Contribute

So you want to write for A List Apart Magazine.

What we’re looking for

We want to change the way our readers work, whether that means introducing a revolutionary CSS technique with dozens of potential applications, challenging the design community to ditch bad practices, or refuting common wisdom about, say, screen readers.

If your article can do that, we want to see it.

What we’re not looking for

There are hundreds of other places to find nifty JavaScript and CSS tricks, so we’re going to focus on what we do best. (See above.) Similarly, while extensions to articles we’ve published are interesting and important, we’d rather link to them from the appropriate comment section than publish a separate article. “Sliding Doors Meet Faux Columns” won’t cut it.

We don’t publish anything that has been published previously anywhere else. Your blog counts.

How to write an article for ALA

Present a clear argument via a well-balanced structure while keeping our core readership of working web professionals in mind. Write boldly and in your own voice, but please refer to our style guide for guidelines on format and house style. Verify your information and cite sources when you need to.

All code examples submitted for consideration (whether they’re presented inline within your article or as separate pages) must:

• Use markup that validates to the XHTML 1.0 Transitional DOCTYPE.
• Work in all modern browsers (Safari 1.0+, Firefox 1.0+, Internet Explorer 5.5+/Win, Opera 8+).
• Degrade gracefully when images, JavaScript, and/or CSS are not active.

We’ll look for a variety of other good practices, but these points are non-negotiable. The more testing you’ve done, the better. Please see the style guide for markup and CSS formatting notes.

How to submit an article for consideration

your submission. We try to review submissions at least once a week, but sometimes it takes longer. (Sometimes a lot longer.) Patience is a virtue.

There are three acceptable formats for the delivery of the final draft of your article:

• XHTML
• Microsoft Word doc or RTF
• Plain text

If you use XHTML, please limit yourself to clean, simple markup. The h1 element is reserved for use as a page header, so please use h2 through h4 as needed in your article.

If you use Microsoft Word or plain text, please put link text in square brackets, with the URL in parentheses following your link text (or use Textile marks).

Why write for ALA?

Writing for A List Apart can lead to freelance and staff job opportunities, speaking and teaching engagements, and even—if you’ve got the stuff—book deals. Your peers and clients read ALA to the tune of three million page views a month (and climbing). Thousands of colleagues will see your work published in a credible and respected forum, and many will visit the links you include in your author bio. We can make you a star.

Wages of authorship

For articles we accept, A List Apart pays $100 on publication.