Latest Fiction Submission Guide for Woman's World

Bobster · 05-29-2009, 12:15 AM

(For future copies, send e-mail request to DearWW@bauerpublishing.com)

Received in e-mail today (5/28/09):

WOMAN'S WORLD

FICTION GUIDELINES

Romance guidelines:

We buy contemporary romances of 800 words. Stories must revolve around a compelling, true-to-life relationship dilemma; may feature either a female or male protagonist; and may be written in either the first or third person. Characters may be married, single, divorced or widowed; should be down-to-earth (no yuppies or jet-setters); and their dilemma should be poignantly or humorously conveyed. Please think carefully about a story's setting, mood and plot, and tell the story with interesting action and dialogue. (Every sentence, paragraph, and scene of the story should deliver more information about your characters and their situation and/or briskly advance the storyline).

We are not interested in stories involving life-or-death matters, nor are we interested in fluffy, flyaway-style romance. When we say romance, what we really mean is relationship--whether it's just beginning or is about to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The emphasis in our stories is on real life-which is why we do not buy science fiction, fantasy or historical romance.

We pay $800 per romance and retain First North American Serial Rights for six months after publication.

Mini mystery guidelines:

We purchase short "solve-it-yourself" mysteries of 700 words--a count that includes the narrative and the solution. Stories should be cleverly plotted, entertaining cliffhangers that end with a challenge to the reader to figure out whodunnit or howdunnit. The solution to the mystery is provided in a separate box.

Robbery, burglary, fraud and murder are acceptable subjects, but spare the readers any gory details or excessive violence, please! We are also not interested in ghost stories, science fiction or fantasy.

We pay $500 per mystery and retain First North American Serial Rights for six months after publication.

IMPORTANT NOTES!

Manuscripts should be double-spaced in legible size type.

Where to send manuscripts: Fiction Editor, Woman's World, 270 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632. Indicate Mini Mystery or Romance on the envelope.

How to send manuscripts: (1) You must include a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope to receive a reply. Manuscripts not accompanied by a SASE will be discarded. Note: A #10 SASE is necessary not just for a response, but for your contract if we purchase your story.
(2) Please DO NOT fax or e-mail manuscripts--because such submissions do not include SASEs, we have no means of responding to your submission.

Get to know us: Please familiarize yourself thoroughly with our romances and mini mysteries before submitting your work.

Be patient: Because we receive a tremendous volume of manuscripts, our turnaround time may range from one to six months. If you still have not heard from us after that time, feel free to re-submit your manuscript. Please do not call or write us to inquire about a manuscript's status.

seaaircarol · 05-29-2009, 04:28 AM

Thanks for posting this!

thewritegirl · 05-30-2009, 02:30 AM

Thanks for posting this! I have a story I want to send them.

mariedees · 05-30-2009, 07:19 PM

Thanks! Oddly, I was wondering the other day what their romance guidelines were now.

Marie

Finchlark · 05-31-2009, 06:04 PM

Anyone know if they accept submissions from outside USA? SASE will be difficult from another country.

seaaircarol · 05-31-2009, 11:54 PM

Not sure, Finchlark. You could send an e-mail to the address shown in the original post. Hope it works out for you!

Maryn · 06-01-2009, 01:00 AM

Be aware that with one of the biggest paydays in short fiction, the competition for this market is notoriously fierce. I no longer remember the number, but it's hundreds of submissions vying for every slot. It's odd that in my genre, I'm underwhelmed with their choices, but have critiqued work they rejected which I considered far better.

Still, somebody's stuff is chosen, so maybe it'll be yours, or mine, right?

Maryn, occasionally optimistic

Finchlark · 06-03-2009, 03:06 PM

Well I emailed them a few days ago but they have not replied, so I'll take that as a No then.

Bubastes · 06-03-2009, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maryn

Be aware that with one of the biggest paydays in short fiction, the competition for this market is notoriously fierce. I no longer remember the number, but it's hundreds of submissions vying for every slot.

IIRC, they receive about 2500 submissions a month for 4 to 5 slots.

I'd considered writing for them, but with the new word count dropping at flash fiction levels, I feel the stories are suffering because of it. The payday is nice, but I can barely write a decent relationship-type story in 1000 words, let alone 800.

seaaircarol · 06-03-2009, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Finchlark

Well I emailed them a few days ago but they have not replied, so I'll take that as a No then.

