Chicken Soup and A Change

Is there a story here?

Chicken Soup for the Soul books are published around the world, in some 40 languages. That's how popular they are. What amazes me is that they keep coming up with new topics. A few months ago, I sent them a story for a possible book that was to be called New Friends. This morning, I was checking their Possible Books page when I noticed that the book I'd sent the story for had gone through a title change.

Now, it's being called Just Us Girls. They said that the title change was made once they saw the nature of the stories they were receiving. That's all fine except for the fact that my story does not involve only a woman friend, it includes our two husbands who also became good friends. I'm betting that will disqualify the story now that the title has been changed.

Seems a bit unfair, doesn't it? But guess what? The editors and publisher of the Chicken Soup anthology series are in charge. They make the rules. The writers who submit stories fall a whole lot farther down the ladder and have no say in the publishing end.

The editors are seeking stories that illustrate the bonds between women and their close friends. No teen or pre-teen stories, ones about women over 18. 

The deadline date for submission is May 15, 2013. Note also that, if you have already submitted a story for this book, it will still be considered and they ask that you do NOT submit the same story again. 

Between the new title and the deadline coming up so soon, you'd better get going on a story to submit in a hurry. But remember, don't dash one off and send immediately. Let it sit at least a few days before you edit and revise, then send it. You've got two weeks here, so use it. 

As for me, I'm still a bit irritated with this whole thing but maybe I can come up with a new story to send. Then again, maybe I can rewrite the story I sent and leave the boys out of it. Neither one of them knows he's in it anyway, so no harm done. Right?