Our Sunday Visitor serves Catholics at all stages of life as they walk the road of faith. Through thoughtful analysis, faith-filled commentary and inspiring stories, we provide clear answers to the questions people are asking. Our Sunday Visitor speaks the truth in a way that seeks unity in our increasingly polarized world. A trusted publication for more than a century, Our Sunday Visitor is an indispensable source of information and formation for Catholics who love their faith.   

Our Sunday Visitor at a glance

• Only weekly national Catholic newspaper in the United States; available in print, a digital edition, and online at oursundayvisitor.com.
• News and analysis through a Catholic lens
• Relevant and inspirational faith and catechetical content
• Faithful to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church
• Award-winning
•  Founded in 1912

Although the majority of our content is generated on assignment by our core contributors, we welcome and consider all freelance contributions, whether offered by query or unsolicited manuscript.

Here’s a quick summary of what we are looking for:

• Instant analysis on breaking news, reported through a Catholic lens. This content is different from the reporting found in secular media and provides an immediate, yet thorough and accurate, Catholic perspective for Web reporting. Word count: 500-1,000.
• News analysis — not merely news reporting — pertaining to the Catholic Church in the United States and throughout the world. Word count: Generally 950-1,100 (including sidebars), but occasionally run as short as 500 words or as long as 2,000 words.
• In Focus four-page pull-out section, which is at the heart of OSV. Planned many weeks in advance, the In Focus section takes a particular topic of contemporary interest and examines it thoroughly within a package of articles. In Focus sections comprise a package of articles totaling 3,000-4,000 words written by one or more authors. Please first send a query.  
• Features linked to the current events and trends of the day. Can range from weighty issues of belief to methods of enhancing one’s prayer life to a discussion of parish “best practices” in a given area of ministry. Also can include topics on family, media and Church history. Word count: 1,350.
• Essays on relevant issues of the day. Must have a point to make and succeed at making it succinctly, keeping the facts firmly in mind and avoiding a shrill, ranting or uncharitable tone. Word count: 500 to 750 words.
• Profiles of a particular person, place or organization that serves as an example of Catholic faith in action. Word count: 500 to 750.
• Conversation: Question-and-answer-format interviews with selected relevant personalities. Our interviews require an introductory paragraph or two that sets the background and the speaker’s credentials for the discussion that follows. Word count: 1,200.  
• Faith-based articles that take advantage of the “catechetical moments” derived from the daily headlines and the liturgical year.

All Our Sunday Visitor entries should be:

• Tightly written 
• Cleanly written 
• Timely 
• Objective 
• Instructive 
• Faithful. 

Here’s what we generally are not looking for:

• Articles written in the first person.
• Long, academic or preachy commentaries.
• Features with no real link to Catholic faith or sensibilities.
• Straight news reporting, especially on strictly local events.
• Articles designed to publicize a future event.
• Short stories, whether fiction or non-fiction.
• Poetry.

Things we’d rather not spell out….

Because not all of our would-be freelance writers are trained journalists, we must state the following criteria more clearly:

• Don’t plagiarize. All articles must be original work of the author. Its content must not have been previously published, in whole or in part, whether in print, broadcast, online, even by the author himself. If a piece has been so published and there is a compelling reason to offer it to Our Sunday Visitor, or if what is being offered is a version of a previously published article, this information must be divulged at the outset.
• Familiarize yourself with Our Sunday Visitor first. Every publication has its own unique “flavor” and style. Even the best writers’ guidelines can’t fully express the kind of voice, flow and format the editors are seeking. Read Our Sunday Visitor in print, on your tablet or smartphone, or via oursundayvisitor.com for several weeks to get a better feel for what we are trying to do.
• Follow the submission guidelines closely. 

Policies

• We generally try to respond within 4 to 6 weeks.
• We pay writers within 4 weeks of acceptance.
• We generally follow the OSV News Stylebook and the current Associated Press Stylebook. For scriptural citations, we generally use the New American Bible.
• We comply with the Fair Publishing Practices Code of  the Catholic Media Association of the United States and Canada. We expect freelance writers to do the same. For a complete copy of this code, visit the Catholic Media Association.

Book Author Guidelines 

General Guidelines for Book Queries: You may submit a query letter, and if our editors consider your topic a fit for our current publishing plans, we will be in touch to request your manuscript and proposal documents. Please be aware that we do not accept submissions that have been simultaneously submitted to other publishers. We do our best to respond within 8-10 weeks of initial submission of a query letter. May God bless you and your work for his Church!

What should I know about OSV?

OSV is the country’s largest not-for-profit Catholic publishing company. It was founded in 1912 by Father John Noll to “serve the Church.” Today, OSV publishes a newspaper, periodicals, religious education materials, pamphlets, and books. We publish about 40 new books each year while maintaining a robust backlist.

We publish our books in two seasons: spring (January - June) and fall (July - December). The bulk of our sales are to distributors (web and print), bookstores, parishes, schools, and individual consumers. Our primary audience is North America. 