Interesting. When I e-mailed them a couple of weeks ago to ask if they would accept a new story even when they haven't responded to an old one yet, I heard back within the hour (the answer was yes, by the way. We have a thread on it).

Maybe the answer to your question wasn't so easy, so it had to be forwarded on to the editors.

ETA: I just checked the e-mail address I used. I used DearWW@aol.com. Not sure if that would make a difference.

Finchlark · 06-03-2009, 07:47 PM

Thanks I'll try that email also

Finchlark · 06-03-2009, 09:06 PM

I received this response from the latest email address

Thank you for your email. We do accept submissions from outside the U.S. If you are submitting a NonFiction story to our features department, you may email it to: wwfeatures@bauerpublishing.com.
For Romantic Fiction or Solve-It-Yourself Mysteries, you would need to send those to us. While we do suggest sending an SASE, it is not mandatory. We recommend checking with your local post office for guidance about the SASE. If it is not possible, we will accept your submission without it.
We look forward to receiving your story.

brainstorm77 · 06-04-2009, 12:32 PM

Not accepting outside the USA cuts out many people including me! I think thats kinda shitty for them since they sell their mag in Canada too.

Maryn · 06-04-2009, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brainstorm77

Not accepting outside the USA cuts out many people including me! I think thats kinda shitty for them since they sell their mag in Canada too.

Uh, it says they do.

Maryn, just sayin' is all

cool_st_elizabeth · 06-05-2009, 02:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seaaircarol

Interesting. When I e-mailed them a couple of weeks ago to ask if they would accept a new story even when they haven't responded to an old one yet, I heard back within the hour (the answer was yes, by the way. We have a thread on it).

ETA: I just checked the e-mail address I used. I used DearWW@aol.com. Not sure if that would make a difference.

Thank you for this, seaaircarol. I hope you hear good news from them soon!

seaaircarol · 06-05-2009, 02:58 AM

Thanks! I saw in the other thread that you've been waiting 8 months! Good luck to you, as well.

05-29-2009, 04:28 AM	#2
seaaircarol Whose Idea Was This? Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: California Posts: 671	Thanks for posting this! __________________ Now available from Wild Child Publishing: Storybook Love, a romance novella featuring Rebecca Charles and Jonathan Eastman III. Follow Rebecca and Jon's wedding plans on www.seaaircarol.com Now available from Book Locker (e-book and print), Amazon (print) and Barnes & Noble (print): Time Takes Time, a juvenile mystery.

05-30-2009, 07:19 PM	#4
mariedees New kid, be gentle! Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Orlando, Florida Posts: 91	Thanks! Oddly, I was wondering the other day what their romance guidelines were now. Marie __________________ "I will age ungracefully until I become an old woman in a small garden doing whatever the hell I want." Robin Chotzinoff.

05-31-2009, 11:54 PM	#6
seaaircarol Whose Idea Was This? Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: California Posts: 671	Not sure, Finchlark. You could send an e-mail to the address shown in the original post. Hope it works out for you! __________________ Now available from Wild Child Publishing: Storybook Love, a romance novella featuring Rebecca Charles and Jonathan Eastman III. Follow Rebecca and Jon's wedding plans on www.seaaircarol.com Now available from Book Locker (e-book and print), Amazon (print) and Barnes & Noble (print): Time Takes Time, a juvenile mystery.

06-01-2009, 01:00 AM	#7
Maryn Cuter Than Ever Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Your Yard--But You Don't See Me Posts: 12,469	Be aware that with one of the biggest paydays in short fiction, the competition for this market is notoriously fierce. I no longer remember the number, but it's hundreds of submissions vying for every slot. It's odd that in my genre, I'm underwhelmed with their choices, but have critiqued work they rejected which I considered far better. Still, somebody's stuff is chosen, so maybe it'll be yours, or mine, right? Maryn, occasionally optimistic __________________ Everything looks perfect, from far away. --Sam Beam, Iron & Wine

06-04-2009, 12:32 PM	#13
brainstorm77 Loves Adam Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Brainville Posts: 8,653	Not accepting outside the USA cuts out many people including me! I think thats kinda shitty for them since they sell their mag in Canada too. __________________ Write Outside the Box <----- I blog See link for a new contest! http://sistersoforion.blogspot.com/ <--- Sisters of Orion, my online serial. Chapter One up now.

