Style
Articles for DiscoverTheOutdoors.com (DTO.com) will cover a broad array of subjects for a variety of interests and experience levels. Articles geared to a beginning and/or intermediate-level participant should be written to communicate clearly with that specific level of understanding, and generally at what is considered to be a seventh- to eighth-grade reading level. More advanced level articles will necessitate a higher level of writing. Unless the topic or the assignment demands otherwise, feature articles should be as detailed but concise as possible.

Length
Feature articles should be 800-1,200 words in length, although more or fewer may be required on specific subjects, as determined by DTO.com.

Art
DTO.com is a graphically intense site and all articles will require photographic or other art to support the feature. (See below for pricing.)

Payment
DTO.com will pay from $250-$300 for each original, assigned article created specifically for our use, including at least three (preferably more) photographs to support it. Standard payment for use of previously published material will be $175, or negotiated on a case-by-case basis, in which content, depth and uniqueness of the article, and the quality and number of photos or art provided will determine the payment amount. As noted above, photos or other art will be an expected part of the assignment and will not constitute additional payment. Art thus obtained will be used only in association with the article. Standard payment for individual, stand-alone photographs and other art is $25 per image, per use. Solicitation of and payment for premium "cover quality" art will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

DTO.com, Inc. will serve due diligence in protecting all photos/art from any unapproved access to or use of said images. Any variation from this standard will require prior agreement between DTO.com and the author/photographer.

Assignments/Submissions
Any and all assignments will be issued at the discretion and direction of the DTO.com content editor, who will outline the content expectations for each assignment to the author. Articles and associated artwork should be submitted on or before the stated deadline.

Usage
Articles and accompanying photos will be published on the DTO.com site (one-time use), and will become part of the DTO.com article library for an indefinite time period ranging from six months to perpetuity. DTO.com asks for exclusive North American publishing rights to original articles for a period of six months following the day it is accepted. After six months, rights to original articles are entirely non-exclusive. Rights are non-exclusive at all times for photographs and other art related to original feature articles, as well as for any previously published material.

Text should be submitted electronically via e-mail, as an attached Microsoft Word 6.0 (or better) file. For documents created in WordPerfect, Word for Macintosh or other word processing applications, please attempt to "Save As" a Word for Windows file with the ".doc" file extension. Articles may also be sent on floppy disk in the same format(s), though e-mail is preferred.

Photos-DTO.com can accept photos and other art work in a variety of formats:

• Scanned prints or slides sent via e-mail
• Prints or negatives sent via U.S. Mail, FedEx or other carrier
• Slides sent via U.S. Mail, FedEx or other carrier
• Digital photos (high-resolution only) sent via e-mail

Scanning Instructions-Most scanning software allows the user to adjust the size and resolution of an image to match the following requirements. We recommend not enlarging a scan or digital photo, as this will degrade the quality of the image. If your image is smaller than the recommended size, rescan it, or send the file "as is." Photos should be scanned and saved as JPEG files (.jpg file extension).

1) We recommend that the image dimensions be no less than 800 x 600 pixels, at 72 dpi (dots per inch).
2) JPEG files have varied levels of compression. We recommend saving files at a "Quality" that is between 80% and 90%. This provides a high level of quality with the added benefits of file compression. Larger size is acceptable.

For more information contact:

Walt Tegtmeier
Content Editor
wtegtmeier@dto.com

or

Dan Lekie
Content Director
dlekie@dto.com

DiscoverTheOutdoors.com
7015 College Blvd., Suite 560
Overland Park, KS 66211
(913) 498-3100; (913) 498-3104 fax
1-866-386-0266 toll free