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Publication Opportunities

Your Poem on Our Blog

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For the past few years, Writers of Kern has celebrated National Poetry Month (April) in a unique way. Each day in April, an original poem is published on our WOK website. Established poets, emerging poets, and would-be poets all have the possibility of being published during the month.

But, hey, we need YOU to submit your poetry for consideration! Beginning February 20th and throughout March, please send your poems to [email protected]

Guidelines:

  1. Poem line limit: 30 lines or fewer
  2. Submit poems as a Word Document ; 12-point font, Times New Roman or  Arial
  3. Include a short bio (50 words or fewer)
  4. Include a head shot
  5. Send to [email protected] ; In the subject line: NPM-“Title of your Poem”

You have questions? Please send them to: [email protected]

Open Submissions of Poetry/Essays for the International Day of Peace

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Day of Peace

The International Day of Peace was started by the United Nations in 1981. Since then, the day “is observed around the world each year on September 21. The Peace Day provides a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to Peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace.”

The local planning committee invites you to write personal essays and/or poems addressing the issue of peace.

The chosen submissions will be entered into a collaborative notebook available on the Day of Peace, September 21, 2019 (10 am to 12 am in Central Park, Bakersfield). The collaboration will then be published online at https://kernpoetry.com

One poem will be selected to be read from the stage. The poem should last no longer than 3 minutes when read aloud. All pieces will be entered into the electronic book.

How to Submit

#1 Format you work

  • 12 pt Times New Roman font
  • 1″ margins, all sides
  • Document file in MS Word

#2  Email your submission

  • Enter “Submission for Day of Peace” in the subject line
  • Send as an attachment
  • Send it to  [email protected]

#3  All submissions should be received by September 18, 2019

Note: Email submissions only. All other submissions will be rejected.

Write NOW – reminder

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Show off your mental gymnastics and writing skills! Write NOW is a new feature for the The Write Way Newsletter – providing members with an opportunity to get published in the newsletter and on the WOK website. Each month’s assignment will be different. The deadline will always be the last day of the month, with publication happening in the next month’s newsletter. These opportunities are open to members and non-members of the Writers of Kern.

Deadline: August 31, 2019  –  50-word story about a “Back to school” memory

Submission guidelines: 
Send your 50-word story and your name as you wish it to appear, in an email with the subject “Back to School” to: [email protected] 

The best of the submissions will appear in the newsletter for September and all submissions will appear on the Writers of Kern Blog.  Stay tuned for next month’s Write NOW assignment and keep those pens and pencils ready!

Calling all Horror Writers Opportunity Knocking!

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War Monkey Publications, LLC
is pleased to announce open submissions for our upcoming anthology:

FROM THE YONDER

A horror, short-story collection of regional legends and tall-tales from around the World.

We are seeking short story submissions (1000-7500 words) for this anthology. The stories must be based upon a regional/cultural legend or tall tale from any location or culture in the World. “Regional” can be a specific place (Loch Ness) or a larger region (Bigfoot in the Pacific Northwest).
We are seeking stories in the horror genre. Inclusion of elements of other genres is welcome, so long as, overall, the story is an horror story. The subject of the story can be based on any legend, so long as it has a horrific flavor. Ghosts, hauntings, alien abductions, monsters, demons, spirits, witches, etc, all are acceptable, as long as the subject is based on an actual legend or tall tale.

Submissions are open between 1 August and 19 September 2019. 
Submission info will be posted on our website: https://warmonkeypublications.com/submissions

The Submission Deadline is:
Talk Like a Pirate Day, 19 September 2019, at 11:59PM MST
Submit via Email to: [email protected]

11 Publication Opportunities for Emerging Writers

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Admit it. The writer life can be a daunting one. We work hard to master story mechanics, sweat over voice and style, and struggle to determine just which writing rules to follow and which to break. After all that, finding a place to actually send our work for publication can feel like an afterthought.

Or worse, sometimes when we don’t know where to send our work, the writing can feel less worth it somehow.

Sure, we’re supposed to love the writing for its own sake. But that doesn’t mean we haven’t all been there anyway.

So here are eleven resources overflowing with publication opportunities for emerging writers. Use this list as the carrot stick that keeps you writing through your most recent work in progress, then find the perfect place from this list to finally hit submit.

Where to Find Publications That Accept Work from New and Unpublished Writers

The Review Review Magazine Database: offers a slew of literary and commercial publications that accept work from new writers. Here you can search publications by format (online or print), response time, and pay range.

The Review Review Classifieds: from the same publication that created the magazine search above, these classifieds save you the search time by listing calls for submissions for publications that are looking for work right now.

Chicken Soup for The Soul: publishes inspirational, true stories from “ordinary people having extraordinary experiences.” What’s great about this publication is the sheer number of titles they publish each year. That’s a lot of opportunities for new writers to get published. Be sure to check out their guidelines first for story themes and what they’re looking for.

Funds for Writers Newsletter: this email newsletter is particularly helpful for writers looking for fellowships, grants, and publication opportunities. With 35,000 subscribers, Funds for Writers must be doing something right.

Paying Flash Fiction Publications: these five paying publications listed on my site are looking for flash fiction only. Flash fiction stories range from 100-2000+ words, which means a great opportunity to get something under submission quickly. Resource lists payment rates, word counts, and deadlines for each publication.

LitReactor’s Publications by Genre: this resource covers more than just genre specific publications like Fantasy, Horror, Scifi, Literary, Mystery, and more. It also lists each publication’s professional ranking and how difficult it is to break in. Most of the publications listed here pride themselves on publishing work from unpublished writers.

Paying Freelance Publications: if you’re looking to publish articles instead of fiction, these 75 publications—listed on The Work at Home Woman—are looking for you. You’ll find a home for everything from blog posts to greeting cards, short stories, recipes, and travel writing.

Local Online and Print Magazines: don’t forget the publications in your own backyard. You’re more likely to know what’s important to the readers in your community when you live there too. If you’re from Bakersfield, these four publications will bring you up to eleven places to submit your writing: Bakersfield Californian letters to the editor, Bakersfield Life, Bakersfield Magazine, and Kern Business Journal. Pro tip: send a quick note through each site’s contact page to ask where to send your pitch ideas.

4 Simple Steps to Your First Publication

If you want to get published, you’ve got to submit your work. There’s no way around it, writer. So apply this easy strategy to ensure your publication success this year.

  1. Take a few minutes to pull all your finished writing, works in progress, story ideas, and articles you’d like to write into one place.
  2. Using the resources listed here, select 5-10 publications that match each one of your works or ideas. Keep this list of potential publications where you’ll see it every day.
  3. Send your work to the first publication on your list right now.
  4. When and if that first publication rejects the work (rejection happens and it’s okay!), send it immediately to the next publication on your list.

Apply this strategy to each of your works, and you’ll be way ahead of most writers. And with this recipe, you won’t be unpublished for long. Good luck!

Did I miss anything? Share it in the comments.

Mandy Wallace, writer & bloggerMandy Wallace is a writing coach and blogger with a bachelor’s in English Lit and a few academic writing awards under her belt. She shares weekly writing tips and interviews with publishing experts on her website for new writers, which clocked over a half million page views last year. Get her weekly writing tips here.