What material Catholic Digest uses:- Non-fiction, full-length articles (1000-2000 words) on almost any topic. The average length of a Catholic Digest feature article is 1200-1700 words. Our readers have a wide range of interests — religion, family, health, human relationships, nostalgia, good works, and more.
- Short, filler articles (less than 1000 words). See filler material guidelines, below.
- Most articles we use are reprinted — i.e., they have appeared in another periodical or newspaper. But we also consider original submissions.
- Catholic Digest Q&As are most often conducted by members of the Catholic Digest staff. We do not reprint Q&As from outside sources, and only rarely do we use original Q&As from outside sources.
- Most Catholic Digest articles contain a faith element or a connection to the Catholic Church, either within the article itself, or within sidebar material.
- Catholic Digest does not accept material that is overtly politically biased or material that is demeaning to others.
- We do not consider fiction, poetry, academic papers, puzzle submissions, open letters, opinion pieces; book, music, or movie reviews; or submissions simultaneously sent to other publications. Poets may wish to submit to St. Anthony Messenger (americancatholic.org), U.S. Catholic (uscatholic.org), or America (americamagazine.org) — These are Catholic magazines that accept poetry.
Tips on selling a manuscript to Catholic Digest- Before you submit a manuscript, study a copy of Catholic Digest for our article tone and style, or visit our Web site (CatholicDigest.com).
- Catholic Digest favors the anecdotal approach. Stories submitted must be strongly focused on a definitive topic, and hold a national appeal. This topic should be illustrated for the reader by way of a well-developed series of true-life, interconnected vignettes. Lively dialogue and/or quotes can help a story to stand out.
- Please include your full name, address, telephone number, and e-mail on each submitted page.
- If you are submitting an original article, please include a short one or two-line bio to be included at the end of your article, should it be accepted for publication.
- If you are submitting an article for reprint consideration, you must include the name, address, and editor of the original publication source, the copyright line from the original source, and the page number and date of the original publication. Please indicate the type of rights you ow, as well.
- If you are submitting an original manuscript by mail, please send a double-spaced, typewritten copy. Do not send original copies of your work. We cannot be responsible for lost or unreturned manuscripts or photographs. If you submit an attachment by e-mail, please also include the submission in the body of your message. This will help ensure that we can read your submission even if the attachment is not compatible with our computer programs.
- If you have photos that may be used to accompany your story, please attach them as .jpeg files. Photos must be at least 300dpi to be used in the magazine. Appropriate credit lines and captions should also accompany the photos.
- Due to the large number of submissions we receive, Catholic Digest is unable to provide feedback on individual articles, and we are unable to acknowledge the receipt of every article.
- Seasonal material should be submitted at least 3-4 months in advance.
Catholic Digest article payment rates:On average,
Catholic Digest pays
$100 for reprints or $200-300, for originals, upon publication. For this payment, your article may be published in any
Catholic Digest publication, including but not limited to
Catholic Digest and our Web site (
CatholicDigest.com). A copy of the issue will also be sent to any author whose original work is published in
Catholic Digest.
Submit manuscripts to:Articles Editor,
Catholic DigestP.O. Box 6015, 1 Montauk Avenue, Suite 200
New London, CT 06320
or by email to cdsubmissions@bayard-inc.com.
For submissions by mail, only those which include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) will receive a response.
We try to respond within 6-8 weeks of the date on which the submission is received. E-mail submissions are preferred, and generally receive a faster response.
- If submitting via e-mail please make sure that your spam filter is adjusted to accept mail from our accounts. We are not responsible for undelivered responses due to computer errors. You may receive a response from any of our e-mail accounts ending with: @bayard-inc.com or @catholicdigest.com
- Catholic Digest purchases first rights; we reserve the right to edit all work for length and content.
What filler material Catholic Digest uses:OPEN DOOR - A regular, monthly filler feature that includes statements of true incidents through which people are brought into the Catholic faith, or recover the Catholic faith they had lost (320 words).
OTHER FILLERS - Jokes, short anecdotes, inspirational stories, and informational paragraphs (one-liners to 500 words).
Catholic Digest filler rates: To authors, we pay $2 per published line (full-page width), up to $100, upon publication. For this payment, your filler may be published in any
Catholic Digest publication, including but not limited to
Catholic Digest and our Web site (www.CatholicDigest.com). A copy of the issue will also be sent to any author whose original work is published in
Catholic Digest.
For longer filler pieces (2-3 pages, as laid out in
Catholic Digest)
Catholic Digest pays $100 for originals, and $50 for reprints.
Submit filler to: Filler Editor,
Catholic Digest, P.O. Box 6015, 1 Montauk Avenue, Suite 200, New London, CT 06320, or by e-mail to
cdfillers@bayard-inc.com. If submitting by mail, writers must enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) if they wish to receive a reply.
Cartoonist guidelines:- Catholic Digest most often uses single panel cartoons, though multi-panel cartoons occasionally are accepted. Catholic Digest cartoons must be family-friendly, but do not need to be religious or spiritual in nature. We do not accept political cartoons.
- On average, Catholic Digest uses three cartoons per issue.
- Catholic Digest pays $100, upon publication, for each cartoon (color or black and white; single or multi-panel) published in the magazine.
- Cartoons may be submitted by e-mail to cdfillers@bayard-inc.com, or by mail to Cartoon Editor, Catholic Digest, P.O. Box 6015, 1 Montauk Ave., Ste. 200, New London, CT 06320
