Submissions

Do you enjoy writing or creating art? Are you a comic nerd, a movie geek, or a current events dweeb who likes finding deeper connections between the world and the stories and characters we all love? Can you write or illustrate in an entertaining manner? Are you tired of rhetorical questions?

The NYRD is looking for talented, intelligent, and passionate people to submit original articles, artwork, stories, and more. The only requirement is that you are willing to try, (and you can do grammar good.) Now is the time to get in on the ground floor of the newest news and nerd media source. We are looking for writers, artists (both graphic and traditional),  commentators, social media experts, and creators of all kinds to submit original and thought-provoking work. Best of all, when you submit you will be in direct contact with the editors, no form letters or automatic email responses here.

There is always something you can do. If you want to help, but are not quite sure of what you can do you can email us at info@thenyrd.com. Please note, that by submitting to The NYRD, you are agree that any content submitted is original and owned by you, the author, artist, contributor, etc.

Articles
The bread and butter of The NYRD, articles can be anything from reviews of video games or movies to meaningful pieces about geek culture and the events of the day. Our goal is to write articles that deepen out understanding of the world and the culture we love. Do you have an idea for making a connection between Back to the Future and the changing of technology, or about how Spider-Man fits Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey? We want to hear about it. Maybe you want to explain the difference in political candidates by relating them to Walking Dead characters. Well, we want to hear it.

If you cannot think of what to write about, feel free to check our forum for ideas and resources to help you write. Maybe you might find a picture in our contributors gallery that sparks an idea or maybe you might happen along a post which could really get the idea-juices flowing. We are gathering a community of people who can contribute ideas, sources, graphics, and more to help ease the writing process for any would-be writers. Make sure to check out our forum section for more information.

Regular Contributors: Additionally, we are also interested in finding regular columnists and contributors. We are looking to grow our staff in the near future and we need all the talent and nerdiness that we can find. If you contribute regularly to The NYRD than it could be possible for you to be made a regular paid columnist.

Sources: Sources are incredibly important to the articles we publish here at The NYRD. You will need to link sources when citing factual or accurate data in your article, (like you used to do in school.) More to the point, the cited sources should be from reputable sources such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, etc. If your source is not from a mainstream news source we ask that you find at least two sources that confirm your statistic or factoid. Wikipedia can be used when stating basic yet little known facts or definitions, often used to establish the basis of a piece.

Publishing: Feature articles should be no less than 1,000 words, but no more than 2,500. Reviews and other short form reporting articles should be at least 500 words. Submit your article to us at submissions@thenyrd.com.

We will review your work and get back to you with any edits or notes that we would like to see done to the piece. If your writing meets our standard of quality we will publish it along with any artwork or graphics you or another member of the community might want to volunteer for the piece. You will be notified one way or another if we are interested in publishing the piece. Obviously, the better written, more interesting, and more creative the more likely we will choose to publish it.

Short Stories
Maybe non-fiction is not quite your genre, but you are in luck. The NYRD is always putting together a collection of funny, thoughtful, interesting, and even weirdly entertaining short stories. Our goal is to create a space where new fiction can find a voice and exposure among a worthwhile audience. Obviously, most of the stories we accept will lean toward nerdier genres such as science fiction and fantasy, but we are always looking for quality short stories regardless of the genre. A good story is a good story after all. Sorry, but we do not accept fan-fiction. Make sure to check out our forum section for more information.

Publishing: Short stories should be no less than 1,000 words, but no more than 7,500. The submitted story must be original content created by the author and not copyrighted or owned by another magazine, online site, or literary source. Best of all The NYRD will never try to retain ownership of the story. We are only here to expose new authors and help them find an audience. We are all writers ourselves, and we believe that the ownership of a fiction always remains with the author.

To submit your short story, email us at submissions@thenyrd.com. We will review your story and get back to you with comments or edits that we think might be helpful in creating a stronger submission. If your writing meets out standard of quality, we will publish it along with any artwork you or other members of the NYRD community might want to create. Additionally, we welcome you to take inspiration for your story from any of the artwork found on our site or any of the ideas posted in the forum. Obviously, the better written, more interesting, and more creative the more likely we will choose to publish it.

Contributors
You do not have to be a stellar writer to contribute to The NYRD. We are looking for help from people in all different ways. We are especially looking for ideas and research contributors. These are people who have great and incredible article ideas and pitches, or who are masterful at researching sources online. If this is you, we recommend that you check out our forums and start posting today. You could help a writer or an artist create an incredible work of art, and if your ideas or resources are utilized you will be given a credit in the final article.

Sources: Remember sources are incredibly important to the articles we publish here at The NYRD. Cited sources should be from reputable sources such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, etc. If your source is not from a mainstream news source we ask that you find at least two sources that confirm your statistic or factoid. Wikipedia can be used when stating basic yet little known facts or definitions, often used to establish the basis of a piece.

Artwork
Are you a skilled graphic or traditional artist. We want to accompany all our articles with incredible and beautiful works of art. Additionally, infographics are great ways to catch people’s attention and highlight not only the written piece but the artist that creates it. Make sure to check out our forum section for more information.

If you are just interested in contributing your amazing artwork we have a gallery section where we post the best ones we get. We also open those works of art up to our writers in hopes of inspiring them to create an amazing article, short story, etc.

Political Cartoons
One feature we are really excited to do here at The NYRD is a political cartoon section. Let’s mesh the news of the day with the pop culture we love to come up with funny, articulate, insightful, and even scathing cartoons about what is going on in the news. Draw the President in an Iron man suit, with a witty caption. Have the mayor of New York talk about sewer renovations as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles look on. Talk about military issues using GI Joe. As long as it is entertaining and makes a point about the news of the day, we will definitely consider your cartoon for a place of prominence on our website. Make sure to check out our forum section for more information.

Additional Content Creator
Currently, The NYRD is a small and local operation but we will be expanding very soon into the realm of podcasts and YouTube. We are always looking for talented creators of either video or podcasts who want to promote their creations on The NYRD and reach a wider audience. Obviously, our staff will review any submitted content and there are no guarantees, but if your message is positive, unique, informative, and especially entertaining we will happily add it to our site. We are also interested in finding regular contributors of both video and podcasts.

Sources: As with printed pieces, sources are incredibly important, and cited sources should be from reputable sources. If your source is not from a mainstream news source we ask that you find at least one sources that confirms your fact, or you will need to simply state it as a rumor. We strive to be as honest and open with our readers and listeners as possible. We are here to inform, not mislead.

Social Media
Lastly, The NYRD is the new kid on the block and we could always use help with promoting our brand through social media, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. So be sure to share, like, follow, comment, or all of the above on our generated content. We need the support of everybody to really show the world that nerds are about more than just action figures and movie arguments. Let’s show the world that geekdom can be childish, yet strangely intelligent.

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