writers guidelines | Belinda Y. Hughes Books

Hello to all, my name is Lori Colbeck and I am the begetter of BooksFromScratch.com. Belinda and I found each other on Twitter awhile ago and after she signed up for early access to the site, she generously invited me to write a guest post for her blog. As you can see, I accepted!

By way of explanation, Books From Scratch is a website with the intention of creating community between readers and writers. Together, they decide what direction a story will take as it is being written. Ultimately, that collaboration will create a manuscript that will be published.

Essentially, a website member can choose to write, read, and vote for any of fourteen fiction genres. Anyone can share the first chapter of a fictional story they’ve written, and if the community thinks it would be a good starter chapter, then the author of that chapter becomes a co-author of the total story, and the chapter is published.

After voters have selected the first chapter, a call goes out to the community for the second chapter. When submissions close, voting begins. The chapter with the most votes gets published, and the author of that chapter becomes a co-author of the total story. This process continues until there is a completed novel, which ideally fits the Three Act Structure for fiction and ends at a point appropriate for the genre.

Finally, From Scratch Publishing will execute a contract with the co-authors and proceed with the manuscript editing, marketing, and distribution. From Scratch Publishing will only publish books by the Books From Scratch community.

The web developers hope to have the beta version of the site up soon. I have been working on finalizing the publishing contract and website terms and conditions with my lawyer, so that everything is ready to go when the beta opens. Even beta testers will have an opportunity to sign the publishing contract, if their chapter wins!

Speaking of the contract, it will be available for members to view before submitting their work. My highest priorities are that the author’s copyright is protected, that they are paid equitably for their words, and that they are not beholden to From Scratch Publishing or prevented from signing publishing contracts elsewhere.

I want to give new authors a leg up as much as possible. By connecting them with a publishing house, even after contributing a single chapter, they will have a better idea of how to work with other houses. They can put on their resume that they’re published! On the website, there will be a repository of writer resources, forums for various topics, guest speakers, and other challenges to keep things lively.

I have programs in the works especially for Books From Scratch readers. They are in development and will, hopefully, be released mid-2015. For now, I’m hoping that having fantastic writers will satisfy their needs.

I am currently seeking volunteers for forum moderators, beta reading of chapters, and in the collection of writer resources. Please sign up at the bottom of BooksFromScratch.com in the Contact Us form if you’re available to help. I am always updating Twitter, rarely updating Tumblr, and occasionally on Facebook (which goes to Twitter anyway). If you would like early access to the site, please submit your email at BooksFromScratch.com in the ‘Get Early Access’ field. If possible, I’d appreciate any donations at PayPal (scroll down to the bottom of the homepage and click on the tiny credit card button), as this whole project is self-funded (and I have student loans for my Master of Science in publishing).

Can’t wait to collaborate,

Lori Colbeck
BooksFromScratch.com
From Scratch Publishing

Author Bio

I love my family more. My house is lived in. I drive my dream car. I am an introvert. I don’t like being marketed to. I want a passport. I am globophobic and peniaphobic. I vote. I do not understand making sweeping generalizations based on one aspect of a person’s life. I believe that once you go Mac, you never go back. I adore clichéd commencement speeches. I revere trees. I do not collect friends, I select them. I despise hiccups. I never pass up an opportunity to take a nap. I am not done.

Image credit Ron Sombilon

Calling all health nuts:

yoga, meditation and martial arts enthusiasts
runners, walkers, hikers and bikers
vitamin, herb tea, smoothie and juice lovers
health, fitness and food bloggers & Twitterchat/HOA hosts
nutritionists, fitness instructors, midwives, nurses and massage therapists
home cooks who serve only well balanced meals
cookbook authors, organic gardeners and water drinkers
preppers who plan, can, dehydrate and freeze
vegetarians going vegan or considering it
parents of vegetarian progeny
fur parents who cook for four-legged kids

If you one or more of the above labels describe you, get ready to write! Whether you’re an experienced blogger, author, journalist or haven’t the faintest clue where to begin, there’s a health magazine looking for the contents of your brain.

