Please share writing related news – successes and failures, details of free entry writing competitions, updates about the womags you submit to, any other publication opportunities, and raise any queries you may have. All these things will help other readers of the blog, and help me to keep it going!
As always, feel free to use my photos as writing prompts. If you prefer words to images for that purpose, take a look here.
22 comments:
Things have been fairly quiet for me. However, I had an acceptance & a date for publication within a couple of days for a recent story submitted to Woman's Weekly! I hadn't submitted anything for a while as I still have some on the longlist there.
Congratulations, Sheelagh! I will focus more after my move (taking forever and less than a mile and a half away!). I was thrilled to receive a complimentary copy of The Hooded Journal after a submission of mine was in there. No fee paid, but I've learnt how much it is to a writer's advantage it is to have an ISBN/ISSN number! Patsy, tech query: Did you know your website is inaccessible? Has been to my knowledge for a week. I hope it is a scheduled break?
Well done to all with positive news. I've had a non- fiction piece accepted for a blog and I've had a 100 word creepy tale accepted by tab fate & fortune mag. No fee for either but I'm pleased to have something published, as it's been a very slow start to the year for me.
Congrats to all! I’m looking forward to seeing my story in June’s woman weekly that was submitted back in 2022. And told a story that was published in women’s weekly is going to be reprinted in Woman magazine in May, a nice compliment 😊 Charlie
Thanks, Patsy. Just wondering if anyone here can confirm what the current rights situation is with Fiction Feast - do they take 'All Rights'? I haven't submitted to them for a long, long, time and spotted a Sally Jenkins post somewhere that says they 'Take All Rights'. Many thanks for your advice. Good wishes. Kate Hogan.
@ Sheelagh - congratulations!
@ Marguerite - Good luck with the move!
Thanks for letting me know about the site. I was aware, but it had been down a little while before I realised. I made a misake, which can hopefully be rectified...
@ Sharon - Well done. Things seem to have been slow generally this year.
@ Charlie - Well done for those. (Did you know you can claim ALCS for reprints even if you're not paid for publication.)
@ Kate - TAB don't take all rights. If my memory is correct, they did for a short while several years ago. I think we need to be 'on the list' to sub to them though?
Yes, I'm afraid it's a closed list at fiction feast. I've heard of another writer (who had 2 stories published in there before) try several times to get on their list but sadly, without luck. They don't take all rights now but when they gave writers back their rights, they also lowered their fee.
Thanks,Sharon. I was on their list but haven't submitted for a few years, although I did have quite a few published with them in the past. Worth a go! Thanks again. Good wishes. Kate Hogan
A slow start for me too this year. One story published in WW back.in January and one reprint in Woman in February. I'm waiting for Andrew Shaw's verdict on a story I sent 9 weeks ago. The 12 week deadline fast approaching so it's probably a no. Not submitted much anywhere recently but hoping to get more focused.
I’ve been lucky enough to have an acceptance from The People’s Friend and Best of Woman’s Weekly recently. However the start of the year had been very quiet, so I’m enjoying an unexpected good spell in case it all goes quiet again.
I've sent several submissions to April at BOWW but I haven't had a response at all since last October. She's ghosted me!
I don't really know what to do, whether to give up or keep trying. She accepted 2 last year but these were put on hold and not published.
I have the impression that she's not interested in my work any more. I'll give it until the end of May.
If I haven't heard by then, I'll take a long break, because at the moment, it looks like I've been wasting my time and effort.
I think it's awful to ignore a writer for months on end.
@Sharon I wouldn't take it personally Sharon, I think that's just the 'modus operandi' I've had a few acceptances from BOWW but I've never had any response to queries even where I had an acceptance for a story & was told to expect a purchase order to be sent over that never materialised, there was no response at all to my query. I think the best thing to do, is send your stories & if you haven't received a P. O. within a few weeks consider where else you can send them.
Many thanks Shelagh. I don't expect there's much I can do, as it's out of my control. As I say, I'll give it until the end of May and then I'll be in a better position about how to move forward.
I received an acceptance for publication from Andrew Shaw for a story I submitted in January. I’d only had the ‘on file’ e-mail before, so I was thrilled.
Happy Easter, everyone.
HB
I had the same thing last year, Sheelagh, but I assumed it was just me! I have had a couple published after that, so I’ll see what happens this time.
@ Sue - it's hard to get motivated when we don't get respnses, isn't it?
@ Marian - A quiet start to the year is a very common theme. I'm glad things are improving.
@ Sharon – I agree that this is very unlikely to be personal. I also agree it's horrible sending out work and not getting a response for many months - or years in some cases.
@ HB - Congratulations.
I'm another of those who had a very quiet start to the year. Not at all surprising in my case, as I'd been concentrating on novels for quite a while and not written or submitted many short stories.
I obviously picked a good time to get back into it, as I've recently had a few acceptances for short stories written this year.
Congratulations to all on successes.
I have several stories in Andrew Shaw's 'file' and also haven't heard from BOWW when I've sent stories despite having had a couple with them in the past. I am also one of those who sold stories to TAB just before they changed to a list only and didn't get on their list - their loss! I'm writing for TPF and MW now. Struggling with a serial atm, something I've never cracked...
Alyson
I'm in the final stages of a non-womag writing project I've been working on for a while. Fingers crossed it gets the green light once it's submitted.
I had the first instalment of a TPF serial accepted this week, so will shortly be cracking on with the second.
I'm also playing around with a couple of other ideas (one womag, one not) that I'll start working on properly once I've hit send on the project mentioned above.
I only started womag writing in 2019 so I'm not on any of the closed lists. I can only echo Alyson above in saying it's their loss. I sent one story to Woman's Weekly and it's been in Andew Shaw's file for almost three years now. I've never bothered sending him anything else, and he can keep that one till the end of time if he likes.
I had a story accepted by Andrew Shaw in February. It was going to be published in June, but has been put back until July.
@Sue McV. I wouldn’t give up hope just yet. My above acceptance came in the twelfth week. I also have another out with WW which is approaching the twelve week deadline.
I subbed a story to BOWW last week. I thought I’d received a very prompt reply, but it was only an email to say that April Madden was out of the office.
I have a Halloween story ready to send. Have just started on a Christmas story, and have another to finish tweaking.
Good luck to everybody and a happy Easter
Michael
Thank you Michael, that is encouraging. And it's also very uplifting to hear of people's successes. Hope everyone had a good Easter.
This is a free poetry competition which I entered, unsuccessfully, last year: The deadline for entry is 14 September 2025. All the details can be found here: https://www.wetherbyfestival.co.uk/festivalpoetry.
It's been lovely to see everyone's positive news above - long may it continue!
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