How to pitch Canadian editors

Canada is a smaller market than the US with a distinct structural feature: a significant share of its magazines receive arts-council or heritage funding, and that funding frequently carries conditions about Canadian content and Canadian contributors.

This is the single most important thing to understand before pitching, and it is not a slight against foreign writers — it is how the money works.

Check eligibility first, every time

Many Canadian titles state that they prioritise or require Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or writers living in Canada. Some restrict it to the piece's subject matter rather than the writer. Some have no restriction at all.

BRYME does not treat a missing eligibility statement as an open call, and neither should you. If a Canadian publication's guidelines are silent, email and ask in one line before you invest in reporting. Editors answer this question routinely.

Where a market is genuinely open, the BRYME Canadian listings record what the publication itself states.

The pitch

Structurally the same as a US pitch — angle first, short, specific, with a proposed length and filing date. Two differences worth knowing:

Canadian relevance helps, and is often required. Not necessarily a Canadian setting: a Canadian angle, a Canadian consequence, or a Canadian voice in the reporting can be enough. Say explicitly what the Canadian connection is.

Regional specificity matters more than in the US. Canada is highly regional, and "Canadian" often means Toronto to editors who are trying not to let it. A pitch rooted in Halifax, Winnipeg, Regina or the North stands out at a national title.

Rates and payment

Rates are quoted in Canadian dollars. Always write C$ when corresponding internationally — an unmarked "$500" is read as USD by a lot of people and creates an awkward conversation later.

Ask about:

• Fee and whether it is per word or flat. Both conventions exist here.
• Payment timing — on acceptance or on publication.
• Kill fee if the commission is dropped.

If you are outside Canada, ask early how they pay international contributors and what the transfer costs. On a small fee, an international wire charge can consume a meaningful share of it.

Style

Canadian spelling is its own hybrid and catches people out: it keeps `colour`, `centre`, `favour`, `labour` from British usage, but leans towards `-ize` endings like American usage. Follow the publication's own style if it publishes one; otherwise the Canadian Press Stylebook is the common reference.

Do not assume US spelling is acceptable because of proximity. It is noticed.

Following up

Two to three weeks, once. Canadian editorial teams are often small and the pace is slower than a US daily.

Common mistakes

Assuming Canadian markets are open to everyone because the guidelines did not say otherwise. Pitching an American story with a Canadian noun swapped in. Writing "$" without the C. US spelling. Ignoring stated reading windows — several Canadian titles read in defined periods rather than year-round.

Practical tips

• Email and ask about eligibility before reporting. One line, one day, saves weeks.
• Name your Canadian angle explicitly in the pitch.
• If you are pitching from outside Canada, say where you are writing from. Editors would rather know upfront.
• Check the regional conventions page for the spelling hybrid in detail.