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Last updated: January 1, 2012

A. Distribution
......1) Electronic and Printed Distribution
......2) Optional Supplement
......3) Opting Out of Receiving the Printed Pikestaff
B. Submission Guidelines
......1) Deadlines
......2) Submissions Procedure
......3) Editing
C. Regular Content
......1) Event Announcements
......2) Feature—"Tyger by the Tale"
D. Art (Cover and Interior)
......1) Specifications
......2) Cover Art
......3) Interior Art
......4) Permissions
E. Advertising
......1) Acceptance
......2) Payment
F. Regnum Orientalis
......1) Seneschal Updates
......2) Chronicler Updates
......3) Regional Officer Updates
......4) Kingdom Officer Updates
G. Pikestaff Problems
......1) Delivery Problems
......2) Other Problems

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A. Distribution

Electronic and Printed Distribution: Pikestaff is available in printed and electronic versions at the member's option. FAQs about electronic publishing are available at the SCA website under Publications. Membership services now coordinates the printing and distribution of Pikestaff.

Pikestaff is available in a printed addition for an additional charge. If you wish to upgrade to the printed edition, you must contact SCA member services .

Members may access the newsletter here: SCA E-Newsletter Site Access is available to Sustaining, International and Family members. If you're uncertain about your login, consult the Frequently Asked Questions File

B. Submissions Guidelines

   1. Deadlines: The deadline for materials to be published in Pikestaff is the 1st of the month, one month prior to the issue in which the item is to be printed. For example, a submission received on or before January 1 will appear in the February issue.

Cover art should be submitted by the 25th of the month, two months prior to the issue in which the art will appear (see Art - Cover and Interior in these policies).

The Pikestaff editor may accept late submissions or modifications between the 1st and the 5th of the month, but their inclusion in the issue is not guaranteed.

   2. Submissions Procedure:
      a. Submit event announcements to Pikestaff and the EK website through the event submission form. Announcements posted from this web form will appear in the next Pikestaff with space available, and (after approval) on the East Kingdom events page. If you do not have Internet access for the event submission form, see the section on paper submissions below.

      b. Submit all other materials (such as officer reports, kingdom court reports, announcements, articles and art) to the Pikestaff editor (chronicler@eastkingdom.org). Please include the appropriate publication permission forms.

      c. All submissions by email will receive an email acknowledgment. If you don't receive an acknowledgement of receipt within 48 hours, call or email the Kingdom Chronicler to confirm that your materials arrived successfully.

   3. Editing: The Pikestaff editor may need to edit your submission for space, grammar, or clarity.

C. Regular Content

The primary purpose of Pikestaff is to disseminate official information from Kingdom and Society officers, and to announce East Kingdom events to the populace of the Kingdom. If space permits, other announcements, notices, articles, advertisements, and art may be included at the Pikestaff editor's discretion.

   1. Event Announcements: Not all Society activities need to be announced in Pikestaff. Local SCA activities are covered by SCA insurance even if they are unofficial events (events not announced in a corporate publication of the Society).

Events that will host official business of the Society (mainly Royal Progresses and events at which baronial awards that carry precedence will be given) must have had a complete announcement in Pikestaff. To be considered complete, an event announcement that’s printed in Pikestaff must have:

• The day and month of the event
• When the site opens and closes
• The name of the sponsoring group
• The location (name, street address, and town) of the site. The postal code should be included if available.
• The name (both Society and modern), phone number and e-mail address of the autocrat
• If there is a fee being charged for the event, the statement "Make checks payable to [SCA, Inc. - Group Name]" must be included. The non-member surcharge must also be specified if there is an event attendance fee. If there is no fee to attend the event, that must be clearly stated.

Every effort will be made to publish announcements as far in advance as possible, but Pikestaff space is limited. Regardless of the date the announcement is submitted, the most current events are published first, and the rest as space allows.

Announcements for SCA events taking place outside the East Kingdom will be run if space permits, and if the event is deemed likely to be of interest to the populace of the East. Such announcements, if printed, may be shortened quite a bit.

Announcements for non-SCA activities, such as commercial renaissance faires, Acre events, and private weddings, will only be printed as "paid announcements" or "advertisements." See section D.

Demos will be announced as space permits, at the Pikestaff editor's discretion. Generally, only large demos will be announced in Pikestaff.

Local activities such as large practices may be announced, space permitting, at the Pikestaff editor's discretion.

D. Art (Cover and Interior)

Pikestaff is always in need of artists to enrich its covers and pages. Any piece, such as a scroll illumination, that goes through an inked-outline stage can perhaps be scanned at that point for Pikestaff use. Little spot art pieces could be an excellent way to practice drawing individual elements. If you have artwork we may use in upcoming issues, please contact the Kingdom Chronicler at chronicler@eastkingdom.org.

   1. Specifications: Subjects for both cover and interior art should feature period or sca-themed subjects and style, and be appropriate for a family magazine. Pikestaff reserves the right to reject unsuitable covers.

