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Do you have a student who excels in writing or art? Perhaps you can encourage your student to submit his/her work to a publisher. There are many publishers out there who are looking for student work. Most offer students several free copies of their magazine and send a nice letter congratulating the student that his/her work will appear in a future issue. A few pay a small amount, such as $5.00 or $10.00.
Here are a few tips that you should know to help your student submit his/her work:
- Always send a SASE (Self-addressed, stamped envelope) in the envelope with the student's story, poem, drawing, etc.
- Always put the student's name, address, phone number with area code, and age on the student's work.
- Never send original work. Always send a copy. (You never know if you'll get it back in the mail and publishers are notorious for losing submissions.)
- If student is sending in writing, make sure it is neat and legible and if student has access to a computer, see if he/she can type the submission.
- Remind student to keep trying. A professional writer or artist receives many rejections. It's just part of the process of getting published. If the student's work comes back, send it to a different publisher. Kent Brown Jr., publisher of Highlights for Children, says that the only difference between a published writer and a non-published writer is the amount of rejections he/she has received! This is so true. I received 25 rejections on my first published story.
Here are some addresses of publishers who might want to publish your student's work.
Encourage students to look at these magazines to see if their work is similar to the other student work in the magazines. Many of these magazines are interested in book reviews, poems, hobby tips, short stories, drawings, jokes, riddles, paintings, photographs, letters to the editor, etc. Many have a "student page", contests, and invite students to answer questions for future issues. Boys' Life pays $10.00 for each hobby tip they publish. Stone Soup is made up entirely of student work, including the front and back covers and is the best place to send stories and long poems.
American Girl
Pleasant Company Publications
8400 Fairway Place
Middleton, WI 53562
www.americangirl.com
Cricket Magazine Group
Carus Publishing Company
315 Fifth Street
Peru, IL 61354
www.cricketmag.com
(Storyworks has contests, monthly mad libs, a "Writers' Nook" which features book reviews written by students, and fun monthly writing workshops for students.
**This is my choice for teachers to use in their classrooms to help get students excited about reading, books, and writing. This magazine is totally dedicated to the theme of writing/books/reading and is just plain ol' fun. I especially like the monthly mad lib which students can do on their own or as a class.)
A great reference book for the serious student writer or artist is published by Stone Soup magazine. It is called, "Young Writer's Guide to Getting Published." It costs $18.99, plus $4.50 for shipping and handling.
**This would make a great selection to add to your school library. This book lists up coming contests for writers and artists, tips, profiles of student writers and artists, profiles of editors who are looking for student work, and over 100 publishers' addresses for students to submit their work. You may order two ways. By phone, 1-800-447-4569, or through their web site, www.stonesoup.com .
Best of luck in encouraging your students in their writing. If you have any questions or would like for me to look at a student's work, you may email me. Be sure to send me your good news when a student gets published. I'll do my best to send him/her a note of praise.
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