Wrting For Chicken Soup For The Soul

I've been very fortunate to have stories in nine Chicken Soup for the Soul books. The very first one "Love In A Box" has been published in other countries and on websites as well as in the Chicken Soup book about Fathers and Daughters. You can read the story at http://www.beliefnet.com/Inspiration/Chicken-Soup-For-The-Soul/2008/09/Love-in-a-Box.aspx

A lot of writers send stories to the Chicken Soup publishers and then are totally dismayed that they never hear a word from the editors. They may have had a good story, but if it doesn't follow the guidelines, it's not going to make it. The anthology website, at the link above, has a list of guidelines that are quite clear. Find them at http://www.chickensoup.com/cs.asp?cid=guidelines    It's  one of the biggest mistakes writers make--not reading the guidelines carefully. Use the checklist provided to determine if your story is meant for Chicken Soup or perhaps for a different market.

Have all the stories I've sent to Chicken Soup been accepted? Not by a longshot! Do I keep submitting to them? Absolutely! In fact, I sent two stories for the new Diet and Fitness book to them last night. And now begins the eternal wait. It can be months, even more than a year, before I will hear if either one is accepted. And if they are not, I will hear nothing. A writer is to assume that the story was not picked when more than a year has gone by with no word. Meanwhile, it's best to put it out of your mind, keep writing and submitting to other places. If a message arrives with a permission release form, it means you're in the running for the final selection, and it'a an exciting moment.

Chicken Soup editors say they receive a thousand or more stories for each book and can select fewer than one hundred. The ones that are published are from writers who followed the Guidelines.