My Weekly

Unfortunately My Weekly are still only accepting fiction submissions from authors who've previously been published in the magazine. If you have been do say so on the covering letter/ email to ensure the submission is seen by the fiction editor. 

Photo is of fiction editor Liz Smith and myself taken last year.

If you've not been published by My Weekly before you may still submit features and pocket novels (and if one of these is accepted you'd then be able to submit fiction)

 From the guidelines - 

My Weekly features are written on a commission-only basis. If you have an idea you'd like to pitch to us, please email the following: 
Health - Karen Byrom kbyrom@dcthomson.co.uk 
Celebrity, General Features - danadams@dcthomson.co.uk
Real Life - srodger@dcthomson.co.uk 
Fashion/beauty/diet - Audrey Patterson apatterson@dcthomson.co.uk 
Travel, Cookery - Susan Anderson sanderson@dcthomson.co.uk 
 

MY WEEKLY POCKET NOVELS GUIDELINES

 50,000 words  Pay rate is £300 First Cheap Paperback Rights 

WE look for stories with a strong, developing romance between two identifiable characters.

We want to sweep the reader away in time and space to share and experience the breathless/breath-taking excitement of a growing relationship. 

Do: Create believable characters our readers can identify with, rejoice with or grieve with.

They can have flaws.

Do: Thrill and intrigue the reader. You have the time it takes to read the novel to take the reader through a gamut of emotions, thrills and dilemmas to resolve the mystery, pitfalls and obstacles.

Do: Keep the tension building up, paying particular attention to every chapter ending, to make a page-turning read for the reader.

Do: Set our pulses racing (ooh la la!) BUT remember we want passion, not pornography!

SECOND BUT: No descriptions of breasts or nipples or explicit action.

Do: Use dialogue so the reader can participate in the story's development rather than being told in large chunks in straight narrative.

Do: To develop the relationship between the main characters, include an intriguing plot. For instance, there are often complications and misunderstandings between the hero and the heroine, or there is something vital at stake, such as a child, an inheritance, a relationship etc.

Crime and intrigue can feature.

Remember that all the villains need to receive an appropriate outcome. 

Who: Our heroines vary in age from their early twenties to middle-age and are compassionate and morally sound. They are more modern in their relationships, thoughts, feelings and experiences when the novel has a contemporary setting.

Where and When: Stories can be set anywhere in the world and can be contemporary or historical. Paranormal romances will also be considered.

How: The story is usually told from the woman's point of view, although occasionally it is from the man's. 

Key Points For Writers

Plotting: Keep the pace building - compel the reader to turn the page with cliff-hanging chapter endings.

Give the main characters something to get together over  - something they care about.

People: Characters are real people with real dreams and hopes (plus faults and failings).

Power: Get the action over in dialogue rather than prose (ratio: 60/40 talking/telling). 

Synopsis: Please send in a synopsis and the first three chapters, either in manuscript form or via email.

If we wish to proceed, we will ask you to send in the full novel electronically.

By Post: My Weekly Pocket Novels, DC Thomson & Co, 80 Kingsway East, Dundee DD4 8SL

EMAIL:  myweekly@dcthomson.co.uk