The basic fiction guidelines are unchanged from those posted here a while back, so I won't repeat them. But there's lots more in the main article - here are the main points.
- They receive about 200 submissions a week, of which 25% will be completely unsuitable. Their readers get to know which writers don't bother with market research, and those stories are likely to get less attention. (See, it's worth researching your market, like I always say!)
- They use a 700-word story every week in the weekly mag, plus about 24 stories in each seasonal special (4 a year). That's quite a lot of stories, so it's a good market to break into.
- Stories should be contemporary, positive and humourous. No sci-fi, nothing violent. Dialogue important, 4 characters maximum, tell the story chronologically.
- Emailed submissions are welcome. Don't expect a response within 3 months. And then your story might be accepted, rejected or shortlisted. Shortlisted stories are held indefinitely, and will not get rejections. For this reason Mary is happy for writers to send shortlisted stories elsewhere, as long as they let That's Life know if the story is accepted elsewhere. This is an unusual way of doing things, but seems pretty fair to me.
- Mary is happy to use stories previously published in UK women's magazines, including those published in Woman's Weekly. But do state if and where your story has been published. Payment is a little less for reprints, but still pretty good. They will send details of what to include on an invoice. Payment is after publication.
Check out their website and especially the readers' forums to get an idea of what the readers are interested in.
Email submissions to fastfiction@pacificmags.com.au
Oh, and I'd recommend buying your own copy of Writers' Forum this month. If only to see how they got top authors such as Salman Rushdie, Jilly Cooper and JK Rowling to demonstrate how to keep fit while sitting at your writing desk.
25 comments:
Good post! Thanks.
Thanks for posting this. I think it answers my question on the other thread about why I haven't received a response regarding my story submitted in early July.
It strikes me as bit odd that the guidelines ask for humorous, positive stories though because I'm sure the stories weren't like that in the only copy of the mag I've ever seen, and I'm sure I've read on here that writers have sold them 'dark' stories. Or am I getting my magazines mixed up?
The one I had accepted was a ghost story while the other I had short listed was quite emotional, so I'm not sure if the guidelines are entirely accurate but great thread, also answered my questions.
Interesting that they say they don't mind stories previously published in WW. I thought that was big no-no, as WW also publish in Oz.
I assume that WW don't have a problem with it, as you only sell first rights (?)
Thanks for the post. I had one story accepted back in April this year and it was about chickens and went in the main That's Life magazine. I was ever so excited but have had nothing else accepted as of yet.
I hadn't seen a copy of the mag either but I emailed the editor yesterday and she's going to send me a copy so I can get ever so excited over it again!
I've been racking my brains thinking of a story I can send over since I read the article and this posting!
Julie xx
Every story I send them just seems to get swallowed up in their shortlist. I have visions of getting an email when I'm 85 to say they're publishing one of them!
very difficult, nay impossible, to research them if you can't get hold of the mags. You would need to read them regularly, not just the odd one, to do it properly.
You can get an annual sub to Fast Fiction (4 issues) for A$39 (about £20) delivered to the UK.
A bit pricey if just for reading, but not too bad if it's for research!
My copy of WF arrived yesterday but I haven't had a chance to read it yet, so thanks for this snippet.
My story, published in the Winter edition (June) was pretty dark. As I've mentioned elsewhere, it was about a rampant robot.
Mine was contemporary, positive and humourous! And the others I have shortlisted with them could be described in the same way. Incidently, so far I've found that my stories previously published by My Weekly do best at TLFF.
Thanks for the info.
Maybe they're asking for humurous positive stories as they know they'll get enough dark ones without requesting them?
Maybe I should try and write something humorous and positive then. Won't be easy. I tend to veer off into very nasty horror territory if I'm not careful and none of the women's mags appreciate that - especially People's Friend!
Hi, Womag and others. When submitting to an Australian magazine, do you or the magazine ever change anything in the story to make it more or less obviously English? Because if a story set in Australia appeared in an English mag, its setting might be quite an important feature. What I'm trying to say is that I think it would be unusual for a story in an English mag to be set in an ordinary suburb that just happened to be Australian.
Just to elaborate on the above, I'm sure people in Australian stories don't go round saying "G'day" all the time but I thought there might be subtle differences in speech patterns, what things are called etc, which might not ring true to an Australian ear.
This was the point I was trying to make in posts before about obviously English stories being printed in Aussie mags. There are subtle differences and not so subtle ones and whilst people and their emotions are similar all round the world, to me it's obvious when a story is English. I don't think you can just put in a G'day here or there or change the name of a tree or whatever. It just doesn't work. But the editor prints them anyway, so if you can sell it, go for it.
That's interesting, Anonymous, thanks.
Anonymous, I have sold one or two stories to Norway and Sweden, but mostly the response I get is "We like your stories but they are just a bit too English." So I do see your point.
Kath and Anonymous - I don't try to Australianise stories I send to Aussie magazines, apart from possibly to change quid to bucks, or London to Sydney, or check (as I did with my last submission) that there's an Australian version of TV show Masterchef. I wouldn't be able to get speech patterns and subtle cultural references quite right, and I think any attempt to do so wouldn't work.
I assume if there was anything glaringly un-Australian which ruins the story for Aussie readers, then the editor will either amend it, or simply not buy it.
Geri - I met my brother-in-law's new girlfriend last weekend, and she's Swedish. I found myself asking if she'd get me a few copies of Arras for research, before remembering I can't read Swedish.
It's so difficult to know how different things are in Australia, isn't it?
I considered emailing one story but it involved a milkman and I had no idea if milk is delivered to the door in Australia. Googling didn't really help so I decided not to send that particular story. And so many others of mine prove to be quite English when I read them through.
The article in Writers' Forum was certainly very helpful though, and it was also extremely interesting to read Linda Lewis' column and discover that she gets a lot of rejections too and also gets post it notes on her rejections from Norah! I'm so glad lots of people seem to get them and it's not just me.
One of the other articles has caused me a problem though. There's a feature about exercising at the writer's desk and on pages 34-35 there are illustrations of famous writers doing their exercises. Does anybody know who writer no 3 (neck extension) is? I haven't got a clue who it is and it's driving me round the bend!
Oh no, Womag! I just sent TL a story based loosely on the Masterchef show too! Hopefully ours are very different. I haven't heard anything about mine yet.
Anon
Susan, the writer demonstrating neck extensions is Carol Ann Duffy, the poet laureate.
Anonymous - my story only mentions Masterchef in passing, so we should be ok!
Oh, thanks for putting me out of my misery and telling me who no 3 is, Womag. I feel a bit of an idiot for not knowing now!
I've just read the Writer's Forum interview. I wonder if they'll take stories that have been published in Fiction Feast/TAB? She doesn't mention these publications.
I just flicked thro my short stories and none are what could be called 'humourous', although they do have happy endings, and none are 700 words haha - guess I wont qualify.
Back to the drawing board Joan :)
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