The six publications listed below serve a variety of audiences, from childhood to retirees. With a wide variety of health concerns touching each stage of life, these editors need high quality, original content, namely the benefit of your experience. Whatever your walk of life has been or your latest discovery, there’s something you have to share with their readers.

Beginners, I’ve included a key to help you decipher abbreviations and terms commonly used in writers’ guidelines. As for experienced professionals, only paying markets made the list. So go forth, click and get more details, then write what you know and let your bank account grow!

DISCLOSURE: I certify that I did not copy these travel writing markets from any other articles, lists, blog posts or directories. They are the direct result of a Google search for “health magazine guidelines payment.” All information in the notes below is directly from each magazine’s official website.

Abbreviations and Terms Key:

Clips: physical tear sheets or electronic links to previously published material by a submitting author, with bylines if possible

Esubs: email submissions

Lead Time: preferred period of time to receive work prior to desired publication (re issues or manuscripts tied to themes, seasons and events)

Mss: manuscripts, the written work being submitted

PP: previously published

Query: sent prior to manuscript, usually a cover letter with a concept outline and clips of previously published works

Response time: usual period of time to hear back from editors

Simsubs: simultaneous submission (to multiple venues)

Snail mail: U.S. Postal Service or similar

Unsolicited: submissions sent w/o query or editorial request

Rights: publication rights

First rights: the work may be resold after publication

All rights: the work may not be resold after publication

Electronic rights: the right to publish the work via email or web

Archival rights: the right to store the work perpetually, usually on the web

Web rights: the right to publish the work anywhere on the web, archival rights may or may not be included

Vibrant Life

Payment: $100-300 upon acceptance

Rights: first world serial, reprint and electronic

U.S. Kids

Payment: $25-70+ upon publication

Rights: all rights, incl. web

Submissions: no queries exc. nonfiction for Jack & Jill; snail mail preferred; sim subs ok with notification

Eating Well

Pay rate: up to $1/wd.

Rights: all rights, incl. web

Lead time: 3 to 6 mos.

Narrative Magazine

Payment: $25-1,000; $4k annual Narrative Prize

Submissions: via site submission system only, no snail mail or email; sim subs ok; unsolicited mss. incur nominal submission fee, split between admin costs and annual prize

Response Time: 4-12 wks.

Georgia Family

Payment: $20-80 plus tear sheet within 30 days of publication

Rights: first rights

Submissions: esubs only
MOAA (Military Officers Association of America

Payment: .80/wd. (1k-2k wds.) upon acceptance

Rights: first rights, incl. web and reprint

Submissions: esub and snail mail accepted; query first, no unsolicited mss.

Response time: 3 mos.

Belinda Y. Hughes is the author of Confessions of a Red Hot Veggie Lover 2, a vegetarian cookbook, available on Kindle. Her food blog, Cafe Belinda, serves up dairy free, gluten free, sugar free, Kosher, vegetarian and vegan recipes, giveaways and lifestyle tips with a vegan slant. Her writing blog features author interviews, book reviews, guest posts and writing markets. She welcomes opportunities and inquiries from other bloggers, ink slingers and SM (social media, get your mind out of the gutter!) practitioners. If you follow her everywhere (on social media), she will not call the police.

Publications

https://belindayhughes.wordpress.com/

http://cafebelinda.blogspot.com

http://amazon.com/dp/B00H4L35NM

Guest Blogs

http://marielavender.blogspot.com/2014/02/bringing-food-to-life-by-belinda-y.html

http://penpaperpad.com/2014/03/seniors-dont-sit-well-guest-post/

Author Interviews

http://marielavender.blogspot.com/2014/02/interview-with-author-belinda-y-hughes.html

Social Media

http://facebook.com/belinda.hughes.1656

https://plus.google.com/117025905891975822672/posts/p/pub