Free entry writing competition news
As I write articles for my local horticultural society I have a stock of pieces I can upload quickly and easily. They only allow three per day, so I'll be adding fresh content for the next fortnight at least. It's too soon yet to say if it will be worth my time to write new pieces after that – I'll update you in a couple of weeks.
https://patsy-collins.medium.com/echinacea-echinacea-purpurea-f7da0e89d10d
https://patsy-collins.medium.com/chinese-chives-allium-tuberosum-garlic-chives-d4bfe2b5a9b8
I think this one has the best colour combination – https://patsy-collins.medium.com/dill-anethum-graveolens-822e248700cf
There is a theme of family for this poetry competition. The first prize is £150 and a 'large large, bespoke commemorative plate'.
Family is also the theme of my latest short story collections, Happy Families.
Thanks to Alyson for the link to this competition. On the Premises are offering $35 for a story of 25 to 50 words. That's a heck of a rate per word!
Woman's Weekly Fiction Guidelines
Fiction is a vital ingredient of Woman's Weekly, the place where readers can escape and switch off. This doesn't mean predictable plots or old-fashioned romances. Escapism means getting involved in an engaging tale with believable characters. Above all, we are looking for originality and a wide variety of themes and moods, such as mystery, humour, relationships and family issues, with warmth and hope still an important factor. “Uplifting” is the word to keep in mind. We are not looking for stories about Covid, lockdown, or stories that dwell on death/illness/hospitals... Try to be subtle in your writing and remember the maxim: "Show don't tell".
We recommend you read several issues of Woman's Weekly to get a feel for our audience. Unfortunately, we can't offer feedback, but if your writing shows promise, we will contact you. Please be advised that stories may be edited as part of the publishing process.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR: For the weekly magazine: Short stories of 800 and 1,800 words.
GENERAL TIPS
Submissions should be my email.
Single quotation marks throughout.
Your name, address and contact details should be included on the first page.
The title of the story and the word count should be in the document name.
Please note that it can take up to sixteen weeks for manuscripts to be considered, and that we are unable to enter into any correspondence by email.
Please send stories to: andrew.shaw@futurenet.com
Andrew says, "The same guidelines apply to Woman and Woman's Own, however, we are only looking for 1800-word stories for those publications. All submissions should be by email. We are no longer accepting hard copy submissions.... All fiction stories for Woman's Weekly, Woman and Woman's Own are on an 'all rights' basis."
Feedback on your writing
One of the things The People's Friend mentioned in a recent tweet is that they can't critique stories or give detailed feedback. As far as I'm aware no magazine editor does this – please correct me if you know of any that do. This service is sometimes offered to competition entrants, either as part of the entry fee, or for a small additional charge. It might well be worth the money, especially for an ongoing competition.
Feedback, critiques, constructive criticism – whatever you call it, it's very valuable for a writer. That's especially true when we start out, but most experienced writers (myself included) also have at least one other person read their work critically before they submit it, as they've discovered how useful this is.
If you're really lucky there will be a local writing group which provides just the type of feedback you need. Often that's not the case – there might not be a group you can attend reasonably conveniently, or they might not be at the appropriate level for you, or might write in a very different genre. That's where online groups, forums, and critiquing partnerships can be immensely useful. If you know of an online group or site which is open to new members, please post details in the comments. And do the same if you'd like to swap critiques with someone else, or offer a feedback service, or are looking for somewhere to ask for feedback. Hopefully a few of you can find a suitable match.
Womag news
The People's Friend have given more information about submitting via email on their Twitter page. The gist of it is to only use the email address for short stories and that, just as with postal submissions, these must comply with their submission guidelines.
Following the guidelines is important with all markets. The magazines can only publish stories of certain lengths and they're sent plenty of these. If yours is too long, or too short, they would either have to request that you altered it, or do so themselves. Obviously this takes time, something no editor has lots of. I think you can see that they'd much rather buy a story from someone who has followed the guidelines and supplied something they can use without a great deal of further effort.
I'll be back with more news, and some free to enter writing competitions soon.
Thanks for joining me today, Sarah, and sharing some of your publishing know how! Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself, the company and your role as editor and book designer?
Thanks for having me, it’s great to be here! I’m American, and a native English speaker. I have a degree in archaeology, which obviously was very useful. [laughs] I started Sleeping Cat Books in 2010, but I’d been doing freelance copyediting work since 2006. I provide copyediting, proofreading, and book design services to indie authors. But beyond that, I consider myself a bit of a guide through the whole publishing process. A lot of my clients are completely new to this business, so I try to provide as much guidance and advice as I can to help them navigate what is, admittedly, a very complex world.
