Yesterday I received a dose of good news/bad news. An editor from Chicken Soup Publishing wrote that my story "The Body Beautiful" had made it to the final selection for a book on Faith. The letter indicated that only a small percentage of the stories submitted had made it this far. That's the good news.
The bad news is that the book will be released in mid-October, and the authors of the final stories selected will be notified about a month prior to that. I call that bad news since it is a long wait from mid-April to mid-September. And, as is their policy, the authors who make the cut will be notified, the others will not. It leaves a writer hanging on the edge of the cliff waiting for James Bond to come and rescue her. Well, maybe not quite that dramatic, but it's a long wait, especially since the story was submitted in December 2011.
It also means that I cannot submit the story to another publication until I know whether it will be in this new book or not. If the worst happens, the story has been sitting gathering literary dust for longer than I'd like.
When I submit to a Chicken Soup book, I know the odds of my story making it into their book are not great. But I've been successful a dozen times with them so far, and I know how the process works. That makes me willing to submit, willing to wait, willing to take my chances. And I know my chances are far better than winning the lottery, so I'll continue to send stories to Chicken Soup books. I won't sit around just waiting. I'll start working on a story for the newest titles listed. When one of my stories makes it into a Chicken Soup book, I'm a happy writer.
A member of my critique group also received a letter informing her that her story is in the final selection stage. We both signed the Permission Release Agreement and sent it back, and we're hoping to be able to congratulate one another on getting into the book.
Do you wonder how a story called "The Body Beautiful" is in the finals for a book on faith? I assure you that it is a story about faith, also about a girl who wore leopard-skin print panties and bra. Check back in October for more about the story.
Do you have any thoughts about the process of submitting your work to Chicken Soup books?
The bad news is that the book will be released in mid-October, and the authors of the final stories selected will be notified about a month prior to that. I call that bad news since it is a long wait from mid-April to mid-September. And, as is their policy, the authors who make the cut will be notified, the others will not. It leaves a writer hanging on the edge of the cliff waiting for James Bond to come and rescue her. Well, maybe not quite that dramatic, but it's a long wait, especially since the story was submitted in December 2011.
It also means that I cannot submit the story to another publication until I know whether it will be in this new book or not. If the worst happens, the story has been sitting gathering literary dust for longer than I'd like.
When I submit to a Chicken Soup book, I know the odds of my story making it into their book are not great. But I've been successful a dozen times with them so far, and I know how the process works. That makes me willing to submit, willing to wait, willing to take my chances. And I know my chances are far better than winning the lottery, so I'll continue to send stories to Chicken Soup books. I won't sit around just waiting. I'll start working on a story for the newest titles listed. When one of my stories makes it into a Chicken Soup book, I'm a happy writer.
A member of my critique group also received a letter informing her that her story is in the final selection stage. We both signed the Permission Release Agreement and sent it back, and we're hoping to be able to congratulate one another on getting into the book.
Do you wonder how a story called "The Body Beautiful" is in the finals for a book on faith? I assure you that it is a story about faith, also about a girl who wore leopard-skin print panties and bra. Check back in October for more about the story.
Do you have any thoughts about the process of submitting your work to Chicken Soup books?
I unsubscribed to them Nancy. They've
ReplyDeletechanged and it isn't that important to me. I'm surprised that you don't feel you can submit something to another publisher. They don't ask for exclusive rights. And if and when they contact you, that's something you can let them know. I doubt that it would matter, Nancy. Take care~ Diane
They prefer something unpublished, but will take a reprint only if it is in a very small circulation publication. So, maybe it's best to wait. ;)
Delete