Submission Guidelines

Trophy Club Journal Submission Guidelines
Last Updated May 23, 2019

Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for citizens to submit information that they would like to share. Please read and follow these simple guidelines to assure the fastest possible turn around time from submission to publication to the Trophy Club Journal (TCJ).

General Guidelines & Conditions

A. The person submitting the content must have full legal authority to publish the content.
B. If the content is about another person, you must have their permission to publish the content. Unauthorized biographies are not permitted on the website. By submission, you assert that you have been granted permission to publish content about another person and will hold TCJ harmless of the content of the publication.
C. You must be registered with the website to submit content. Registration is easy and free.
D. You must provide your legal name, address, phone number and email in order to submit content. Only your name will be made public. The remaining information is so that we may contact you regarding any issues with your publication.
a. There are no anonymous posts on the Trophy Club Journal.
E. You must be a minimum of 13 years old to submit content. Anyone under the age of 17 must provide permission of their parent or guardian to publish. The content of a publication may be about a minor (such as a piece of artwork or story written by a minor) but it must be submitted to TCJ by the parent or guardian of the minor.
F. When you submit, you acknowledge that this website is viewable worldwide and that your content may be seen worldwide. As such, you are granting us a non-exclusive, irrevocable and perpetual license to publish your content worldwide on any website owned or affiliated with TCJ. You are not granting us any other rights to publication.
G. When you submit, you acknowledge that other websites may syndicate the content in ways that are out of the control of TCJ. You agree to hold TCJ, its affiliates, officers and/or employees harmless with any such publication.
H. When you submit, you acknowledge that you will not be compensated in any way by TCJ, its affiliates, officers and/or employees. All submissions are without compensation to the author or to any person mentioned in the content.
I. The content of your submission must not contain any libelous, defamatory or obscene language.
J. Submission does not guarantee that the content will be published.

Spotlight Submission Requirements

These guidelines are in addition to the general guidelines noted above.

1. Complete the spotlight submission form. It is the same form for any category but please select the category you desire to be published in.
2. After submitting the form, you will be contacted to submit pictures to an email address that we will provide. You must submit at least one picture of the person being spotlighted. You may submit up to 3 more pictures including one which is a picture of the author. There is no guarantee that all the pictures will be used.
   a. Pictures must be at least 150 dpi (300 dpi is preferred)
   b. Minimum width of pictures should be 300 pixels wide.
   c. Pictures shall be of good quality, not blurry or busy with extraneous background.
3. You may submit a spotlight about yourself. When doing so, please write in the 3rd person. The editor shall be listed as the author. Please notify us that this is your intent.
4. You may submit a spotlight about another person and have your name excluded. In such a case, the editor will be listed as the author. Please notify us that this is your intent. All other submission guidelines still apply whether you are listed as the author or not.
5. Generally, spotlight submissions should tell a story, not simply list facts & dates. Think of them as a short biography. What makes the person worthy of a spotlight? What are some of the great things they have accomplished? Focus on something they have done which is remarkable. It doesn’t necessarily have to be about Trophy Club. By being a citizen, they are a part of our town.
6. Spotlight submissions are subject to editorial review, edit & grammar checks.
7. Spotlights should be no more than 500 words. For submissions longer than this please consider a nonfiction creative writing submission.
8. Advertising links are not permitted in Spotlights. However, links to reference materials may be provided. A single link to a product or service may be provided.

Creative Writing Submission Requirements

These guidelines are in addition to the general guidelines noted above.

1. Complete the creative writing submission form. Include only a synopsis of the story…no more than a few paragraphs. Use the same form for either fiction or nonfiction. Please specify which category you desire to be published in.
2. As a reminder, “nonfiction” is a story about events that have happened. “Fiction” is a story that is made up out of the imagination … even if parts of it are based on real life events.
3. After submitting the form, you will be contacted to submit the remainder of the story via email. The story must be written in Microsoft Word. We cannot accept any other format.
4. An entire body of work need not be included in the creative writing section. For example, a single chapter out of an entire book is acceptable. It would then be acceptable to provide a link to the book where it can be purchased. As the excerpt provides value to the citizens of Trophy Club and because the author is a resident of Trophy Club, we will not consider this to be a bonafide advertisement.
   1. a. Note: TCJ shall be the sole beneficiary of any monetized link referrals. The author or contributor shall not be compensated via a referral link.
   2. b. If the creative submission is part of a larger body of work, please identify it as such. These works will not be edited for grammar or content and will be published “as is”.
5. In your return email you will also be requested to submit pictures. You must submit at least one picture. You may submit up to 3 more pictures including one which is a picture of the author, a book cover, a piece of art created by you, or another picture of which you own the rights. There is no guarantee that all the pictures will be used.
   1. a. Pictures must be at least 150 dpi (300 dpi is preferred)
   2. b. Minimum width of pictures should be 425 pixels wide.
   3. c. Pictures shall be of good quality, not blurry or busy with extraneous background.

