1. Deadlines: Deadline for all materials is the 25th of the month, two months prior to the issue in which the item is to be printed. For example, a submission received on or before January 25 will appear in the March issue. Late submissions or modifications may be accepted between the 25th and the end of the month, entirely at the whim of the Pikestaff Editor. Don't count on it.
2. Submissions Procedure:
...a. Submissions via the East Kingdom Website are preferred, at this address: www.eastkingdom.org/GINGER/ event-form.html Announcements posted from this web form will appear in the next available Pikestaff, and (not immediately) on the East Kingdom Calendar Website.
...b. Email submissions sent to "pikestaff@eastkingdom.org" *will* appear in Pikestaff and *may* appear on the East Kingdom Calendar Website. (To guarantee website posting of your announcement, please use the online webform.) The text of e-mail submissions should be included in the body of the message, not as attachments. All submissions by e-mail will receive an e-mail acknowledgment. If you don't get one within 24 hrs. (excluding weekends), call the Pikestaff Editor to find out if your e-mail arrived successfully.
...c. Paper submissions for printing in Pikestaff should be mailed to the Pikestaff Editor, not to the Chronicler. Don't send paper submissions by any mail method that requires a signature for delivery. If you wish submissions sent on paper to also appear on the Kingdom Website, you must make separate arrangements with the Kingdom Webminister.
3. Editing: The Pikestaff Editor may need to edit your submission for reasons of space, grammar, or clarity.
1. Not all activities need to be announced in Pikestaff. Local activities can still be guaranteed the customary SCA insurance coverage by being announced in your local newsletter or the newsletter of a neighboring group.
2. Official business of the Society (Kingdom Courts, Baronial Courts, transfer of offices, and Crown Lists, etc.) may only occur at events for which a complete announcement has appeared in Pikestaff. "Incomplete" announcements will be printed, but will be marked as such. If official business must be transacted at an event which is listed as incomplete, contact the Kingdom Seneschal beforehand to resolve the matter. The Seneschal is the final arbiter in all questions of the officialness of events. Note that an event doesn't need to be marked "Royal Progress" in order for Royal Business to be transacted, as long as other completeness criteria are met. A complete event announcement must include the following:
3. 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.
4. It is not necessary to resubmit an event announcement each month unless there are changes.
5. Announcements will be run only for East Kingdom groups known to the Kingdom Seneschal and listed in the Regnum. An event run by an incipient group must be sponsored by an established group, and this sponsor must be stated in the event announcement.
6. 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, are usually shortened quite a bit.
7. Announcements for non-SCA activities such as commercial renfaires, Acre events, or private weddings, will only be printed as "paid announcements" or "advertisements." See section E.
8. Demos will be announced as space permits, at the Pikestaff Editor's discretion. Generally, only very large demos will be announced in Pikestaff.
9. Local activities such as large practices may be announced, space permitting, at the Pikestaff's discretion.
The primary purpose of the Pikestaff is to disseminate official information from Kingdom and Society officers, and to announce East Kingdom SCA events to the populace of the Kingdom. If space permits, other announcements, notices, articles, advertisements, and essays may be included at the Pikestaff's discretion.
1. Cover art will be reproduced in a size of 4.5" wide by 6" high. You may submit artwork in a larger size, but the proportions should be such that it will reduce to the 4.5"x 6" size conveniently.
2. Cover art may be sent as a scanned "tiff" file to "pikestaff@eastkingdom.org" . If you prefer to submit an actual piece of paper, it should be drawn in black ink on white paper, and mailed to the Pikestaff. It will not be returned unless you make special arrangements.
3. Cover art in general should not include the title "Pikestaff" or the month. The size described above is intended to accommodate placing a typeset text block containing the title, month, etc. above it on the cover. If you have an idea which requires the incorporation of the title and/or month, please contact the Pikestaff to discuss Post Office requirements.
4. Interior art is also welcome. It should also be executed in black, on white paper, or sent as a scanned ".tif" file. Interior art may be submitted for either a single use, or for multiple re-use. Also please state whether we may "clip" a portion of your work to fit into a certain space.
5. Subjects for both interior art and cover art should be medieval in theme, and appropriate for a family magazine. The Pikestaff reserves the right to reject unsuitable covers.
6. A release form must be signed and returned to the Pikestaff before your artwork can be printed.
1. Payment: Payment must be received before an advertisement will be printed. No exceptions. Consult a recent issue for exact advertising rates. Checks should be made payable to SCA, Inc. - Pikestaff, and mailed to the Kingdom Chronicler.
2. General Policies: 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.
3. Current Email response to Ad Inquiries: "Greetings! You asked about ad rates for the Pikestaff (East Kingdom Newsletter). It's $60 for a full-page ad (4.5 x7.5 inches); $40 for a half-page ad (4.5 x 3.75 inches); and $25 for a 1/4 page ad (4.5 x 2 inches). Payment is required in advance, with a check made out to "SCA Inc. - Pikestaff" and mailed to: Lady Shannon Gallowglass c/o: Ann Golian, 706 Kohn Street, Norristown, PA 19401. The deadline for the ad and the payment is the 25th of the month, two months before the issue month (Oct. 25th for the Dec. issue, for example.) "Ads must be black and white only. Crisp lineart comes out much more clearly than greyscale photo-type stuff. I prefer to receive them as scanned .tif attachments, but hardcopy is acceptable since we can scan them. Other formats may be negotiable. It is not guaranteed that an ad will run. I may need to bump an ad for one of these reasons:
1. The Seneschal's Regnum: Entries in the Seneschal's Regnum may only be changed by the Kingdom and Regional Seneschals. The Pikestaff Editor is allowed to fix typographic errors, but these should also be brought to the attention of the Kingdom and Regional Seneschal to insure that the official list remains accurate. Do not send seneschal address changes to the Pikestaff Editor; they must go through the Kingdom and Regional Seneschal first.
2. The Chronicler's Regnum: The names of warranted chroniclers and local newsletter information is included with the local group information in the Pikestaff Regnum. For warranting information see the Chronicler's Policies for Local Newsletters.
3. Listing of Greater and Lesser Officers: Changes and updates should be sent to the Pikestaff (pikestaff@eastkingdom.org) and the Kingdom Seneschal.
1. Delivery Problems: Every month, the Post Office loses a few of the 2000 Pikestaffs we send out. If your copy does not arrive and your neighbors all have theirs.....
Has your subscription expired? Look at the mailing label from a previous issue. If your expiration date is well in the future, then you should contact the Chronicler to obtain a replacement copy. The Chronicler needs the following information: Your name, your mailing address, why you need a replacement (e.g. it didn't arrive at all, it arrived missing pages, just the back cover arrived, etc.), and whether your subscription arrives First Class or Nonprofit Rate.
Also note that there may be a one-month gap in your newsletter subscription, if your renewal did not arrive in time. Your membership card will be backdated so that it appears to be a "seamless" renewal, but if you missed the label run, you will miss a Pikestaff too.
Has your address changed recently? If you have moved, you must write to the Membership Services Office and ask them to change your mailing address. The Chronicler does not keep the mailing list, and cannot do this for you. If you have moved and filed a forwarding order - remember that the Post Office will only forward First Class mail, not Nonprofit Rate mail.
2. Other Problems: If you have any other problems regarding Pikestaff, please feel free to call or write to the Chronicler's Office. Not all problems will be fixable to everyone's satisfaction, but we will make a good-faith effort.
(End of East Kingdom Chronicler's Policies for Pikestaff.)