Art submissions may be in black and white, in grayscale, or in color. Color images may only be included in the electronic version of the issue. If the submitted art is in color, it will be changed to grayscale for the printed version of the issue - so please make sure the art is distinguishable in grayscale. If you are unsure, submit the art in black and white. Please use a minimum of 300 dpi resolution and .tif, .eps or .jpg format when scanning. If you prefer to submit art on paper, draw the art in black ink on white paper and mail it to the Kingdom Chronicler. It will not be returned unless you make special arrangements.

We can shrink large art pieces down for use, but very small pieces may lose quality if we expand them to fill a larger space. Below are suggested sizes for cover and interior art.

   2. Cover Art: Pikestaff cover art should leave space for the title "Pikestaff" and the other issue information. If you would like to include the publication title or issue information in the art, please contact the Kingdom Chronicler for specific instruction.

Below are the acceptable sizes for cover art:

• Full page cover without issue information - 7.5" wide x 8" high
• Full page cover with issue information - 7.5" wide x 10" high

Please also identify the medieval source or inspiration for the art (if any). Space permitting, we can include this information in the issue.

   3. Interior Art: There are many different sizes we can use for spot art. Here are some suggestions:

• 1/2 page - 7.5" wide x 5" high
• 1/4 page horizontal - 7.5" wide x 2.5" high
• 1/4 page vertical - 3.75" wide x 3.75" high
• Borders - 7.5" wide x .75" high, and 7.5" wide x .5" high

   4. Permissions: We cannot include art in Pikestaff without publication permission from the creator (artist, photographer and/or photography models). Please include the appropriate publication permission forms.

E. Advertising

   1. Acceptance: Ad copy should be sent to the Kingdom Chronicler. Ads are run on a space-available basis at the Pikestaff editor's discretion. Advertising space will be allocated on a first-paid, first-served basis. Ads for services which would violate the requirements imposed by our mailing permit or the policies of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. will not be accepted.

It is not guaranteed that an ad will run. The Kingdom Chronicler may need to bump an ad for any of these reasons:

• Payment isn’t received by the deadline.
• Graphics problems: the ad is illegible. If we receive a problem ad with enough time before deadline, we'll get in touch and try to work out the problems.
• Content problems: the ad doesn't reflect the typical interests of the Society populace or is not in good taste.
• Advertises a work of fiction: per Society policy, Pikestaff may not accept advertising for works of fiction.
• Space problems: crucial, last-minute kingdom business has usurped the space intended for the ad.

   2. Payment: Ads are $60 for a full-page ad (7.5" wide x 10" high), $40 for a half-page ad (7.5" wide x 5" high), and $25 for a 1/4 page ad (1/4 page horizontal is 7.5" wide x 2.5" high, and 1/4 page vertical is 3.75" wide x 3.75" high).

Ad submissions may be in black and white, in grayscale, or in color. Color images may only be included in the electronic version of the issue. If the submitted ad is in color, it will be changed to grayscale for the printed version of the issue - so please make sure the ad is distinguishable in grayscale. If you are unsure, submit the ad in black and white. Please use a minimum of 300 dpi resolution and .tif, .eps or .jpg format when scanning. If you prefer to submit the ad on paper, mail it to the Kingdom Chronicler. It will not be returned unless you make special arrangements.

The deadline for the ad and for payment is the 1st of the month that is one month before the month of the issue (January 1 for a February issue, for example). Contact the Kingdom Chronicler for payment mailing information.

F. Regnum Orientalis

The Regnum Orientalis is the section of Pikestaff that includes the names and publishable contact information of kingdom, regional, and local officers of the East Kingdom. Publishable contact information includes the officer's Society name, applicable "role" email addresses (such as officer@eastkingdom.org), and any modern information (such as legal name, street address, or phone number) which the Kingdom Chronicler's office has written permission from the officer to publish in Pikestaff.

   1. Seneschal Updates: Only Kingdom and Regional Seneschals may make updates to seneschal listings in the Regnum Orientalis. The Pikestaff editor is allowed to fix typographic errors. Do not send seneschal address changes to the Pikestaff editor; they must go through the Kingdom or Regional Seneschal first.

   2. Chronicler Updates: Warranted chroniclers and their local newsletter information are included with the local group information in the Regnum Orientalis. Local chroniclers should contact the Kingdom Chronicler to update their listings. For information on the warranting of new chroniclers, see the Chronicler's Policies for Local Newsletters.

   3. Regional Officer Updates: Kingdom officers must send changes in their regional deputy listings to the Kingdom Chronicler.

   4. Kingdom Officer Updates: Changes should be sent to the Kingdom Chronicler and the Kingdom Seneschal (seneschal@eastkingdom.org).

G. Pikestaff Problems

   1. Delivery Problems: Every month, the post office may lose a few of the 1,800 Pikestaff issues we send out. If your copy does not arrive and all your neighbors have theirs:

• Your subscription may have expired. Check your membership card or the mailing label of a previous issue.
• Your recent change of address may not be known to the corporate office. If you have moved recently, you must contact the Membership Services Office and ask them to change your mailing address. The post office will only forward first-class mail, not nonprofit-rate mail.
• Your recent membership renewal may not have arrived in time for the creation of the mailing labels.

   2. Other Problems: If you have any other problems regarding Pikestaff, please feel free to call or write to the Kingdom Chronicler's Office (chronicler@eastkingdom.org).