Restaurant News & Recipe Submission Requirements

These guidelines are in addition to the general guidelines noted above.

1. Complete the Restaurant News & Recipe submission form.
   1. a. Simple reviews such as one would find on Yelp are not appropriate on our website. However, a full in-depth article, such as advice by a local chef on how to cook a particular meal is well served on this website.
   2. b. For a Recipe Submission, please include a description of the recipe. We will contact you for the details.
2. After submitting the form, you will be contacted to submit the remainder of the article or recipe via email. The story must be written in Microsoft Word. We cannot accept any other format.
3. If the article or recipe has been previously published, you must let us know where. If you are excerpting a recipe from a book that you have published, you must let us know the title of the book. As the excerpt provides value to the citizens of Trophy Club and because the author is a resident of Trophy Club, we will not consider this to be a bonafide advertisement.
   a. Note: TCJ shall be the sole beneficiary of any monetized link referrals. The author or contributor shall not be compensated via a referral link.
   b. If the submission is part of a larger body of work, please identify it as such. These works will not be edited for grammar or content and will be published “as is”.
4. In your return email you will also be requested to submit pictures. You must submit at least one picture. If the submission is for a recipe, at least one picture must be of the finished dish. You may submit up to 3 more pictures including one which is a picture of the author, a book cover, or another picture of which you own the rights. If you are a restaurant owner then you may include a picture of you, standing in front of your restaurant. A picture of a restaurant, without the owner in the view will not be accepted. There is no guarantee that all the pictures will be used.
   a. Pictures must be at least 150 dpi (300 dpi is preferred)
   b. Minimum width of pictures should be 425 pixels wide.
   c. Pictures shall be of good quality, not blurry or busy with extraneous background.

News Submission Requirements

These guidelines are in addition to the general guidelines noted above.

1. Complete the General News submission form. Include all relevant information to the news story.
2. The news story must be about the town, the citizens of the town, or generally related to issues which affect the town. National news or Texas State news stories are not accepted unless they have a direct impact in the lives of Trophy Club citizens. The editor shall have the sole authority to accept or reject any news story. Acceptance of a story is NOT an endorsement of the content of the story.
3. Stories must be based on actual evidence or facts. Inuendo, speculation or opinion are not acceptable. You will be contacted after submission to provide any evidence required to substantiate the story. The tone of the article shall be written as fact based and the author shall not inject any opinion or side with any party of the story.
4. You the author, or the source of the evidence, may remain anonymous for publication, however the evidence may not be anonymous. You must use your real name and contact information on the submission. If you desire to remain anonymous for publication, you must make an affirmative statement as such in your submission. If you do not, then you may be referenced in the source of the story.
   a. Take special note: THIS CAN NOT BE UNDONE. Once the story is published with your name it cannot be unpublished. The internet remembers everything.
5. While TCJ may edit the content for grammar and syntax, you remain the author of the story (even if you are anonymous). As such, you accept all responsibility and liability for the validity of the content and you will hold TCJ harmless in any legal action against us or you.
6. Note that Anonymous for publication does not mean anonymous from litigation. WE DO NOT PROTECT ANONYMOUS CONTRIBUTORS FROM LITIGATION. FURTHERMORE, WE WILL COMPLY WITH ANY COURT ORDER OR ACTION. Litigation WILL reveal you as being the author of the content. Therefore, consider what you publish carefully.

Advertising Submission Requirements

1. Reference the advertising guidelines and submission form.
   To contact us, please use the following:
   Customer Service:
   Email: Services@TrophyClubJournal.com