Cracked.com - How do I submit an article to them?

I believe they have a forum with instructions on how to submit... here we go http://www.cracked.com/write-for-cracked/

Yep, I'm pretty sure you have to sign up and post in that forum. I'm not sure what happens after that -- I've been considering it but haven't pursued it.

You have to post in the forum saying something like "I'd love to write for you, please consider me." Every few weeks, they open a workshop of sorts and invite some writers to be part of it. You do a lot of writing there (no money and nothing's published; it's sort of a practice session) and at the end they select the writers they want to work with. It's really, really difficult to get in and even if you're accepted into the workshop it doesn't mean you'll actually be able to write for them.

I did start the process at one point in time - I guess it was in 2010 - but never followed through to publication. It's possible the process has changed since then, but when I did it, you had to ask permission to join the forum for potential writers. (I can't find the link now because I'm at work and I can't get to the site.) You would then make a thread outlining the potential article you wanted to write - the guy(s) in charge would comment on whether it was accepted, rejected or needed editing. The accepted or potentially accepted articles were moved to another forum where you worked to polish it by submitting changes for the editors' approval. If you were eventually published you got $50. After 5 published articles they upped the pay. I got an article to the "maybe" pile, but then other obligations kept me from continuing.

But like I said, they might have changed since I was involved.

NewKidOldKid said:

You have to post in the forum saying something like "I'd love to write for you, please consider me." Every few weeks, they open a workshop of sorts and invite some writers to be part of it. You do a lot of writing there (no money and nothing's published; it's sort of a practice session) and at the end they select the writers they want to work with. It's really, really difficult to get in and even if you're accepted into the workshop it doesn't mean you'll actually be able to write for them.

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Sorry for bumping an old thread, but I'd like to clear this up. It goes nothing like that. You post in their thread saying you'd like to be a part of the forum, and they let you in. There's no workshop or anything, that's just what they call the forum where you pitch ideas (Cracked Comedy Workshop). There's nothing complicated about it.

thekingsguard said:

So you just post your idea in the that forum and it just goes from there?

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Yep.

This may be a stupid question, but what if the funniest thing about the idea is its premise? If you discuss the idea and don't get through, couldn't someone take your premise and run with it?

I have a piece I want to shop around, btw, and I know so little about comedy writing. It's just an idea that came together; I'm not the least bit consistent at being good at humor

backslashbaby said:

This may be a stupid question, but what if the funniest thing about the idea is its premise? If you discuss the idea and don't get through, couldn't someone take your premise and run with it?

I have a piece I want to shop around, btw, and I know so little about comedy writing. It's just an idea that came together; I'm not the least bit consistent at being good at humor

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That's usually the case with most of the articles that are pitched. It is Cracked.com after all.

People on the forums are pretty supportive, and they're more likely to offer you more ideas and more credible sources for your idea than to steal it.

There's actually a section for abandoned articles that you're welcome to work on, where people have given up on an idea for one reason or another.

Thank you!