[CarrieF Posts: 271 Status: Offline WWW]

I am! I was thrilled to have my first magazine publication in this month's Babybug.

At this point in my life, I have very little time to write and a lot of distractions, so short poems and magazine pieces are a perfect fit for me. I will continue to write and submit. But I agree, it is disappointing when you have a piece you love and know is good (based on editor feedback) but still no one wants to use it. I wish there were more outlets for magazine work.

Carrie

[Anne Marie Posts: 3,032 Status: Offline VAMPIRINA has arrived on Disney Junior! WWW]

I am! I was thrilled to have my first magazine publication in this month's Babybug.

Congrats, Carrie!  I've never broken in with the Bug mags!!  That's terrific!

[mlbrown Posts: 149 Status: Offline WWW]

Yes, Carrie! What a way to break in! The "Bugs" haven eluded me, too. WTG!

[poet Posts: 150 Status: Offline WWW]

I second what Ev is saying.  Like she, I write regularly for magazines and am getting accepted regularly.  However, I have never once posted one of those acceptances on the Good News boards because it didn't seem like big enough news for that board.  However, I sometimes post the results on the response time boards.      I think it would be nice to re-develop that sense of magazine community.

Laura

[JodyJS Posts: 1,417 Status: Offline Preorder now! Out Jan. 7, 2020! WWW]

Way to go, ECF!  My first children's acceptances were from Babybug--in 2006!  Still haven't gone to print, but I'm patient!

By the way, my coolest ever payment for writing was winning a $400 bicycle in a haiku contest a couple summers ago.  A bike!

I usually do what Poet says and put my magazine acceptances in the response times thread.

[poet Posts: 150 Status: Offline WWW]

Hey Jody,

Cool payment - a bike!   

Here's to a good writing day, my fellow magazine-ers!

Laura

[Ev Posts: 4,525 Status: Offline Making learning fun! WWW]

Wow! Congratulations, Carrie, on your Babybug publication.      I'll have to see if I can track down a copy at our library.

And Jodi, that's awesome that you won a bike for writing a haiku.  Definitely a very rewarding pay per word rate!   

Okay, here's my suggestion in response to Poet's request.  Why don't we just make this thread into our place where we share our joys and frustrations about magazine writing?  There are other threads on the blue board for people who have book contracts and are waiting until publication, for people who are waiting for responses to book subs, etc.  So why not one for us who are magazine writers?

It's probably still important to post responses in the Magazine Response times thread, because that's where authors go for information.  But we can't congratulate or commiserate with each other there, and we can here.

What do you fellow magazine-writers think?

[Vijaya Posts: 8,651 Status: Offline LISTEN. Let all mortal flesh keep silence ... WWW]

Congratulations, Carrie! I do love the bug mags. Such pretty illos to go with the poems too.

Jody, so cool to win a bike.

Ev, I post my magazine good news on the boards ... it's just that I've not had much time to polish my shorts with the hunking novel.  

I think Good news belongs in good news, whether it's big or small ...

Vijaya

[inluvwithwords Posts: 97 Status: Offline]

I agree with Ev. It does feel like magazine writers are in the minority here and posts about things like receiving contributor copies or selling an article or poem seem to get looked over, in comparison to the hoopla the "big news" gets. After a while I started feeling like I shouldn't post until "something big" happened. But since I love writing in short form and have no aspirations to write a novel, that won't really be happening for me.

Anyway, I was excited to find this topic that drew all of us magazine writers out of the woodwork. Nice to see you all! 

[Lenzi Posts: 1,306 Status: Offline WWW]

I put mag news on the regular good news board and I enjoy seeing others do it too. I know what you mean, though, Ev, and sometimes it feels like we don't get as warm a reception as we used to get several years ago. But I hope everyone here will please share your good news on the regular board--it's encouraging to see what friends here are accomplishing and I like looking up a blueboarder's mag work to read when I see they have something coming out. I think everyone on the board should be able to see all sorts of good news coming from the different members.

But I do like the idea of having an additional space like this where we can commiserate and share newsy things in a more casual way.

[Ev Posts: 4,525 Status: Offline Making learning fun! WWW]

Vijaya and Lenzi, I agree with you totally!  It's best if people will post their good news in the Good News section.  I always love to congratulate magazine writers there.  And I hope there'll be lots of opportunities for me to do that.   

But if people don't want to post it there, for whatever reason, then I'd prefer they share it somewhere.  And this seems like a good place.

Plus, there are lots of other fun (or disappointing things) that we might like to share that don't necessarily belong on the Good News.

And speaking of fun things, I just got my October POCKETS issue this afternoon and it was such fun to see Guy's poem "The Leaves" on page 35.  Congratulations, Guy!!    I'm so glad that I "know" you now.  It makes seeing your work more special.

