No, it's not quite Christmastime yet, but it is most definitely time to get your stories polished and ready to submit to the newest Christmas book that Chicken Soup for the Soul will publish. The title is The Joy of Christmas and the deadline for sending stories is April 30th. That gives you plenty of time to write a new story or revise and edit an old one.
I found it interesting that the book will include more than just Christmas stories. This call for submissions also mentions Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, and New Year's. That gives you a wide range of holiday memories and stories to select from for this newest holiday book.
They want stories that are ...inspirational and joyous, heartwarming and humorous... Joy seems to be the keyword here. I wouldn't send a sad story for this book. It's obviously not going to make it. Yes, there are sad holiday stories that would have a place elsewhere but not for this book.
Keep in mind that the Chicken Soup editors offer you a lengthy set of Guidelines for writing a Chicken Soup story. There is a reason for that. Follow them and you're more likely to be accepted. Ignore them and your story will be one of the many they reject. Don't just read the Guidelines--study them!
A word concerning deadlines for submissions. Chicken Soup editors start selecting stories before the deadline arrives, so if you wait til the last minute, your odds of being accepted drop.
The call is for both stories and poems. Remember that the stories must be true--no fiction for this publisher. I have not seen a lot of poetry in the Chicken Soup books. My guess is that they would look for narrative poems--those that tell a story--rather than imagery or slice of life types.
In one of my December posts, I urged you to write your Christmas stories while the spirit and emotion of the season was with you. Those of you who did so are a step ahead as you have a story to polish up and shoot off to the Chicken Soup editors on the Submission page.
If you have submitted a Christmas story for earlier holiday books and it didn't make it, you can submit same again. But, do take a close look at your story and see what you might do to add a bit of sparkle before submitting again.
Get geared up to write and submit those ...inspirational and joyous, heartwarming and humorous...stories suggested in the Call for Submissions for The Joy of Christmas.
Great advice!
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