can submit them directly to the Web editor, Miranda Horner. Most web submissions are unpaid; a few long-running series or specially-commissioned articles are paid 1 cent/word.

Artist Guidelines

Kobold Quarterly will be commissioning paid art from existing Open Design artists and a few selected artists from the field.

If you’d like to be considered, please send a sample file, a list of previous credits, and/or link to an online portfolio to Wolfgang, or query for details.