special report

Boys’ Life

June 2009 Issue

Boys’ Life is the magazine for the Boy Scouts of America.

You can read their guidelines online (PDF).

Although Boys’ Life only asks for one time use for their magazine (but they want FIRST use), they do also request electronic rights – they do not buy reprints. So, this may affect resale to another magazine that wants electronic rights and might be something for a writer to keep in mind. Since Boy’s Life pays extremely well (from $400 to $1500 for an article), I doubt this would give anyone pause, still it’s good to remember so you don’t get yourself into trouble when you try to sell reprints.

According to Boys’ Life guidelines, they accept articles from 500 to 1500 words. After reading over a year’s worth of articles including recent issues, this is what I’ve seen:

The long articles feature boy scouts. So if you’re doing an article on boys making a different in the environment – they will have to be boy scouts. If you do an article on boys going to circus school – they will have to be boy scouts. Articles that feature boys doing cool things will feature boy scouts. Most of the writing is written at a twelve-year-old interest level and reading level.

Profiles of athletes or celebrities doing things of huge interest to boys will be shorter and don’t have to feature boy scouts. Articles on subjects relating to merit badges are generally very short. Also popular were articles featuring hands on tips for scouting-type activities, but actual boy scouts did not have to be involved – so tips for safe boating, or tips for building a better campfire, things like that.

Departments (with articles from 100 – 600 words) include science, nature, earth, health, sports, space and aviation, cars, computers, entertainment, pets, history, music…watch the news for interesting things that could interest boys.

Fiction should target boys very specifically – boys as characters and boy friendly topics like humor, mystery, science fiction and adventure. Think about what boys like not what you think they should be told. Note, the two most recent issues I’ve read did not include fiction.

QUERY FOR NONFICTION – unsolicited nonfiction manuscripts are returned unread according to their guidelines. FICTION can be sent as a finished manuscript or a query.

QUERY Nonfiction Features to Senior Editor Paula Murphey.
QUERY Nonfiction Departments to Associate Editor Brad Riddell
Fiction to Senior Editor Paula Murphey.

Boys’ Life
1325 West Walnut Hill Lane
P.O. Box 1520979
Irving, TX 75015

ANALYSIS OF SPECIFIC ISSUE

Analysis of Specific Issue
Boys’ Life
June 2009

Hitchin’ Rack – These are letters to the editor. They mentioned how much the readers enjoyed an article about winter activities and another on ways for scouts to serve.

This Month – A Calendar page with a duct tape festival, a gadget that spouts off wise quotes at the touch of a button, and spectator sports dates and television stations. Also some “on this date” moments.

Collecting – A little blurb about sports cards that have a digital component to see your card player online. Also little notes from readers about things they collect.

History – William Howard Taft and his “car trouble.” Also advertises a DVD that takes you into the National Air and Space Museum.

Hobby Hows – A blurb about a book on skateboarding and then lots of tips from readers about their hobbies. Tips include “scout-related” help with the pinewood derby car and easy ways to attach patches.

New + Notes – Fast Facts on Alaska and Hawaii. Four one sentence facts for each.
Also includes a short (3 paragraph, 150-words) article by Diana Lambdin Meyer on Challenger, the eagle who swoops into sports arenas.

Outdoors – Short article by Angie Kay Dilmore about research on new bug repellents and mention of what bug repellants are already available.
Also a blurb on clothes that are pre-treated to repel bugs. And notice of a state-by-state guide to fishing on the boyslife website.

Reader’s Page. Exciting or funny stories from readers including one in which a friend is stuck in a bathroom and another in which a readers tells how he won a prize for creating a chair from tires.

Spare+Aviation – A short article by Lance Frazer about a new robotic plane that was inspired by the pterodactyl. Also blurbs on a new toy plane that includes a code to log on to an online game. And an article about a new kind of passenger plane (one paragraph by Joseph Baneth Allen).

Ask Us Anything – Advice column

BL Headliners – Unique format of “key facts” about scouts and others doing super cool things. Each piece has a byline so clearly these are open to contributors. The featured boy is shown on a pretend newspaper with a headline of two to four words (like a title) and a subheadline that explains a little more what the piece is about and mentions if the boy is a scout (two of the three were, the third was a world title holder in a sport so if the boy is not a scout, the event has to be big.) Then beside this graphic you have a kind of “form” with these items:
Name: (the profiled boy’s name)
Born: (birthdates)
Hometown: (city and state)
Scout Rank: (if relevant)
Made Headlines: This is the one paragraph “thing he did.”
The Scoop: More backup information to the “headline"
Other Interests: (other things the boy likes)
The Future: What the boy plans to do when he grows up.
Advice: an inspiring quote from the boy.

Gliding High by Michele Wojciechowski. Feature Piece – six pages with lots of photos. A scout with a pilot’s license helped his fellow scouts in Arizona to get their aviation badges. Article includes a sidebar on how gliders fly.

Wildlife Wardens by Lore Postman. A shorter feature, two pages with photos of animals in distress from discarded fish line. Text focuses on what a group of cub scouts is doing to help. Includes a sidebar with tips for what the reader can do, and another sidebar on more trash hazards to wildlife.

Here Comes the Sun by Mark Anders – Showcases things to do to help protect your skin from the sun and different products as well. Showcases a professional fisherman to share his “gear.” Then a two page spread of different products and clothes.

Scout Program: Health Care/ Don’t Be A Dope by Aaron Derr. Reasons why drugs are bad news.

You Are What You Eat – a quiz on food and your body.

Superior Wilderness by Jane A. White. A six page piece with lots of photos showcasing a camping trip to Isle Royale by a group of scouts.

Academy Rewards by Caitlin Kelly. A scout Camporee with West Point cadets. Two pages, lots of photos.

A True Story of Scouts in Action – a regular feature, a graphic/comix story about a scout who saved a friend. This issue included two more stories of scouts saving lives.

The Wacky Adventures of Pedro – a regular feature, a graphic/comix story about Pedro, the BL mascot.
Pee Wee Harris – another grahic/comix story about a scout who created the perfect dinner by mixing all sorts of healthful things in the blender – ick.

Bible Stories – a one paragraph piece of the life of Joseph.

Games: Blurb reviews of a number of different computer games.

Jokes/Pedro’s Pick – from readers.
Think & Grin – more jokes from readers.

This page last updated on 01 July 2009