Two Things I've Learned About Chicken Soup for the Soul

One of my nonfiction stories landed in two recent Chicken Soup for the Soul books. My story is one of a duo of Bonus Stories at the end of The Power of Forgiveness book. It's a preview of coming attractions for the Reboot Your Life book.

The funny thing is that I had originally submitted the story "Freedom and Forgiveness" for the book with the forgiveness theme. When I received notice that my story had made it to the final cut round of the Reboot Your Life book, I was mystified. I decided that the editors must have felt it was a better fit  for the second book and then forgot about the first one.

The one problem was that I had not been notified that the story was in both books. I learned about it only after a reader wrote me a lengthy email regarding my story. She mentioned having read it at the end of the Forgiveness book. After an email inquiry from me, the editor called to let me know that using the story without my being told was an oversight. She was most apologetic and said that she was sending me a copy of the Forgiveness book. 

The book arrived this afternoon and I'm looking forward to reading it. Just scanning through the table of contents made me want to read the stories. Isn't forgiveness something that proves difficult for many of us? There are times in our lives that we either seek it or grant it. You will find it interesting to see how others have handled the situation.

Both books would be a help for those looking for new beginnings.How many times in your life have you wanted to put something behind you and start anew? The stories in both these books should be encouraging and probably satisfying. 

Consider either or both as gifts or for yourself. I have a feeling there may be some stories in these two books that you'll want to read more than once. 

My story was originally titled "My Dad, A Dream and A Red Shirt." It's about all three but the final title, "Freedom and Forgiveness" suits it quite well, too. 

I learned two things about the Chicken Soup Publishing Group. One is that they occasionally use a story twice, once as a Bonus Story to entice readers to look for the next book. Second, I learned that the Chicken Soup people do things right and are very easy to work with. These two books are the 15th and 16th I have with this publisher. The 17th will be out in March. It's got the prettiest cover and ...guess I'll wait until it's released to tell you about it. Let it be said, though, that I will continue to send submissions to this publisher because they do treat their authors well. 

Meanwhile, check out the website and see what books still need stories. They might be waiting for the one you send.