We’re excited that you are interested in contributing to Planet Mainframe. Our platform is built for industry experts to share stories, news, and innovations with the mainframe community at large. If you’ve got something to share with the mainframe community, keep reading!
Planet Mainframe averages 5,000 readers per month with 15,000 monthly site visits. That plus our fresh content and social media activity makes Planet Mainframe the #1 mainframe blog according to Feedspot.com.
Subject Matter
We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the website before querying us and to follow our guidelines below. We are interested in educational and technical articles, engaging stories about the industry, news commentary, interviews with specialists doing cutting-edge work in their fields, and listicles to help others in their work. We also have these specific Topics of Interest:
- AI and the Mainframe
- Personal Stories of Your Journey in the Mainframe Profession
- Qualified opinion pieces related to Mainframe in the News
- Mainframe User Help Stories
- Db2 Month September (Submission deadline July 31)
- Cyber Security Awareness Month October (Submission deadline August 31)
Types of Content
- [Written] Feature Articles—750–2000 words; Includes educational and technical articles, engaging stories about the industry.
- [Media] Podcasts—15–60 minutes of recorded content with written summary component. Transcription preferred for accessibility.
- [Media] Presentations/Webinars—20–60 minutes of recorded content with written summary component. Transcription preferred for accessibility.
- [Written] Interviews range—750–4000 words and include a contextual introduction.
- [Written] Book Reviews—750–1250 words and cover exhibitions of regional, national or international significance. We allow for longer pieces, for instance if the exhibition is exceptionally large or ambitious—for example a major biennial or multi-venue event—or if the writer is considering more than one exhibition in the review.
- We’re open to other formats such as Listicles, Book Reviews, Trivia, and News Commentary.
Regular Contributors
Planet Mainframe is building a community of experts to be regular contributors and commenters on the site. As a regular contributor on Planet Mainframe, you will be able to write in a variety of formats on different aspects of the mainframe and technology community. For our Regular Contributors, we have an extended Topics of Interest list.
As a regular contributor, you will be featured on our site with a listing as a regular contributor badge and have a biography landing page of your articles (once you reach 5 submissions) If you have interest in engaging with Planet Mainframe regularly, please reach out using the submission button to introduce yourself.
Submission Process
- Articles may be submitted as:
- Pitches—a few paragraphs outlining the theme of the piece and direction you would take.
- Drafts—a near complete article.
- Finished works.
- Proposals for new recurring columns should include:
- A pitch that outlines the overall theme and at least four possible topics.
- A list of potential contributors. Columns that feature multiple contributors, even if only one at a time, will be favored.
All submissions must include the author’s full name, address, and a short bio outlining their experience with the topic.
Files: Any attached documents must be submitted in .doc, .docx, or .rtf file formats.
Timing: Lead times are several months. A general guideline of time to publication would be from pitch – 12 weeks, from draft – 8 week, and from finished work – 6 weeks. Upon receiving drafts or finished works, publication dates can be estimated and are not guaranteed.
Editing: Stories are usually returned to writers so alterations can be made. When time is short, the editor may undertake the revisions then return the story to the writer to check for errors. Stories may need to be cut to adhere to best practices in online publishing.
Copyright infringement: Planet Mainframe will not be held legally responsible for any/all copyright infringements, either in print or digital format, with regard to both written material and images. All submissions are the sole legal and moral responsibility of the contributor.
Previously Published Content
As a community site, we will occasionally republish previously published articles. Submitted content should follow the guidelines and standards that we have in place for the content already on our website. Please review our promotional content guidelines prior to submitting your articles and please indicate previous publishing sites and dates. It is up to the contributor to verify that we have the right to publish or republish any content.
Terms and Conditions
See our Terms and Conditions here.