“A Chicken Soup for the Soul story is an inspirational, true story about ordinary people having extraordinary experiences. It is a story that opens the heart and rekindles the spirit. It is a simple piece that touches our readers and helps them discover basic principles they can use in their own lives. These stories are personal and often filled with emotion and drama. They are filled with vivid images created by using the five senses. In some stories, the readers feel that they are actually in the scene with the people.” -Chicken Soup for the Soul Guidelines-
At first, I was excited about the possibility of being published in a tome with such a wide readership. They publish 101 stories in each book. That’s a whole lot of competition. And the possibility of gaining any name recognition really gets thin. But still, I would have the bragging rights to say I was a published author in a well-known anthology (even though there are a hundred other authors in that same book). In the back of my mind my enthusiasm had taken a hit.
I was shaken. My next step was to check the demographics. Who was reading, and more importantly buying, these books. I had my suspicions and they were verified.
Although Chicken soup has some titles specifically for men, most of the readers were women. Yet a story about Irene and I would cover both bases and possibly reach teen readers who enjoy stories about relationships, the hard times and the good. So, at this point I was still undeterred, but what finally put me off was the next blurb from the guidelines.
“How will you know if your story is selected? We do not send rejection letters, and we occasionally will save a submission for consideration for a future book. But in general, if you have not heard from us 60 days before the book’s on-sale date, that probably means we have decided not to use your story or poem.”
-Chicken Soup for the Soul Guidelines-
Wow. What if I want to use the story or poem I submitted in a self-published book? I had toyed with the idea of sending one of my stories about Irene BUT the stories I have written so far are to be used in a memoir entitled Irene about our time together. If my story was published in Chicken Soup, it could be a boost to my readership BUT I did not want to wait until they set a publishing date (which could be several years down the road) to find out if my piece had been accepted for publication. And if not, could still possibly be published in a different book at a later date.
Of course, I would have the option of pulling my submission and thanking them for their consideration. But what if I did that just a day before they decided to include my piece in their book? Ahh! It makes me want to pull the few strands of hair I have left out by the roots! (Publishing is not for the weak of heart)
At this point I thought about submitting my poem The Lemony Pickle, but I plan to self-publish several chapbooks one of which would include that particular poem. I am left with sending a work I believe is inferior; a poem/story that would be, in my mind, little more than page filler. Something I don’t feel is good enough but I want to hit a page count. My goal is to be published by a well-known periodical or traditional publisher for the prestige, or just to tell myself someone in the business believes in my ability to write a saleable story/poem. But I don’t want the uncertainty of not knowing if it has been accepted. I would rather have the rejection up front and be done with it. Life is too short. Plus, like many artists, I have enough self-doubt. I don’t need to exacerbate it by having a niggling insecurity in the back of my mind, festering.
As of this writing, I have four days left until the Chicken Soup deadline of November 15th (seems familiar). I may yet submit. Call me Eggo, I keep waffling back and forth.
Here is a link to the submission guidelines for Chicken Soup You can also find deadlines for other upcoming titles.
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