A Newbie Question about Submission Guidelines

[Niggle by Leaf]

I've been doing a bit of research on short fiction markets, just to get a feel for what is out there and to familiarise myself with submission procedures, and so on.

I've come across one publication that states they only accept reprints that they have solicited themselves. What exactly is meant by the term "reprints" here? Does it refer to any piece of work that has been published in some way, or is it more specific than that?

Thanks for any advice!

[aka eraser]

I think you've got it right Niggle. It likely means a piece the editors have come across in another mag/site that they think is suitable for their own.

[mammamaia]

that's how reader's digest gets their content... they have a whole staff dedicated to reading everything and anything, to find stuff for the editors to pick and choose from...

[RichMar]

RD really combs the woods. The difference is that the afore mentioned mag doesn't allow for the great unwashed to submit their own babes. Odd pub.

[Niggle by Leaf]

Okay, thanks for the helpful replies. Sounds like someone at Readers Digest has a fun job!

One thing that is puzzling me, though. Why don't the submission guidelines say that they don't accept unsolicited submissions of published material? What subtle nuance is present in the word "reprints" that is evading my newbie eyes? Or am I over-analysing here?

http://redrocket.homestead.com/emoticons/thankyousign.gif

[Stephenie Hovland]

Could it be that when they say they only accept reprints that they solicit, it is asking you not to submit your reprints? In other words, if we want your printed article or book excerpt, don't find us, we'll find you.
Here's a place to query them to accept your article at Reader's Digest:
www.rd.com/common/article_proposal.jhtml (http://www.rd.com/common/article_proposal.jhtml)

Perhaps they do take some unsolicited manuscripts. What about the Drama in Real Life and the small stories in humor sections?

Did you know you could submit humorous pieces online?
/www.rd.com/common/submitjoke_01.jhtml (https://www.rd.com/common/submitjoke_01.jhtml)


That's just Reader's Digest. Maybe the publisher you were looking into has similar policies.

Stephenie

[Niggle by Leaf]

Thanks, Stephanie. This publisher definitely takes unpublished stuff unsolicited. Looking more closely at their guidelines, it seems they buy First Worldwide Electronic Rights, so I'm guessing that "reprints" is just a synonym for "unpublished" for them.

Cheers!

[Tish Davidson]

given the wording, my guess is that they buy electronic rights to things that have already appeared in print publications.

[RichMar]

RD looks at any and all reprints sent them. They also have a huge staff combing the larger pubs for the unsilicited stuff. And yes, those small humor departments of theirs can be submitted to via email--over the years I've had 8 accepted.

Further trivia: If you send something to LinUS, Campass Comedy, or Virtual Hilarity and it's accepted, prepare to get a call from one of their researchers to verify its truthfulness. There was one I had accepted for CC and it involved my daughter. They actually called her up at college to verify the story.

I'm not saying you can't stretch the truth, but prepare to have all your ducks lined up.

[Niggle by Leaf]

That could be it, Tish. Thanks.

Wow, Rich! That's what I call thorough!

[Flawed Creation]

In reply to the comment, "sounds like someone at reader's digest has a fun job"- I disagree.

It seems to me the staff in charge of reading "anything and everything" would have to read a Gargantuan amount of truly bad writing.

(Yes, I capitalized Gargantuan. Even though it is commonly used uncapitalized, by rights is SHOULD be capitalized, just like Rabelaisian, Keynesian, etc., since it's derived from Rabelais' book's protagonist, Gargantua.)