How to pitch Australian editors

Australia is a small, well-organised market with two features that surprise writers from elsewhere: many titles read in defined submission windows rather than year-round, and freelance fees often have superannuation added on top.

Reading periods are real

A significant share of Australian literary and essay markets open for a stated period and close. Outside that window, submissions are not read — not "read slowly", not read.

Check the current status before you write anything. BRYME records the stated window where a publication publishes one, on the Australian listings, and the Today feed shows which windows close within 90 days.

If a market you want is closed, put the reopening date in a calendar and pitch the day it opens. Editors report that the first week of a window is less crowded than the last.

Eligibility

Several Australian markets, particularly those receiving arts funding, state eligibility as Australian citizens, residents, or Australians living abroad. Some extend to New Zealand.

As with Canada, do not read silence as permission. Email and ask in one line before committing to a piece — it is a normal question and it gets a fast answer.

Superannuation, which is genuinely unusual

Under Australian rules, publishers often must pay superannuation — retirement contributions — on top of a freelance fee for contributors, in many circumstances. It is typically expressed as a percentage above the stated rate.

Two practical consequences:

• The advertised fee may not be the total. A rate quoted "plus super" is worth more than the headline number.
• You may be asked for a superannuation fund account. Writers outside Australia usually cannot supply one, and how a publication handles that varies — ask.

Ask whether super is included or additional, and what happens if you are not an Australian resident. Editors are used to the question.

Rates and currency

Fees are in Australian dollars. Write A$ in any international correspondence — an unmarked "$580" reads as USD to most of the world and the conversation afterwards is uncomfortable.

Australian rates for literary and essay work are competitive by international standards, particularly relative to the UK.

The pitch

Short, angle-first, same shape as a UK pitch. Australian desks are small; you are often writing to the editor rather than to a section.

Say where you are based. If you are outside Australia and the market has eligibility conditions, address it directly in the first lines rather than leaving the editor to work it out.

Style

British spelling conventions: `colour`, `centre`, `organise`, `realise`. Dates day-first. The Australian Government Style Manual is the common public-sector reference; most publications maintain their own house style.

Common mistakes

Submitting outside a stated reading window. Assuming eligibility because it was not mentioned. Writing "$" without the A. Using US spelling. Not asking whether super is on top of the fee. Missing that Submittable-based markets often close the portal automatically at the deadline, with no grace period.

Practical tips

• Check the window before you write, not after.
• Diary the reopening date for any market that is currently closed.
• Ask about eligibility and superannuation in the same short email.
• Convert the fee to your own currency before deciding — the freelance rate calculator helps you judge whether it is worth the hours.