Woman's World Fiction Guidelines

WOMAN'S WORLD FICTION GUIDELINES

Hi, writers. You may be familiar with Woman's World, the perky little tabloid style magazine by the checkout every week in your local market. What you may not know is that they pay $1000 for an 800 word romance short story, and $500 for a 700 word mystery.

That's what I call writer-friendly!

After searching in vain on the Web for their fiction guidelines, I emailed Woman's World.

Here are their most recent guidelines as of December 1, 2008.

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 set -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 $1,000 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.

Good luck!
Lynn