The door is open at Himal Southasian. We do not have staff writers: our magazine is comprised of contributions from journalists, scholars, writers, researchers and other thinkers from all over Southasia and the world – many of whom approach us directly. We are always interested in hearing from new writers. Write to us at: [email protected].

WHAT WE PUBLISH

Himal Southasian is not a news or features magazine. We publish rigorous and reflective journalism, including long-form reportage, political analysis, essays and opinion, interviews, photo essays, reviews and videos that relate to Southasia. We also publish fiction. Take a look at our site to get a sense of the sorts of stories we have covered and how we cover them, on subjects from agriculture to pop culture. We are interested in stories we do not yet know – and in new ways of looking at old stories – as long as they are explored thoughtfully and in depth. Himal is not defined by corporate interests or limited by ‘national interests’ in the range of subjects it can address. Our intention is that our coverage should be as varied as the Southasian region itself.

We seek articles that are regional or cross-border – that show the interconnectedness of the issues we face across Southasia. At the same time we remain interested in very localised stories told with a regional perspective and focus on issues with larger impact. Our readership is extremely diverse and our articles should engage specialists, but also inform non-specialists and general-interest readers. The reader, we like to imagine, is curious, intelligent and could be anyone, based anywhere.

PITCHING

We invite writers to pitch ideas to [email protected]. We discourage one-line pitches as they tell us only about the topic but not about the treatment. We want to know why we should be interested in the article you are proposing. Pitches should be 300-600 words and should introduce the proposed article, its arguments or narrative, and a tentative outline. The writer is encouraged to send links (no more than three) to their previously published articles or writing samples, especially any samples of long form writing. Writers submitting completed articles may additionally attach those.

Things to bear in mind when pitching:

• We only publish original, unpublished pieces – without exception.
• We don’t carry news or feature stories (stories that are found in newspapers or weekend supplements, for example). We also avoid publishing writing dense in academic jargon and clearly written for a niche audience of subject experts.
• We do accept pieces that have been submitted simultaneously to other publications but writers must alert us to this while pitching. If a piece is accepted for publication by Himal (and the writer wishes to proceed with that offer of publication) then it must immediately be withdrawn from other publications.
• We are a digital platform and able to absorb audio, video and other augmentation of stories but this must be discussed before submission.
• We rarely publish articles that are shorter than 800 words. Most of the articles we publish range between about 2000 and 4000 words. We also publish shorter commentary pieces of between 800-1500 words. Occasionally, we publish articles that exceed the 4000-word mark, only if the content justifies the length.

PROCESS

All pitches and submissions made to Himal are considered by the editorial team, and are read by more than one editor. We may also ask for a brief clarification or extension of a pitch so that we may consider it further.

If a pitch is accepted, this sometimes takes the form of a commission, or in other cases, we may make a decision only upon seeing it in draft form. (Please send your drafts as Word documents – not PDFs or Google Docs links.) Our editorial process is rigorous and it is not unusual for a piece to go through a few rounds of editing. Editing most often takes the form of asking questions to strengthen argument, suggestions made for clarity of line and structure and discussion with the writer to make the piece as strong as possible. All substantive changes are referred back to the writer at each stage. Every article is fact checked as a matter of rigour (not mistrust!) and proofed before publication to ensure consistency with the Himal in-house style guide.

PUBLICATION AND PAYMENT

We are always working on multiple pieces of multiple natures – some timebound, some timeless – and consequently our publication schedule is intricately plotted. So, we ask writers not to have definite expectations regarding publication dates. But if a writer wishes their piece to be published within a specific timeframe, then we ask that the writer communicates this at the outset of correspondence. However, articles that are limited by news-related deadlines are probably not suitable for us.

On average Himal pays USD 100-150 for an article, subsequent to publication.

Occasionally, as with any publication, a piece does not make it all the way to publication – but this is rare, a decision never taken lightly and always in discussion with the writer themselves.

COPYRIGHT

Copyright of the published article remains with Himal unless otherwise agreed.

PATIENCE

We are a small team with a large workload. We will respond – do please be patient if you do not hear back from us immediately.

VIDEO SUBMISSIONS

We seek videos that are regional or cross-border – that show the interconnectedness of the issues we face across Southasia. At the same time we remain interested in very localised stories told with a regional perspective and focus on issues with larger impact.

You may send us a pitch related to the topics that fall under the below mentioned themes. You may also pitch a story that doesn’t come under these themes but could be compelling for the Himal audience.

NEWSMAKERS: Stories of prominent people who made news in your region/country.

CULTURE: Stories on food, clothes, art forms, monuments, traditions, institutions, etc. that have a cross-border angle.

MEDIA: Stories of journalists and regional media groups that cover marginalised groups and/or are being persecuted by the state.

NEWSWORTHY: Stories on newsworthy events in your region/country that have a larger impact.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Stories on how climate change is impacting people and places and what actions are being taken to mitigate its effects.

COVID-19: Stories on the impact of COVID19 pandemic on our personal, political and cultural lives.

Note: We are currently accepting pitches for short videos (1-5minutes) only.

PROCESS:

All pitches and submissions made to Himal are considered by the editorial team, and are read by more than one editor. We may also ask for a brief clarification or extension of a pitch so that we may explore it further.

Step 1: If your pitch is selected, we will ask for a rough outline or script for the video story.

Step 2: You will be required to send us a revised script/storyboard after reporting. Script/storyboard should include details on soundbites, b-rolls, data sources, etc.

Step 3: For editing, we will share Himal’s video-editing guidelines with you for the package.

Step 4: Once the package is approved, we will schedule the video for publication and initiate the payment process.

On average Himal pays USD 300-350 for a video story, subsequent to publication.