You're right, it is complicated!
I recently posted some information on publishing with Amazon, but of course they’re not the only option. I know you suggest that authors use Ingram Spark, can you tell us a little about this company and why you recommend them?
IngramSpark (IS) is owned by Ingram Content Group, the largest US book distributor. For many years, Ingram has operated a self-publishing company called Lightning Source, Inc. (LSI). As other platforms, like CreateSpace (later KDP Print) gained in popularity, indie authors began to find LSI as well, which had, until that point, catered mainly to small independent publishers. LSI wasn’t really set up to deal with indie authors brand new to the business. So Ingram spun off IS for individual authors and small publishers with fewer than 30 titles in their back catalogue. LSI remains available to small publishers with more than 30 titles in their catalogue. So IS is like LSI’s “little sister.” Since both print on demand (POD) platforms are owned by Ingram, they both benefit from the widest US distribution possible, along with a global distribution network through Ingram’s Global Connect program.
IS publish ebooks, paperbacks and hardbacks. Would you suggest an author use them for all three?
IS is great for print books, but not so much for ebooks. They keep too much of the revenue from ebooks compared to going direct to ebook retailers or using a distributor like Draft2Digital or Smashwords. Also, some ebook retailers and platforms provide promotion opportunities (such as KDP and Kobo) that you can only access if you’re direct with that platform. IS also doesn’t give the publisher much control over ebooks on their platform. You have much more control through other distributors.
I'm pleased to hear that, as I'm currently using KDP for my ebooks!
Would it be a good idea to put the IS paperbacks on Amazon as well?
Absolutely. You can get the best of both worlds by using both KDP Print and IS for the identical paperback. But the key is to use the same ISBN for the same book on both platforms, which means you must own that ISBN. There have been cases recently of one or the other rejecting the ISBN as being in use with this method. My suggestion to avoid any such issues is to set up the project on both, through entering the ISBN and imprint information, and then saving your progress. Once both platforms have accepted that ISBN, you should be fine to proceed in whichever order you wish.
A good tip, thanks. I'll make sure I do that as like you I've heard of the rejection of ISBNs.
There are no up front costs with Amazon. That’s not the case with IS is it?
No, it’s not. IS does charge a $49 title setup fee, and a $25/file revision fee for any changes after you’ve approved the online digital eProof file. But members of some professional organizations may get an IS discount code as a benefit of membership, and it’s sometimes possible to find other codes to waive these IS fees.
Yes, I'm a member of Alli and they have a code members can use.
Are there benefits to using IS that authors don’t get with Amazon?
Other than the widest possible distribution? True, KDP offers Expanded Distribution (ED), which lists the book in the Ingram catalogue. But the wholesale discount for KDP ED is fixed at 60%. IS allows the publisher to set the wholesale discount as low as 30%, so you can potentially earn a *whole* lot more through IS than through KDP ED. IS also allows the publisher to accept returns, which KDP doesn’t do. So if your goal is to get on brick & mortar shelves, you’ll need to allow returns (and set a 55% wholesale discount) through IS.
I’m already a convert. I’ve begun uploading my back catalogue and will publish all my new books through IS as well as Amazon. For those who are thinking of doing the same, can you explain how to publish with IS?
That's all happened since my last Insecure Writer's Support Group post! And yes, I have felt a little insecure at times, but I've mostly managed to put that aside and keep going. Somehow I got up the nerve to make a cheeky request for promotion in one of the magazines I write for. I didn't get exactly what I asked for, but was offered a nice alternative! The lessons I've learned from this is to have deadlines so there's not much time for anxiety to strike, and if there's something you want to ask nicely and hope that sometimes you might get lucky.
When it comes to beta readers / critique partners then, gosh yes! But also, crikey no! I expect to be surprised, as I know not every sentence will be perfectly clear, not every character's action come across exactly as I intended, not every clue, red herring or line of foreshadowing lead readers precisely in the direction I hoped. That's why we invite feedback on our work, isn't it? I've had some brilliant reactions and suggestions which have helped make my work much better than it would otherwise have been.
Free to enter writing competitions
Entrants can be a little older, up to 19, for this one. Entrants are asked to complete the story supplied. UK only.
Reedsy have a weekly competition for pieces written to one of the prompts they supply. You don't need to be a child for this one! There's a $50 prize, plus publication. You do need to create an account and sign up for the prompts emails, but that's free and so is entry.
