Contributor's Guidelines
What We're Looking for
We use articles on almost every aspect of writing: fiction, nonfiction, business and commercial writing, the business of writing, etc. However, with more than 600 articles already on the site, it can be difficult to find a topic we haven't covered yet. Please review our topical indices before submitting a query or manuscript.
As we have a huge collection of "beginner" pieces, we are currently interested primarily in articles for the more experienced writer, and we are particularly interested in articles on commercial/business writing and in fiction (including genre fiction).
All articles must have a strong "How-to" focus. We want readers to come away from an article thinking, "Now I understand how to do that!" Watch out for "why-to" articles -- as in "why" it's important to have a good query letter but not how you write one.
We use articles between 800 and 2000 words, with a preference for the 1000-1500 word range. We never use short pieces (e.g., 500 words). Please don't try to sell us a piece on "everything you need to know about writing a novel in 800 words or less." It can't be done.
We do not accept personal experience pieces, personal essays, "how I learned..." pieces, etc.
We use one article per month in the newsletter and 2-4 articles per month on the website. We occasionally publish interviews on the website, but these must be (a) with well-known writers or publishers and (b) focus on the craft of writing. Please no "how did you get started" or "who is your favorite author" interviews!
We purchase short humor pieces for the newsletter that relate to writing. If you have a short humorous poem about writing or being a writer, great; don't send us your humorous poems about cats or snowflakes, please! We also prefer jokes to "personal experience" humor (as in "how I learned a funny but important lesson about writing"). Humor pieces are paid $15.
Terms
Payment: 5 cents per word for original articles, to a maximum of $100 (articles over 2000 words are paid $100); $25 for reprints; $15 for humor. Payment on acceptance. We will also exchange advertising space for articles.
Rights: For original articles: first electronic rights plus three months' exclusive rights for publication on the website for original articles, plus the right to archive all articles on the website for a minimum of one year. (Newsletters are archived in their entirety in perpetuity.) For reprints: Nonexclusive electronic rights, plus the right to archive online for one year.
Simultaneous Submissions: No, thanks. We're not happy to buy an article only to have it show up in another writing newsletter at the same time, even if it's a reprint!
Response Times: We generally respond to submissions within two weeks. We buy articles well in advance of publication, so accepted articles may not be published for six months or more.
If submitting the complete manuscript, please attach it as an MS Word file.
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