[And I hope I'm not bursting your bubble (or whatever expression fits here) by mentioning your poem, Guy.  If you want to post it on the Good News, I'm sure all of us will enjoy celebrating with you there.]

[Lenzi Posts: 1,306 Status: Offline WWW]

Congratulations, Guy and Carrie! I hope you post so *everyone* can hear about it!

Ev, I agree--it's nice to have this place, too! For instance, I already posted back in July that my serialized story came out in the summer issue of Cricket, but I wasn't going to post about each issue. Here I feel much more comfortable letting you all know that the second installment is in the September issue, out now, in case anyone's interested in reading it!  

[Ev Posts: 4,525 Status: Offline Making learning fun! WWW]

Yay, Lenzi!! Thanks for letting us know.  I do want to find that and read it. Are there still more installments to come or does this issue end the story?

Congratulations again to you on having a serialized story accepted by Cricket! 

[Lenzi Posts: 1,306 Status: Offline WWW]

It goes through December. Thanks, Ev--you're always so supportive and encouraging. 

[AzGuy Posts: 84 Status: Offline WWW]

Hi, Ev, Lenzi and everyone. Thanks for the congrats (though I wish they hadn't changed my poem's title - I liked mine much more. But a sales a sale). And congrats to Ev, Lenzi and Carrie.

Carrie, having your first magazine piece appear in Babybug is quite an accomplishment.

Jody, that's awesome about your haiku prize. A $400 bicycle - Wow!

Ev, I received my Pockets copies today, as well. And one of the first things I saw upon opening a copy was your sudoku. Another good puzzle, Ev. Talking about prolific, I seem to see your puzzles everywhere.

I have been a member here for a while, but don't post much. I have a day job, a cute puppy who is a handful (but we love him!), volunteer as a docent at the local zoo and have so many things going on that when I'm at the computer I try to spend my time writing. I'll try to post more. I do list my upcoming publications (both children's writing and adult writing) for the next four months or so at my website   http://guybelleranti.weebly.com/  

Happy magazine writing (and other writing, too) everyone.

Guy

[poet Posts: 150 Status: Offline WWW]

Yes, congrats to all!   I'll have to check out Babybug and Cricket to read Carrie's poem and Lenzi's story.   Ev, I've seen your work in Clubhouse Jr.  I also have pieces published by them regularly.  Most recently they accepted two rhyming stories of mine.   I've had a few poems and one story appear in the "bugs" and several stories and a poem in Highlights.   I've had no luck breaking into Pockets, Guy, but I have sample issue and I think it's a great magazine. I'd love to break in there!  Just this week, I learned that a poem of mine made it to the final round for an upcoming issue of Chicken Soup for the Soul.   Has anyone had any experience with them?  Any insights?  

Oh yes, and I know Jody, virtually speaking, since we are members of the same pb and poetry critique group! 

I'm a little shy when it comes to posting - I have never posted on the Good News board - but I'll get a little gumption and start now.  

What a great community this is!    I'm looking forward to keeping the discussion going with new threads etc.

Laura

[DonnaE Posts: 197 Status: Offline life is too short to wear pantyhose. WWW]

I still write for mags - and love it. I have sold several pieces to Highlights (one of my fave mags!) and to some others that were mentioned but are now out of business. I love getting the bear cards! And when I get rejections, seeing the lovely personal note is encouraging!

I usually post my good news in the good news section. The last one that was published was in last November's Highlights. You can still find it on the website being read by a child. It made me feel sooooo good!

Congrats to everyone's success. I'm all for encouraging one another and keeping this part of the writing community active!

(I'm write PBs and other genres, too - but I still love mags!)

[Vijaya Posts: 8,651 Status: Offline LISTEN. Let all mortal flesh keep silence ... WWW]

Okay, I'm inspired to polish a couple of things this weekend and stick them in the mail Tue. You can throw rotten tomatoes at me if I don't. I'm so bold because it's the net, you know ...

ps: the rain really have brought the blight to my tomatoes. We've had an unusually cool and wet summer. We didn't even get as many blueberries as usual. Slim pickin's from the garden this year.

Vijaya

[mlbrown Posts: 149 Status: Offline WWW]

Wow! What a prolific group! Most of the mags mentioned aren't easy to break into, and I for one certainly think we should celebrate our good news in a big way, wherever we do it. So many say that short story writing is harder than novel or PB writing. The reverse is true for me, but it's all the more reason why our good news should be posted. I'll be watching for everyone in the pages of these mags!

[inluvwithwords Posts: 97 Status: Offline]

Vijaya,

Awesome to hear that you're feeling inspired to send some things out. I hope you do because I've only got two tomatoes from my garden and I'd rather eat them than throw them at you. 

I know how you feel, though, because just having this thread and hearing from the other magazine writers out there has inspired me. Kindred spirits and all that.

