The Magazine and Audience
American Nurseryman is the leading magazine for the woody ornamental and herbaceous perennials marketplace. As such, we comprehensively cover the various interrelated segments of the US commercial horticulture industry with authoritative news, departments and features. As a rule, we do not feature annuals and bedding plants, vegetables, food crops, turf or grounds maintenance, but upon occasion may cover these topics within articles and news items.

Our audience is composed of field and container growers and wholesalers, landscape architects, designers and contractors, garden center retailers, and interested horticulture researchers and instructors. Most of our readers are owners or managers of horticulture businesses. Those businesses range from small mom-and-pop operations to large conglomerates.

The Procedure
We prefer to evaluate finished manuscripts or detailed article proposals, along with related photos or other artwork. All articles are considered to be submitted “on spec” and are subject to our manuscript review process. The process may take up to a month or so, and may result in acceptance, rejection or a request for a rewrite.

When an article is accepted and scheduled, you will be notified. (At the editorial director’s discretion, however, an article may be moved up or back in the publishing schedule, and the author who handles your manuscript will contact you.) The article will be edited for grammar, style, appropriateness to the audience and completeness of content. All hardiness zones and botanical, common and trademarked names will be checked for accuracy against established resources. Prior to publication, authors will have the opportunity to review edited articles for accuracy, but no rewrites will be accepted at that stage.

Once an article is published, authors receive payment, if any, and two free copies of the issue in which the article appeared. Additional copies are available for $5 each, and costs for black-and-white or full-color reprints can be quoted. 

Necessary Facts, Details and Artwork
All manuscripts and article proposals should include the following:
•    botanical name, common name, trademarked or registered name (if any) and USDA hardiness zone for each plant recommended. Also, please include each plant’s heat-tolerance zone, if known.
•    propagation information, when appropriate (for Field Notes articles and plant-recommendation features)
•    a short biography that summarizes each author’s professional experience, schooling or area of expertise.
•    image captions and credits. Electronic images should be no less than 300 dpi, preferably in a TIF format for best reproduction. Slides should be numbered and/or labeled and captions should be as specific as possible. Photo credits can either specify the photographer or the company or organization supplying the photo.
We do our best to ensure the safe use of your images, and we return all slides after use. 

Rights and Terms
American Nurseryman purchases first North American rights to the text and photos, as well as the right to reprint the published article in future American Nurseryman Publishing Co. ventures. American Nurseryman Publishing Co. reserves the right to grant reprint permission for the published version.

Manuscript Format
We prefer manuscripts to be typed, double-spaced. Submissions can be attached to an email message or sent via USPS on CD. We use Microsoft Word for Macintosh, but have conversion capabilities for other programs.

Types of Articles
Writers may address a specific segment of our audience — growers, landscapers or retailers. We will also consider manuscripts or proposals that may appeal to a general horticulture audience. Types of articles include:
•    Plant recommendation features: Plants in these detailed articles can be grouped based on species, habit, site requirements, ornamental characteristics or other criteria. We’re looking for information on why the plants are recommended, descriptions of what they look like and how they grow, propagation advice and other relevant details. Articles should be 5 to 10 pages long (1,500 to 3,000 words) and include photos.
•    How-to features: This broad category of instructional or information articles includes just about topic that does not recommend specific plants, although plant information may be included. We’re looking for anything a grower, landscaper or retailer needs to know to do his or her job better. Articles should be 5 to 10 pages long (1,500 to 3,000 words) and include photos.
•    Field Notes: This popular department recommends a single plant that the author believes ought to be used more often. The approximately 750-word article should include the following information: common and botanical names, height/width/habit, ornamental characteristics, hardiness zone and propagation information. We also require two photographs: one close-up showing an outstanding ornamental feature; the other illustrating the plant’s habit.
•    Research: These brief summaries of horticulture research projects and results can address any area of the horticulture industry. Completed summaries (500 to 1,500 words) can be submitted, or our editors can write the summary based on an abstract. Articles or abstracts can include photos, diagrams, tables or charts.

Questions?
Call Editorial Director Sally Benson at (312) 427-7339; fax (312) 427-7346; e-mail sbenson@amerinursery.com.