If you're a woman who has written a comedy novel, or even just made a start on one, then this competition might appeal. Prizes include publication with a cash advance.
Womag news
I've updated my submissions database including the addition of the little I know about Woman and Woman's Own. I've requested full guidelines and submission requirements for both of these and Woman's Weekly.
Here's some useful information about story lengths for The People's Friend. If you pick the right length it just might help your chances of success.
I still have a few codes for review copies to give away. If you have an account with either Audible.com or Audible.uk and are willing to leave a review then contact me, or leave a comment – saying which site you use. If you don't yet have an Audible account but would like to try it, you should be able to get a free 30 day trial complete with my book by using this link.
It's not too difficult to self publish an audio book. Several companies offer a service to help with this including Audible (Amazon), Findaway Voices and Tantor. There are a few things to keep in mind which don't apply to ebooks and paperbacks. The most obvious is the choice of narrator.
If you have the right equipment, or hire a studio, you could read it yourself. That might be a good option for a memoir or non-fiction book. However not everyone is good at reading aloud in a clear, consistent voice, or at bringing different characters to life. I sometimes give talks including readings of a few of my short stories, but I couldn't narrate a novel.
You also need to consider if your voice, or that of the narrator, is appropriate. In a first person story
Something else to consider is the financial aspect. If you use a narrator you can either pay them a flat fee (rates vary hugely – and some really are huge!) or do a royalty split. With the former you'll receive all the royalties and take all the risk. Sharing both might seem a better option, but you'll need to convince the narrator it's worth their time. Apparently each finished hour of recording takes about six hours to produce.
As with ebooks and paperbacks you also have the option of 'going wide' (making the audio book available through more than one platform) or being exclusive with one. The affects your royalty rates, and those of your narrator if you're doing a royalty split.
Even if you don't narrate the book yourself it will take up some of your time. The narrator may have questions about pronunciation, accents or tone. You will also need to listen carefully to the entire recording and note anything which isn't right, until you're happy with it.
You'll also need a new cover as those for audio books are square!
The blurb can stay the same as for the ebook and paperback. Here's mine for Escape To The Country –
Leah is accused of a crime she didn't commit. Dumped by Adam, the man she planned to marry, she escapes to Aunt Jayne's smallholding in the Kent village of Winkleigh Marsh. Heartbroken and homeless, she strives to clear her name and deal with her emotions.
Jayne treats Leah's unhappiness with herbal remedies, cowslip wine and common sense in equal measure. In return Leah works hard for the delicious home-cooked meals they share. She wrestles with sheep, breaks nails and gets stuck in the mud – learning as much about herself as she does about farming. Soon Leah is happy milking cows, mucking out pigs and falling halfway in love with Duncan, a dishy tractor driver.
Back in London, steps are being taken to investigate what's happened to the missing money. It looks as though the real embezzler must soon be unmasked and Leah will have to choose between resuming her old life or starting a new one.
That's when her problems really start.
My novel Paint Me A Picture has also been recorded and is awaiting release, and one of my short story collections will follow.
MAGS WITH OPEN FICTION LISTS
It amazes me when writers say, 'I'm not on the closed lists, so I have limited places where I can send my work.' These mags all pay:
Ireland's Own - Max word count 2, 300 words.
UPDATE: April 2021 – I've been told they are currently closed to subs due to a backlog (But I don't think this includes the children's fiction slot).
Woman's Weekly – 800 words – take all rights
Woman/ Woman's Own - 1, 800 words – take all rights
Fresh material is also appearing in the 'Best of' WW fiction special
The People's Friend and their special - various lengths from 1,000 to 4, 000.
They also publish poetry in their mags, and both fiction and poetry in their fireside book and in their annual
UPDATE: Unpublished TPF story writers can now email their work in.
The regular YOURS – max 1, 200 words. They also publish poetry in their letters page.
They publish an annual year book and need stories and poetry for this.
The YOURS fiction special – various lengths
Allas, a Swedish magazine – max 1, 500 words
YOU in South Africa - max 1, 500 words. They have 6 month periods when they close to subs.
Woman's World USA. They have an active FB page that focuses on fiction, and the fiction ed regularly posts call- outs for what they require. I think they take all rights.
Spirit and Destiny - take all rights but they are currently closed to subs due to a backlog.
Candis magazine - (Subscription only) will consider stories from published novelists. Whether this includes self- published ones, I don't know. Not sure of the length they require but they do pay.
Best run an ongoing themed short story competition that's free to enter and the writer keeps their rights.