05-29-2009, 12:15 AM	#1
Bobster Think loose, write tight! Join Date: May 2009 Location: Tennessee Posts: 24	Latest Fiction Submission Guide for Woman's World (For future copies, send e-mail request to DearWW@bauerpublishing.com) Received in e-mail today (5/28/09): WOMAN'S WORLD FICTION GUIDELINES Romance guidelines: We buy contemporary romances of 800 words. Stories must revolve around a compelling, true-to-life relationship dilemma; may feature either a female or male protagonist; and may be written in either the first or third person. Characters may be married, single, divorced or widowed; should be down-to-earth (no yuppies or jet-setters); and their dilemma should be poignantly or humorously conveyed. Please think carefully about a story's setting, mood and plot, and tell the story with interesting action and dialogue. (Every sentence, paragraph, and scene of the story should deliver more information about your characters and their situation and/or briskly advance the storyline). We are not interested in stories involving life-or-death matters, nor are we interested in fluffy, flyaway-style romance. When we say romance, what we really mean is relationship--whether it's just beginning or is about to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The emphasis in our stories is on real life-which is why we do not buy science fiction, fantasy or historical romance. We pay $800 per romance and retain First North American Serial Rights for six months after publication. Mini mystery guidelines: We purchase short "solve-it-yourself" mysteries of 700 words--a count that includes the narrative and the solution. Stories should be cleverly plotted, entertaining cliffhangers that end with a challenge to the reader to figure out whodunnit or howdunnit. The solution to the mystery is provided in a separate box. Robbery, burglary, fraud and murder are acceptable subjects, but spare the readers any gory details or excessive violence, please! We are also not interested in ghost stories, science fiction or fantasy. We pay $500 per mystery and retain First North American Serial Rights for six months after publication. IMPORTANT NOTES! Manuscripts should be double-spaced in legible size type. Where to send manuscripts: Fiction Editor, Woman's World, 270 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632. Indicate Mini Mystery or Romance on the envelope. How to send manuscripts: (1) You must include a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope to receive a reply. Manuscripts not accompanied by a SASE will be discarded. Note: A #10 SASE is necessary not just for a response, but for your contract if we purchase your story. (2) Please DO NOT fax or e-mail manuscripts--because such submissions do not include SASEs, we have no means of responding to your submission. Get to know us: Please familiarize yourself thoroughly with our romances and mini mysteries before submitting your work. Be patient: Because we receive a tremendous volume of manuscripts, our turnaround time may range from one to six months. If you still have not heard from us after that time, feel free to re-submit your manuscript. Please do not call or write us to inquire about a manuscript's status. __________________ Some songs if you're bored. Last edited by Bobster; 05-29-2009 at 12:18 AM.

05-30-2009, 02:30 AM	#3
thewritegirl New kid, be gentle! Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 21	Thanks for posting this! I have a story I want to send them.

05-31-2009, 06:04 PM	#5
Finchlark New kid, be gentle! Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Norfolk, England Posts: 150	Anyone know if they accept submissions from outside USA? SASE will be difficult from another country.

06-03-2009, 03:06 PM	#8
Finchlark New kid, be gentle! Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Norfolk, England Posts: 150	Well I emailed them a few days ago but they have not replied, so I'll take that as a No then.

06-03-2009, 07:47 PM	#11
Finchlark New kid, be gentle! Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Norfolk, England Posts: 150	Thanks I'll try that email also

06-03-2009, 09:06 PM	#12
Finchlark New kid, be gentle! Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Norfolk, England Posts: 150	I received this response from the latest email address Thank you for your email. We do accept submissions from outside the U.S. If you are submitting a NonFiction story to our features department, you may email it to: wwfeatures@bauerpublishing.com. For Romantic Fiction or Solve-It-Yourself Mysteries, you would need to send those to us. While we do suggest sending an SASE, it is not mandatory. We recommend checking with your local post office for guidance about the SASE. If it is not possible, we will accept your submission without it. We look forward to receiving your story.

06-05-2009, 02:58 AM	#16
seaaircarol Whose Idea Was This? Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: California Posts: 671	Thanks! I saw in the other thread that you've been waiting 8 months! Good luck to you, as well. __________________ Now available from Wild Child Publishing: Storybook Love, a romance novella featuring Rebecca Charles and Jonathan Eastman III. Follow Rebecca and Jon's wedding plans on www.seaaircarol.com Now available from Book Locker (e-book and print), Amazon (print) and Barnes & Noble (print): Time Takes Time, a juvenile mystery.

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