Contact Us

General enquiries

Specific enquiries

Focus receives dozens of emails every day. Unfortunately we don't have time to respond to all of them. To improve the chances of getting a reply, please make sure that your query is addressed to the right person.

• Subscriptions
• Website: Online Helpdesk
• Editorial: Jheni Osman, Editor
• Advertising: Amie Price-Bates, Ad Manager
• News: Andy Ridgway, Deputy Editor
• Features: Jheni Osman, Editor
• Photography: James Cutmore, Picture Editor
• Reviews: JV Chamary, Reviews Editor
• Work experience: Jheni Osman, Editor

Subscriptions

Telephone: 0844 844 0257*

Email: focus@servicehelpline.co.uk

Website

Origin Publishing Online Helpdesk

Telephone: 0117 314 8376

Email: onlinehelpdesk@originpublishing.co.uk

Editorial

Jheni Osman, Editor

Telephone: 0117 314 8776

Email: jheniosman@bbcmagazines.com

Advertising

Amie Price-Bates, Ad Manager

Telephone: 0117 314 8750

Email: amieprice-bates@bbcmagazines.com

Submissions

Publicists and PR firms should send press releases as text (images run the risk of being redirected to our spam folders). At the top of the message, it's also a good idea to include a sentence describing what it is you're pitching and why it's relevant to the magazine.

News

If you have a story you think Focus should be covering, get in touch with Andy Ridgway at andyridgway@bbcmagazines.com. If it's something new in science or technology and is going to change everyone's lives or is just downright odd, the chances are Andy will be interested.

Features

Focus sometimes accepts submissions from freelance writers. Submissions can be made to Jheni Osman at jheniosman@bbcmagazines.com. If you're interested in pitching a feature to us, please carefully read the following guidelines first.

1. We only accept features from experienced feature writers. When you submit your idea, please include a CV and cover letter, and cuttings of previously published work that will show us you can write to a brief and to a specific audience. Please don’t submit if you are an unpublished writer.
2. Please make sure you have read Focus before you send in an idea, and that you are familiar with our subject and readership.
3. In the first instance, please send us a brief synopsis of your idea (100-200 words) and how you think it would work in Focus. In it, consider the following: Will your idea interest our readers? Which experts would you include? What kind of structure might your feature take? What pictures or illustrations is your piece likely to need?
4. We have features meetings every 4-6 weeks, where we consider all freelance pitches and decide whether we can use them. Please be patient – we will let you know whether we can use your idea as soon as possible.
5. Our preferred method of submission is email, although you may wish to send samples of your previous work by post. Please be sure to include an email address and telephone number.

Photography

To be relevant to the field of science and technology.

To be visually arresting to the reader; grabbing their attention, while at the same time leading them to question what the subject matter is, especially if it’s not immediately clear.

To have some kind of news hook OR link into an anniversary. Otherwise, to be non-time sensitive but relatively recent. To fit this criteria, the news/anniversary angle needs to be current/upcoming, and not out of date, E.g a news image that was issued 3 months before the on sale date of the issue it might appear.

Subject areas include nature (unusual animals or unusual behaviour), technology (new technology, new techniques, impressive equipment), natural world (stunning natural occurrences, unusual landscapes etc), space imagery (new missions, anniversary images, new space telescope images).

Please send photography submissions to James Cutmore at picturedesk@bbcfocusmagazine.com

Reviews

From gadgets and gizmos to books and DVDs, Focus is always interested in featuring cool and interesting stuff.

We select things 2-3 months before they are released so that they're still new when the latest issue of the magazine is on sale – it's unlikely that we'll choose products that are already available. We ensure our editorial integrity and independence by never offering anything (such as positive coverage) in return.

If you have something you think Focus readers would be interested in, please email JV Chamary at jvchamary@bbcmagazines.com

Work experience

Focus has a very limited number of two-week editorial work experience slots available.

You'll need to be prepared to help with research and short pieces of writing for the magazine and website, and to help out with our podcasts and videos.
You'll also perform administrative tasks necessary to the day-to-day running of the magazine, such as updating feature lists, fact-checking, and making copious amounts of tea.

You should be studying a masters in print journalism, have plenty of enthusiasm and a strong interest in science and technology. In return, you'll see first-hand how Focus is put together, and (probably) get some of your work published in print and/or online.

If you're interested in being considered for one of our placements, please send a CV and cover letter to Jheni Osman at jheniosman@bbcmagazines.com. We're sorry, but placements are only open to those over the age of 18.