Prima – 800 words. They take all rights to all entries in their ongoing competition.
OTHERS:
Amateur Gardening magazine publish poetry in their letters page and pay £20 per published poem.
Reader's Digest pay for jokes and funny stories.
Letters, daft photos and top tips in most magazines pay a fee.
I hope this list will keep writers busy! Please contact the editors for more details.
(From Patsy – My guidelines database might be useful in finding out more details about each magazine, but it's always a good idea to read a recent issue.)
Free to enter writing competition / womag news
Thanks to Alyson Hilbourne for sending me the link to the latest Best magazine short story competition. There's £500 on offer for a summer story of up to 1,200 words.
Womag news
The People's Friend are now allowing emailed submissions from 'new to them' writers – a very welcome move. Full details can be found here.
UPDATE Sorry, it seems the link for the Best competition isn't working for everyone. Here's a screenshot –
Imprint The name given to a publisher's specific range of books. For example Puffin and Penguin Classics are both imprints of Penguin Random House. Self published authors may also have different imprints, particularly if they write in very different genres.
ISSN International standard serial number A code which identifies 'serial publications'. It applies to all issues. This week's issue of The People's Friend will have the same ISSN as last week's and next week's. The specials will have a different ISSN. This number is important to writers as we need it to claim ALCS payments.
ISBN International standard book number A code to identify a particular book. You'll most likely
need this if you self publish in a physical form.
Justify The alignment of text on a page or in a document. This blog post is left justified, meaning each part begins at the left margin, and stops wherever the words run out. In books it's common for the words to be left and right justified, meaning they are spaced evenly between both margins. You can also right or centre justify.
Lead time This is how long elapses between us submitting our work and it being published. With womags it's not unusual for this to be six months or even longer. Some editors will help us out by stating that they're looking for seasonal stories to be published at a certain time. When I can, I pass on such information. For example The People's Friend are currently interested in autumn stories of 3,000 words.
Manuscript Your story (or article). Sometimes abbreviated to mss.
Self-publishing is what you do after your book has been rejected by traditional publishers. Right? So, let’s start by demolishing the self-publishing is for losers myth. The self-publishing revolution begun by Amazon is massively significant. It’s on par with Caxton and the invention of movable type. Maybe more so – we are in the eye of a publishing storm; people just haven’t realised yet. (For the purposes of this article the term self-publishing, will refer to Amazon Self Publishing/Kindle.)
That’s because, even amid these dramatic advancements in publishing, we remain fixated by the patterns of the past. Traditional publishing, the writer completes a manuscript submits it to a publisher who recognises its genius and publishes it. Didn’t matter if the manuscript was scrawled with a quill or hammered out on a vintage Adler or for that matter keyed in Microsoft Word. You provide the words the publisher provides the book. It’s a two-component process.
We are like the WW1 generals fighting today’s battles with yesterday’s strategies. The conventional publishing industry reinforces this attitude. Look at the typical format an agent imposes on a query submission: A4, 12pt Times New Roman, double spaced, ranged left. You’ll never see a book laid out like that. The inference is clear. Demarcation. Words are your business; we’ll take care of the rest. They may use email, but they are stuck in the days when queries were dispatched in sheaves of badly typed foolscap.
Now we come to my big point. Self-publishing is an opportunity, and invitation, to break away from the shackles of the past. Self-publishing requires a whole new mindset. Importantly, thinking like a self publisher will add an extra dimension of creativity and satisfaction to your writing.
Ask yourself: ‘What’s the last consideration of a writer?’ The book cover design, of course.
That’s a publisher’s job, right? That’s a job for an artist not a writer.
Not anymore, that’s your job now.
This is a brilliant exercise to clarify a writer’s thinking. Envision a single image which encapsulates the subject of your book. Something that not only accurately represents your subject but gives it market appeal. Constantly revisit (or adjust) that image as you write.
Cover design as an afterthought so often relies on a montage of imagery, that’s just the product of woolly thinking. Someone has lost the plot – literally. A single powerful image is the one punch KO of the graphical world. So, if you are writing about, say, about a forest. Your go-to image will be a tree. Tell me that’s not what’s happening with Stephen King’s ‘Christine’ or Herman Melville’s ‘White Whale’.
Now what’s the next last consideration as a writer? The typography. That’s a publisher’s job, right? That’s for a typesetter not a writer.
Not anymore, that’s your job now.