Happy submitting to all.

[Ev Posts: 4,525 Status: Offline Making learning fun! WWW]

Thanks, Guy and Laura!  Donna and Ruth, it's great to have you chime in.  Michelle, you're right about celebrating all this good news folks have mentioned.  Congratulations, one and all.

Vijaya, I'm glad we've inspired you.  Wish you'd sent some of that cool, wet weather our way this summer.  I've only got 2 tomatoes on the one plant I have, and they've been sitting there not getting any bigger and not turning red for at least four weeks now.  So, clearly you have to follow through on your commitment because I have no rotten ones to throw at you.   

Here's to our sense of community~

Ev

[CarrieF Posts: 271 Status: Offline WWW]

Thanks, everyone. It is great to hear the encouragement. My family and friends think it is "nice" to get published, but definitely don't get it the way you all do. It feels good to know that there are people out there who understand! Hearing from all of you and seeing my poem so beautifully illustrated in Babybug have definitely inspired another flurry of writing for me. Fingers crossed that I'll be able to sub some more stuff soon... and best wishes for publishing success to all of you, too.

Carrie

[Ev Posts: 4,525 Status: Offline Making learning fun! WWW]

BTW, Guy, I'm sorry your poem's title got changed.  What was the title that you'd given it?

I know how frustrating it can be when pieces are edited without our knowledge, especially when we don't view the change as an improvement.  I've felt especially bad when poetry has been changed so that the meter no longer works.  I figure readers must be thinking that I just don't know any better.  

Do others of you care to share experiences of changes you particularly regretted? (Obviously you don't have to mention publication names.)

[poet Posts: 150 Status: Offline WWW]

Yes, I've had poetry reworded so that it no longer scans, or so that the rhyme makes me cringe.  It's happened only a couple of times, but I wonder if in the future, I should request to see editorial revisions on poetry before it goes to print or if that would offend?

Laura

[ginbug]

My one poetry sale (only children's sale, to date) resulted in the first line being completely chopped off. It messed the meter up, and to be quite honest, made the poem sound awful. I could only think---"how did they let that go to print?" I was embarassed to show the copy to my family. The only thing I could figure out is maybe they needed room for the illustrations? 

It made me cry. It was still kind of neat, though, to see it in print--even if unnamed publication butchered it!

Anyway, I tried for a long time to sell some other pieces to magazines, but I feel as if the market is super flooded. I have 2 PB manuscripts that I dearly love, but they've made the rounds---so on the flash drive they sit.

Right now I'm working on a "chick-lit" (hate the term, but that's what it is), which has been fun. I don't know how the market is for that, but I'm enjoying creating the story!

Ginbug

[Ev Posts: 4,525 Status: Offline Making learning fun! WWW]

Oh, Ginbug, how distressing to have the whole first line missing.  I would've cried too.  Special hugs to you.    I hope you won't give up on magazines entirely though.

Vijaya, I'm doing a friendly check-up on you.     I don't need to go buy any rotten tomatoes, right?    

[Vijaya Posts: 8,651 Status: Offline LISTEN. Let all mortal flesh keep silence ... WWW]

I did mail in magazine subs, Ev. Thanks for checking in.

I just got a rejection from Highlights. Something they've been considering ... I need to rework it for Ladybug, and out it goes. Next week.

Vijaya

[AzGuy Posts: 84 Status: Offline WWW]

Ev, the title I gave it was "The Leaves of Autumn" rather than just "The Leaves". But they didn't make any changes to the poem, so it's no problem. Thanks for asking.

Guy


Ev asked:
BTW, Guy, I'm sorry your poem's title got changed.  What was the title that you'd given it?

I know how frustrating it can be when pieces are edited without our knowledge, especially when we don't view the change as an improvement.  I've felt especially bad when poetry has been changed so that the meter no longer works.  I figure readers must be thinking that I just don't know any better. 

Do others of you care to share experiences of changes you particularly regretted? (Obviously you don't have to mention publication names.)

[AzGuy Posts: 84 Status: Offline WWW]

Ginbug, that's awful about your poem being printed with the entire first line missing. Like Ev says, don't give up on magazine writing. Your next publication would have to turn out better!

Guy

[maryrand]

Anne Marie,

Interesting topic!

I still write for magazines (though time is limited these days).  Mostly, as magazine writing goes, I write a series for The Little Lutheran/The Little Christian, and I absolutely love writing for them.  But like many others, I've never quite been able to get that bite from the bug magazines...just encouraging notes that make me want to try again.  Some magazines can be as elusive as agents and publishers.

I believe magazine "news" is just as worthy as book "news."  Think about how many immediate readers you have enjoying your magazine piece when it's published.  One of my biggest writing thrills to date is seeing my first published piece for children in Highlights.  I'll never forget it.

Long live magazine writing!
Mary