Submissions

We accept submissions from both professional (i.e. part of their income comes from playing or teaching music) and amateur (i.e. those who play for recreation only) musicians.

In 1977 DPN editors Phil Mason & Maddie MacNeil wrote, “The D.P.N. remains open to any voice or point of view … after all, it's your magazine!!!” The editors have changed, but Dulcimer Players News is still your magazine, and your voice matters! We encourage everyone to contribute!

• Do you have exciting news to share about the dulcimer community?

• Would you like to publish an arrangement of a personal composition or a public domain song/tune?

• Have you just released a new dulcimer-related album or book?

• Is there a playing technique you’d like to share with other players?

• Are you looking to connect with other dulcimer players for more information about a builder or player?

Email harmony@dpnews.com for more information about including your story in Dulcimer Players News! Or scroll down and use the “Contact Us” form below.

Print Schedule & Deadlines

Dulcimer Players News is published four times a year: February, May, August, and November.

Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis, and contribution deadlines are generally the first of the month 2 months ahead of the publication month, i.e. Dec. 1, March 1, June 1, and Sept. 1, respectively.

This does not mean, however, that any submission made before the deadline is guaranteed publication in the upcoming or any subsequent issue. The deadline is simply the last day we can accept materials for publication, with very few exceptions.

If you have an idea for a story or news to share, please reach out as soon as possible. We often begin planning issues more than 6-12 months in advance. The more notice we have, the better we can plan and create an engaging, cohesive issue.

Some, but not all, issues of DPN coalesce around a general theme or idea. Sometimes this is planned, sometimes it is serendipitous, depending on what gets submitted. If an issue already has a theme decided, it will be noted below, though it is generally not every story need be connected to the theme in the issue. There is room for timely news and unrelated content.

What we need

There are several components to a submission. Due to the print nature of the magazine, there are many specifications to meet in order to make an article look the best. Please read the information below for an overview of what we need from you.

Text

Please submit your text as either a plain text or .rtf file, Word or Open Office document, or Google Doc (preferred).

Try to include as little formatting as possible, e.g. extra lines between paragraphs, indents, etc. All formatting will be stripped prior to publication. If a specific format is critical, please discuss it with us prior to submission.

Generally articles are less than 1000 words, but we do share longer features. If your submission will be more than 1000 words, please reach out to us before submitting to discuss publication options.

Don’t be afraid to use headings, bullet points, and infoboxes!

Photos and Images

All photos, graphics, and other illustrations must be a high resolution of 300 ppi or greater. (For more information about resolution, please go to the DPN Advertising page and scroll to the “Resolution” section.)

Usually photos tend to be large in file size and may require the use of a file transfer service such as DropBox or WeTransfer. Depending on their size, you may be able to send them via email, but only as attachments. When images are embedded into emails, they are usually compressed to fit, unless you specify “Original Size.”

Please do not embed photos, images, graphics, etc. into the body of your text submission. You may indicate within the text {using brackets} where a particular image might be appropriate, but all submissions will be reformatted by the graphic designer, so no placement is guaranteed without prior approval.

We also need captions for the images. (If submitting multiple images, files and captions should be clearly labeled and indicated.) Please include as much detail as possible about the image, including, as applicable:

• who is pictured (from left to right, front row, row 1, row 2, etc.)

• when the photo was taken

• where the photo was taken

• a brief description (2-3 sentences) of what is happening in the photo

Sometimes we need to trim captions due to space limitations, but it is always better for us to have too much information than too little.

We also need to include the name of the photographer, and we must have their permission to print the photo.

We make every effort to respect the copyright of all artists and creators. If you are unsure of the source of a photo or image, please discuss it with us. If the photographer is unknown and impossible to trace (e.g. the photo is a snapshot, several decades old, an orphaned work, or rights were transferring to another party), depending on circumstances the phrase “Photo courtesy of {person submitting photo}.” may suffice.

If the photo or image is in the public domain, please be prepared to provide documentation regarding it’s copyright status. For example, if you thought this picture of a dulcimer from The Met would work well with your story, please share the link, which shows it is a public domain image. On the other hand, this picture of a dulcimer from The Met is not in the public domain and we could not print it without permission.

Sheet music, tablature, arrangements

Because of copyright law, Dulcimer Players News can publish arrangements (sheet music, tablature, etc.) only of music that is either an original compositions or in the public domain.

Please be prepared to provide documentation regarding the work’s copyright status.

Arrangements should be submitted as PDF documents. If possible, please share the ABC notation of your arrangement, which we can use in the digital edition. (If using TablEdit, see the user manual for details. More information about ABC notation can be found at https://abcnotation.com/. Michael Eskin’s ABC Tools are also an incredible resource.)

If you are only submitting an arrangement and not a full article, please include a short description of the piece, such as why you wrote it or where the song came from, and be sure to include your tagline, too (see below)!

Tell us about you!

Every article includes a tagline, a few sentences about the author. Some authors like their taglines to be simple and professional, others take a more lighthearted approach. Please be sure to include your website and/or contact information.

We also encourage you to submit a headshot, preferably with your instrument. Please see the photo submission information above for details. We don’t always have room to include headshots, but it can be a nice opportunity for readers to connect a name with a face.

Song sampler

Dulcimer Players News no longer offers a CD or digital downloads with each issue. Instead we create YouTube playlists on our YouTube channel for each issue. We can also embed YouTube videos in the digital edition. It is helpful to us if you can send us links to either videos you have created or to other videos related to your submission.

Contact Us

We would love to hear from you!

Send a message using the form below, or send an email to the publisher at editor@dpnews.com.

505 Cornhusker Road | Suite 105, PMB 265 | Bellevue NE 68005
1-402-681-3709