Again, this comes with a benefit. To understand how typography can help a writer, we need to address to the basics of written communication. Those strange abstract squiggles on the page which miraculously cause images and emotions to arise in the mind. Those 26 individual shapes, collectively forming a pattern evoking meaning. Simple equation – shape = meaning. This doesn’t just apply on a micro level (individual letters/words) it’s also applicable to the macro level the shape the letters form on your page, and ultimately to the shape of your manuscript. Writers should learn to be playful with their typography. Modulate sentence, paragraph, section, and chapter lengths. Write shorter punchier dialogue, or longer, whatever suits. Maybe break a few conventions for the sake of visual appeal. Maybe invent a few of your own. As long as what you do forms a logical consistency you’ll be fine. Always keep in mind shapes convey emotion and pace.
‘So that’s your limo?’ said the barmaid.
‘I have temporary use of it,’ I said.
‘And the goons minding it?’
‘They’re on staff.’
‘Whose staff?’
‘Mine.’
‘Ah.’
Indifferent typography can render a book unreadable. Creative typography can be inspirational. For a self-publisher typing in double spaced twelve point across an A4 page is plain dumb. You have no impression of the final appearance of your book.
The quick and dirty way to get a book feel to your manuscript is to simply jack your text up in size. Between 16pt and 18pt depending on the font. You’ll need to be looking for 32 lines on the page and an average line length of 11-12 words.
The absolute best way is to type directly into a book template. That involves opening an Amazon account (cost free), choosing your page size and downloading a template. They come in two varieties plain, that is empty, and with sample text. Best way is to get the sample text version and type over the text. (You’ll notice that the gutter is wider on the right of a left-hand page and vice versa.) This provides you with a ‘what you see is what you get’ version of your book as you type.
Then the fun starts. When you have finished your story it’s time to start killing the widows and orphans (typographically speaking). Nothing looks less professional than a single word left over at the end of a chapter, or even a single line. You want your dialogue to flow, you don’t want to have to turn over a page to see the last dramatic word of a sentence. Typing into a template provides a level of control unavailable to a conventionally published author. (I have a rule that no page has less than four lines.)
So, what do you do? Scan the previous page, for opportunities to either reduce the line count or extend it. They will abound. Then begins a massive game of whack-a-mole. Kill a widow, she potentially gives birth to an orphan later in the chapter. Sounds like a pain, but it’s so much fun.
By now you will have discovered that self-publishing is a misnomer. The very term self-publishing perpetuates the myth that there are two involved in this process. There’s self and there’s publishing. In truth there is only you. The sooner you integrate publishing into your writing process the more successful and fulfilling the results will be. Self-publishing should be called DIY publishing. That makes you the editor, proof-reader, typesetter, a graphic designer, printer, and publicist.
And now we come to the biggest differentiator between conventional publishing and self-
Colour printing (cover) can be disappointing, digital printing is not great for subtleties. You should bear that in mind its limitations when choosing imagery, colour, and title font. But there’s an upside; with self-publishing, all sales and marketing take place online. The physical cover which is paramount in attracting conventional instore book sales is not even a consideration in online sales. What attracts and influences online buyers is all onscreen, which is unaffected by the digital printing process. The first time the buyer sees the printed paperback when it’s delivered. At which point, they are (hopefully) only interested in reading it.
The self-publishing twin to the paperback is the eBook. Having completed your paperback, it is a simple process to convert to an eBook. Just download an application, and it’ll guide you through the process. All the same rules and opportunities apply, save you rather unnervingly surrender your hard-won typography to the reader, who can change the font, style, and size (although your line breaks will survive).
Self-publishing was a steep learning curve even for me, with all the experience and tools at my disposal. What I have found helpful as a writer, and what I encourage others to do, is to incorporate self-publishing into their creative process. It’ll enrich your enjoyment of writing and produce better books.
A bit more about Paul (who writes as Saul Ben) –
I spent five years at art school. Practiced design and copywriting for thirty-five years and taught design at three universities I had my first book (conventionally) published in 1975 (yes, I’m that old). On retirement I promised myself I’d single-handedly revive abstract expressionism. Had all the paint and brushers ready, the canvasses primed. The Turner Prize committee on speed dial. Then my wife bought me a writing course for Christmas. And much to my disappointment, I discovered I was an obsessive writer. I completed my first novel a couple of years ago. I’ve written two more since. I joke that my last one book broke Amazon. Didn’t realise the max length for a paperback is 830 pages, my last book was 883 pages – rookie mistake.
Paul offers his help with self-publishing via the Amazon service (manuscript processing, cover design, ebook design and administration) for a flat fee of £380. Find out more here.
