There's a lot of information here. Do read it carefully before you start work as both their rights requirements and submission procedure are a little different from many other magazines. Some of the advice, particularly 'what to avoid' might well be useful even if you decide not to submit to this particular publication.
Short
story (fiction) guidelines
YOURS
is always looking for good short stories. Every submission is read
but we receive more than a hundred manuscripts a month and are able
to publish only one short story per issue.
Please allow up to six months for
reply and enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope if you would
like your manuscript to be returned. Submissions should be 1000-1,200
words long and not have
been published elsewhere before. Manuscripts must be TYPED on one
side of the paper and the title page must include the following:
- 100 - 150 word synopsis.
- An accurate word count.
- Your full name (and real name if you write under a pen name), address and telephone number
If
we can’t use your submission and you would like it returned to you
please enclose a SAE with enough postage to cover the cost of the
submission/s.
Know
your audience
It
is essential that you study three or four published stories in YOURS
before writing anything for us.
Many
manuscripts are rejected because, although they may be well written,
the stories are aimed at a completely different market, such as
younger women or a largely middle-class readership.
Read
several issues of YOURS. This will give you a good idea of the type
of reader you should be writing for and the general tone we use.
Our
readers range in age from fifties upwards, with most in their
mid-sixties and seventies. They are mostly women, although YOURS is
read by some men, so don’t ignore their interests!
Good
subjects
Some
of the most popular themes with YOURS readers are romance, families,
grandchildren, nostalgia and wartime comradeship. A lot of our
readers did war work and/or had husbands or boyfriends serving in the
Forces. Don’t be limited to these subjects though; the style and
tone of what you write about must appeal to our readers as much as
the content.
The
first line of your story should grab the attention; it is all too
easy to start a story with a bang, which quickly turns into a damp
squib by the end of the first page. Keep up the reader's interest
until the end or they will not bother to get that far - and a
brilliant surprise ending will not make them read it in the first
place.
What
to avoid
Avoid
stereotypical images of older people as ill, frail and lonely. Make
sure your story is plausible and realistic and do not rely on
unlikely coincidences. Try and avoid the hero turning out to be a cat
or dog.
Avoid
downbeat subjects such as death, widowhood, illness and loneliness,
or write about them in a positive way that does not dwell on
negatives.
Try
not to rely on obvious plot devices such as twists in the tale and
memory flashbacks. These are very common and, unless cleverly
written, can be predictable. A good story does not always need a
surprise.
Remember
this
Always
think of YOURS readers, not just as older people, but as ordinary
human beings who have experienced everything in life - childhood,
growing up, starting work, falling in love, friends and family, joy,
sorrow, heartache, longing and laughter. YOURS readers have their own
interests and needs which match their years of experiences but many
of their hopes, fears and dreams are shared by all of us and they
still enjoy a good story.
Send
your manuscript to*:
Short
Stories
Yours
Magazine
Bauer
Media
Media
House
Peterborough
Business Park
Peterborough,
PE2 6EA
Or
by email to: yours@bauermedia.co.uk
(Subject: Short Story Submission) – email submissions must include
contact telephone number and address details.
All
successful submissions are accepted on an All Rights basis that gives
Bauer Media exclusive copyright
*PLEASE
NOTE: If you would like us to return your submission, please include
an SAE with the correct postage amount on it. We regret that any
submissions without an SAE will not be returned.
NOSTALGIA
NON-FICTION ARTICLE GUIDELINES
Every
article is read with interest but the Features department
receives
more than 100 manuscripts a month, and is able to
publish
only one a fortnight. Due to the number of articles
submitted
we aren’t able to reply to everyone. If we are able
to
use your article we will of course let you know.
- Submissions should be up to 300 words approx for a half-
page article. It is
rare for Yours to read, or to publish any article of greater length
than this.
- Manuscripts must be typed on one side of the paper and the title page should include: an accurate word count and your full name, address and telephone number.
- Please try to enclose relevant photographs to illustrate your article, marked with your name and address on the back
- You should include a short CV of yourself, together with a clear, colour head and shoulder picture of yourself
- All photographs should be marked with your name, address and telephone number
- If you would like your manuscript return please state that and include an SAE.
IMPORTANT
- Any article submitted must not have been published elsewhere and, if published by us become exclusive to Yours magazine on an all-rights basis.
- Yours magazine reserves the right to edit, alter or shorten any article submitted and it may not appear in its entirety and it may appear in any of our publications.
- Although all reasonable care is taken, Yours magazine can assume no responsibility for the safety of unsolicited articles or photographs, so it is a good idea to send copies. Please enclose a stamped addressed envelope if you would like your manuscript returned.
Know
your audience
Before
submitting any articles, it is
essential that
you study at
least
six issues
of Yours magazine.
Most submissions are rejected because the subject matter and/or the
style of writing is unsuitable for readers.
Reading
back issues will give you a good idea of the sort of person who reads
YOURS and the general tone we use - which is informal and chatty.
Subjects
We
are currently looking for inspirational stories and adventures to
inspire our readers.
Style
and tone
Your
article should grab the reader from the first sentence. Our style is
friendly and warm - after all, your contributions are what makes
YOURS the magazine it is! And 400,000 readers a fortnight can't be
wrong.
Send
your manuscript marked ‘Follow Your Dream’ to:
Non
Fiction Submission
Yours
Magazine
Bauer
London Lifestyle
Media
House
Peterborough
Business Park
Peterborough,
PE2 6EA
*PLEASE
NOTE: If you would like us to return your submission, please include
an SAE with the correct postage amount on it. We regret that any
submissions without an SAE will not be returned.
2 comments:
A lot of their advice holds good for other publications. The loss of copyright is a downside, but I'm happy to swap the occasional 1k for cash. They only publish one story per fortnight, plus another 6 or so in the annual, so they don't take many stories compared to other outlets. Rejections come with no helpful comments. I find them good to write for. Nice illustrations too.
Thanks for this highly-detailed info, Patsy. Think I`m one of those tempted by the Non-Fiction Nostalgia article - even though I`m Really Really Young, I seem to feel nostalgic about tons of things...
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