Yesterday, Chicken Soup for the Soul, released a new book titled Messages from Heaven and Other Miracles. I have a story in the book about a message I received from my mother the night she passed away. The 101 stories in the book are uplifting and can be a help to the renewal of one's faith.
A page near the end of the book mentions that the editors were overwhelmed by the thousands of stories submitted for this book. That little fact is certainly uplifting to the 101 writers whose stories were selected to be included.
The Chicken Soup anthologies started 25 years ago. A passing fancy? Surprisingly, no. Readers enjoy being able to read a story or two, put the book down and return later for more stories. The editors select only the best submissions so that the result is a quality anthology. The themes chosen for the books are ones that appeal to readers. Some themes, such as mothers, angels, dogs, and cats, have had multiple books. There have books to honor teachers, getting in shape, teens, sports and more. To see a list of the 250 different books published, check here. Note that you can move from page to page at the bottom right of the first page.
Many of the stories in these books can be considered short memoir pieces or family stories. The stories must be true and they need to be a full story with a beginning, middle and ending. Stories that are selected are usually ones that amuse or elicit emotion of some kind from the reader. The guidelines are explicit in what the editors are seeking. Follow them to the letter and your chances of getting accepted are greatly increased.
If you're interested in submitting, read some of the books to get a feel for the type of story chosen for publication. So often, magazine guidelines state that the writer should read a copy or two of the magazine before submitting. It's worthwhile for a writer to follow that advice. It would also benefit you to check out the facts and figures and other parts of the anthology website.
It pleases me a great deal that I have been published in this anthology series 22 times. If I can do it, you can, too. Maybe the first, second or third story you submit won't make it, but be persistent and it might pay off.
The book can be purchased at Amazon or found in bookstores.
Congratulations! Published 22 times in Chicken Soup? Must be a record!
ReplyDeleteNot a record. I have a friend who has 30+ stories in CS.
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