What kinds of books are of interest to OSV?

We are particularly interested in the following categories for our adult and family books. (Please note, we do not publish fiction or poetry.)

• Spiritual Growth and Devotionals: Books that accompany readers on their spiritual journey and offer unique, practical insights for growing in friendship with God, especially through prayer, growth in virtue, and the sacraments
• Prayer Books: Collections of prayers and books that offering guidance for specific kinds of prayer
• Scripture: Books from experts about how to read, understand, pray, and apply Scripture, as well as Bible studies
• Growing in Faith as a Family: Books that provide an opportunity for families to discover and practice their faith together
• Advent: Books for living and praying through Advent with prayer and intention
• Lent: Books for living and praying through Lent with prayer and intention
• Liturgical year: Accessible, approachable guides and aids for living liturgical seasons, solemnities and feast days, and fasts.
• History and Biography: Informative and inspiring biographies of saints and key events in the Church's history
• Faith and Culture: Books about the intersection of faith and contemporary culture
• Evangelization: Books that help readers explain, defend and share the Faith with others
• Parish and Pastoral Ministry: Books that help pastors, ministry leaders, and parishioners conduct parish life more effectively, and books that can provide comfort and guidance for Catholics seeking help and healing in times of difficulty

We are also actively seeking submissions for our children’s book imprint, OSV Kids. *Please include “OSV Kids” in your query subject line for children’s books.* 

OSV Kids is on a mission to champion the Catholic Church by helping children learn about, live and love the Catholic Faith. Our children’s books are overtly Catholic (not generically Christian), and we consider books in the following categories and age groups:

• Board books for infants and toddlers (ages 1 - 3): Simple stories and concepts related in no more than 300 words. We are particularly interested in saints, sacraments, scripture, and prayer.
• Picture books for younger readers (ages 3 - 6): Stories that incorporate aspects of the Faith to excite children’s imagination and sense of wonder. These should be between 600 and 1,000 words. We are particularly interested in saints, sacraments, scripture, virtue, relationship, and prayer.
• Short chapter books for early readers (ages 7 - 9): Fiction or non-fiction stories that incorporate aspects of the Faith to excite children’s imagination and sense of wonder. Word count 6,000 - 10,000
• Middle grade chapter books (ages 8 - 10): Fiction or non-fiction stories that explore the experience of living the Catholic Faith and inspire children to live their faith themselves. Word counts may vary, up to 30,000 words.
• Works of interest to tweens (ages 10 - 13): Fiction or non-fiction stories that explore the experience of living the Catholic Faith and inspire young people to live their faith themselves, even in difficult situations. Word counts may vary, up to 50,000 words. 

A note on artwork: We believe that beauty is essential to drawing children’s hearts toward all that is true and good. We do not require (or prefer) that children’s authors provide an illustrator, unless the book is by one author/illustrator. If your work is accepted, we will select and contract with an illustrator as we deem appropriate. 

Why should I publish with OSV?

OSV is dedicated to publishing books that accompany Catholics on their walk with God, wherever they are in their faith journey. We are always interested in partnering with authors who can join us in our mission to champion the Catholic Church by serving her individual members who want to know, live, and love their Faith more fully. We take our mission seriously, and we hope you will consider joining us in our efforts to draw souls closer to Jesus Christ.

The Priest Writer's Guidelines

• This monthly magazine pays on acceptance.
• A byline given.
• We buy first time North American serial rights
• Editorial lead-time is three months.
• Responds in five weeks to queries; three months on
  manuscripts.

We publish articles that will aid
priests in their day-to-day parish ministry. Includes items on spirituality,
counseling, administration, theology, personalities, the saints, etc.

Nonfiction — Essays, historical/nostalgic, humor, inspirational,
interview/profile, opinion, personal experience, religious. Send complete
manuscripts with a length of 1,500 – 2,000 words maximum.

Tips: Say what you have to say in an interesting and informative
manner and stop. Please do not stray from the magisterium of the Catholic
Church.

Radiant Writer's Guidelines  

Radiant, a ministry of OSV, is a platform for women in their 20s and 30s who are rooted in their identity in Christ and are striving for a vibrant life on this side of heaven.

PLEASE NOTE: Submissions for Radiant will be closed starting in April and will reopen in July.

Radiant offers a wide selection of articles written by young Catholic women of all walks of life — single gals, married women, mothers, religious sisters, working women, etc. They write about spirituality, relationships and culture, all from the perspective of young Catholic women living out the Faith in our world today.

Here’s a quick summary of what we are looking for:

• Orthodox perspectives on living out the Catholic faith as a young woman, covering topics such as spirituality, relationships, beauty, virtues, culture, saints and vocation.
• Factual evidence for outside information.
• Professionally written.
• Follows AP style and uses the New American Bible.
• Word count falls between 800-1,200 words.

This magazine pays upon acceptance and responds within four weeks to queries.

Please familiarize yourself with articles from Radiant before submitting.