Cicada / Cricket Magazine Group

[Chamran]

I picked two mag's out of Writer's Handbook 2004 ed. and submitted one short story to each. I assumed since they were listed here it was a safe bet. Was I right?

[James D Macdonald]

Had you actually seen copies of the magazines? (How else to tell if your stories would be the sort of thing they're looking for?)

Safe or not safe, I can't tell (safe for what?), but not your best way to make sales. Know your markets.

[Chamran]

The first mistake of a new author is to jump. I made the mistake and did not check them out. I put faith in the book thinking they were ok if they were in this book. No sir I've never heard of Glimmertrain or Cicada. They offered good and I submitted. The reading time is long so I haven't heard anything. But that's why I joined this site so that I may learn.

Thanks for your advice
Randy Chambers

[DaveKuzminski]

Glimmertrain is tough to get published in. Both are reputable and have been around for years.

[Chamran]

Dave & James
I thank you both. I did check the guidelines and sent appropriate material. Now it's up to my writing skills.
Thanks again
Randy Chambers

[CaoPaux]

Still alive. FYI, there is both a YA and a SF Cicada.

[CaoPaux]

Cicada, part of Cricket Magazine Group, div. of Carus Publishing Co.

http://www.cricketmag.com/home.asp

[Chris P]

I'm surprised there isn't more discussion here about Cricket/Cicada/Carus/etc.

Their submission guidelines (http://www.cricketmag.com/6-Submission-Guidelines-for-kids-magazines-for-children-from-toddlers-to-teens) are here. Click on the magazine name to see the specific guidelines.

If you submit to one magazine they might decide it will be better in another. They report paying up to 25 cents per word.

The rights they obtain make me uneasy: For unpublished works "the rights vary," for previously published, they take 2nd North American rights but pay less than for previously unpublished works, and for recurring features (which is what I was hoping to have) they "purchase the material outright," and it becomes property of Carus. This makes me uneasy because if I wanted to do a book of my recurring features it seems I would not be able to.

Any experiences from AWers?

[Thedrellum]

No experience, but that would make me completely uneasy as well. Buying publishing rights is one thing for a magazine and, yes, magazines often ask for the option to include a published piece in a Best Of anthology or somesuch. But I agree with you, it sounds like they want to take a recurring feature whole so that they can have the option of publishing it as a book.

[RedRajah]

That's disheartening to see. Cricket was one of my favorite magazines as a child. :(

[Chris P]

By all accounts it's still one hell of a publication credit, I just wonder what I'd be able to do with the material once they publish it.

[Unimportant]

If they buy it outright then you can't do anything more with it.

I guess the question is, would there be more prestige and money in selling the piece once and forever to Cricket for $0.25 a word, versus selling first rights to Magazine A and reprint rights to Magazine B and electronic rights to Magazine C and then reprint in your own Collection D?

It really depends on who those other markets are and how much they pay.