Woman's World - anyone submitted to them?

[Cathy C]

This is a SERIOUS MONEY paying market. Has anyone submitted to them? What were your results?

Now, for you regular woman's magazine readers (Woman's Day, Ladies Home Journal, etc.) are there any of them that are publishing short fiction/romance on a regular basis? I'd like to put together a separate list for short romance markets, but so far, this is the only one I can find (other than the UK/Scotland markets. I'm looking for American mags, if possible.)

Here are the guidelines:

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Romantic Short Stories

We buy contemporary romances of 1,100 words. Stories must revovle 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 thei 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 romances. 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.

We pay $1,000 per romance 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.

How to send manuscripts: (1) You must include a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope to receive a reply. Manuscripts not accompanies 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 email 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 style 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 the manuscript's status.

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(YES, you read that right-- $1,000 for 1,100 words! Get those short romances in order and send 'em out! )

 

[kristie911]

I know Good Housekeeping has a romantic short story every month in addition to their novel exerpt. But I've never researched their submission guidelines. I'm not much of a short story writer.

 

[Bubastes]

Cathy, thanks for posting the information! Does anyone know if they pay on time? I'm trying to find an alternative to writing for the Trues. Thanks!

Also, according to Writers' Market Online, Good Housekeeping does not accept unagented submissions for short fiction.

 

[Susan Gable]

This is a tough market to crack. I know someone who's written for them in the past. As you can imagine, with such nice pay, they get plenty of submissions. But hey, go for it! (I'd recommend reading a number of them first to get the flavor/tone.)

Susan G.

 

[seaaircarol]

I had a romance published in Woman's World about three years ago. I've tried numerous times since then without success. I think I got paid a couple of months after the acceptance (but before the story ran).

 

[Kasey Mackenzie]

Too bad short stories and I just do NOT get along...I try them periodically, and they always come out as abbreviated versions of novels that just don't work as shorts. Oh well! =)

 

[Josie]

I have heard it's hard to get an acceptance on a story by Woman's Weekly---but they do publish once a week I think.

I've sent them a couple of stories a few years ago, rejected and then lost interest.

I believe I have another story accepted by Romanceaday.com, and that it will be published soon. It's a "mild" paranormal story. So that is good.
It's called "Drop Dead Gorgeous".

Cheers

 

[LloydBrown]

I'm a dude, but I hope to submit to them when I write something worthy. Yes, they pay megabucks. My wife reads it sometimes, and I'm a big mocker of it. I keep asking her if they have an articles hidden in the ads.

Personally, I go nuts over anything that doesn't have the toc within the first 2 pages of the mag. Finding them 1/3 of the way through the magazine just drives me bonkers.

 

[JennaGlatzer]

I wrote for Woman's World once years ago, but not fiction. It was an article. Far as I remember, they paid reasonably on time, but I chose not to query them again because they "edited" my article so much that they actually wholly made up quotes, without running anything by me. I was embarrassed to have anyone see it.

If submitting fiction, I'd keep in mind that their reading level is lower than most women's monthly mags.

 

[ElleF]

If submitting fiction, I'd keep in mind that their reading level is lower than most women's monthly mags.

Hmm, why haven't I realized that?

I've submitted 7 stories to them, and I've heard back on 5. None have been contracted, but I have made it up to the senior editior, which I undersand is a feat in itself. While my stories are "well" or "nicely written" they "don't quite work for WW." I wonder if the reading level has something to do with it. I also know of several published romance authors that get more rejections than contracts(if any) from them. It's a tough market, because they seem to have a very specific vision of what they are looking for. Even after having read the mag on a weekly basis, I still haven't hit the mark.

I've also read that the receive 2500 submissions a month! Everyone is after that money!

I plan to keep trying for the time being.

Good luck to everyone that submits.

 

[Josie]

"Hmm, why haven't I realized that?
I've submitted 7 stories to them, and I've heard back on 5. None have been contracted, but I have made it up to the senior editior, which I undersand is a feat in itself." said Elle

Elle when you say heard back on 5 do you mean they accepted or rejected 5?

Jenna may have something there, though I'm not insulting their stories I wonder if there is a great deal of editing on any accepted stories. Oh well, though the money is appealing, I for the life of me, can't figure out what they want.

Good luck to you who are submitting to them.

Cheers

 

[ElleF]

Elle when you say heard back on 5 do you mean they accepted or rejected 5?

Hi Josie, I just sent 2 off a few weeks ago, so I don't know their fate yet. The other 5 were rejected. Despite the fact my writing has been good enough to make it to the senior editors desk, I still get rejections saying that it's nicely or well written, but just doesn't work for them.

I'm wondering if it's because of the reading level that Jenna mentioned. Who knows? However, I'll keep trying for a bit longer. At least until I use up those U.S. stamps I bought for the return postage!

 

[Josie]

Interesting ElleF.

Yes, Jenna's comment about the reading level is a thought.

Hmm, maybe I'll experiment a bit. I haven't read any WW for quite a while.

Thanks for your reply.

Cheers, Josie

 

[vmtwriter]

I write in spurts, and maybe it's time for some short stories to start popping out. Next time I'm in the grocery store I'll pick up a WW and start reviewing it to find out what they're looking for. They must be a really tough nut to crack.

 

[jbayley]

I've tried...8 times. They have a strange policy - if you haven't heard back in 6 months, resubmit. but when I did that, I got a nasty email about how I didn't make any changes? Turns out the revision request was lost in the mail. Next time, I'll go against the rules and send a follow up letter.

They like holiday stories...6 months in advance.

 

[rhymegirl]

I've been published in Woman's World four or five times, but most of the pieces were poems/quotes. One piece was a true life story about a time I went in the hospital and my family had to help out with the housework, etc.

I sent a romantic short story to them once, but it got rejected. I think I will try them again though.