You’ve written and revised your kids’s and YA tales greater than you possibly can rely. Solely your trusted circle has witnessed the magical method you weave phrases collectively to create fictional and nonfictional worlds for tiny people—but, everybody tells you extra folks must learn your kids’s and YA tales.
For many writers (or any artist), placing your work on the market isn’t a straightforward step to take, irrespective of how celebrated you’re.
However whereas it’s formidable to submit a narrative to a publication—listening to folks’s opinions of your work, eek!—it’s additionally obligatory for excellent follow for all aspiring authors who ultimately need to determine the best way to get a literary agent.
Whether or not you write quick tales, private essays, poems, or tales for youths, there are tons of magazines that can assist carry your story to life for the keen and excited eyes who can’t wait to dig into them.
Now, I warn you: These magazines pay in your tales, however the charges gained’t hold the lights on in your own home. However it’s an effective way to start incomes cash in your work, which someday will pay the payments.
The place to Submit Kids’s Tales: 15 Solutions
The place to Submit Kids’s Tales
Earlier than you submit a narrative, all the time familiarize your self with the journal to know the tone and elegance of the writing it options.
You in all probability know this already however it bears repeating: Plotting, story development, character growth and extra are simply as essential in kids’s and YA tales as they’re in grownup fiction or different genres—the requirements of success aren’t any totally different.
After you craft a kids’s quick story that’s able to be judged, listed here are 15 kids’s magazines that need to learn your compelling submission.
1. Bumples
Based in 1999, Bumples (for ages 6 to 10) and Bumple Buds (for ages 3 to five) every publish 4 points per yr. If you wish to submit a narrative to this interactive on-line journal, deal with thriller and journey tales, in addition to fantasy, vacation, sports activities and animal tales.
For the three to five age group, submit a narrative of not more than 800 phrases; for the 6 to 10 age group, stick with 2,000 phrases or much less. As you write, hold this in thoughts: Bumples focuses on illustrated fiction, so the editors choose tales and poems the place they’ll animate the characters.
Learn by the author’s tips to study extra—when your story is able to submit, electronic mail it to [email protected]. Editors favor Phrase format however additionally they settle for PDFs.
Fee: $30 for tales; $20 for poems.
2. One Teen Story
In case you’re a younger author—or if you recognize one—award-winning literary quarterly One Teen Story is the proper place to submit an authentic story.
Publishing 4 points per yr that every solely include one story, this journal options the work of immediately’s finest teen writers from ages 13 to 19. Submissions can fall into any style of YA fiction (literary, fantasy, sci-fi, romance, horror and extra), however they should be well-written and between 2,000 and 4,500 phrases. Additionally, tales needs to be in regards to the teen expertise in addition to have teenagers as the principle characters.
Examples embody tales that cope with coming-of-age points, plus these of id, friendship and household. Ensure you keep away from extreme profanity, intercourse and drug use. To actually get the vote of editors, write a narrative that’s sturdy sufficient to face alone, relatively than an excerpt from a work-in-progress, as an illustration.
One Teen Story Teen submissions are actually closed however are as a consequence of reopen in fall 2021.
Fee: $500 upon publication plus 25 copies of the journal that includes your work.
3. Cricket Media
Cricket Media publishes 11 award-winning magazines for kids from six months to teenagers, so that they have submission choices for every kind of writers of any expertise stage.
Throughout all its magazines, Cricket Media goals to publish the “most interesting high quality writing and illustration for kids of all ages.” Its readers are curious in regards to the world round them and benefit from the creative expression of those journal’s artful tales.
Its 4 literary magazines for kids as much as 9 (Babybug®, Ladybug®, Spider® and Cricket®) welcome tales within the genres of illustrated poetry, fiction and literary nonfiction.
Writers with experience in science, know-how, tradition and social research have 5 nonfiction magazines (for ages 3-14) to undergo: Click on®, Ask®, Muse®, Cobblestone™ and FACES™ World Cultures and Geography.
Since these tales require extra subject-matter data, writers should additionally submit a resume and several other writing samples. To study extra specifics about story size, desired (and undesired) story components and extra for every journal, begin with the common submission tips.
Additionally an illustrator? View the submission tips for artists to learn how to submit there, too.
Fee: For the literary magazines, $.25 per phrase for tales or articles; $3 per line for poems, or $25 max; $75 flat price for actions and recipes. Charges for nonfiction magazines are negotiated.
4. U.S. Children Magazines
Need to write broadly about well being and health for youths as much as 12 throughout the U.S.? Writer of award-winning magazines Humpty Dumpty (ages 2-6) and Jack and Jill (ages 6-12), U.S. Children Magazines seeks high-quality tales, articles and actions that reveal a wholesome way of life.
Be humorous, playful and witty in a well-constructed story that begins at a primary studying comprehension stage to help younger readers—but in addition doesn’t neglect to sprinkle in superior info. Editors additionally need a story that may “enchantment to immediately’s kids.” Meaning in case you haven’t been round youngsters shortly, they counsel you doubly guarantee your dialogue and characters are up-to-date and genuine.
Jack and Jill accepts full fiction manuscripts of as much as 800 phrases and nonfiction as much as 700 phrases. Humpty Dumpty, then again, desires fiction shorts of 450 phrases or much less, crafts of as much as 250 phrases, poetry as much as 12 strains, plus quick mini-stories of 70-125 phrases.
Discover particulars about mailing in your transcript within the submission tips, plus what sort of tales editors are particularly enthusiastic about throughout accepted genres.
Fee: $25 and up for Jack and Jill journal fiction and nonfiction tales; $25 and up for Humpty Dumpty poems, $30 and up for fiction tales, and $40 and up for crafts.
5. Starvation Mountain
Graduate college students of Vermont Faculty of Superb Arts’ Writing and Publishing program created Starvation Mountain journal, which strives to amplify historically silenced voices and enhance illustration in literature.
Moreover writing that explores, questions and challenges, editors additionally favor tales that reveal what it’s attempting to do for others and the world. “We’re right here to champion writing that upsets techniques of energy and dominance,” explains the submission tips. “Our journal isn’t going to destroy the cis-heteronormative, white-supremacist, ableist patriarchy, however we’re going to attempt.”
Above all, Starvation Mountain seeks work that’s self-aware and avoids the chance of hurt. However don’t be afraid to be humorous, and even to shock editors with romance (that isn’t tacky), limericks or poems within the kinds of ghazal and golden shovel.
Your YA or kids’s story submission needs to be now not than 8,000 phrases.
Submissions are open till December 1, 2023.
Fee: $50 for prose and $25 for poetry.
6. Ember: A Journal of Luminous Issues
Ember challenges you to wceremony a narrative that targets readers who’re 10-18, whether or not it’s poetry (three to 100 strains), a brief story or inventive non-fiction (as much as 12,000 phrases), or flash fiction (not more than 1,500 phrases).
Editors search “wonderful, polished writing” that creates an attractive story—one with no profanity, vulgarity, intercourse or violence. Plus, hold this in thoughts: “Submissions with one of the best likelihood of acceptance will probably be significant on some stage to each older and youthful readers with out being condescending.”
What’s neat about this journal is it presents suggestions in your story when you’ve submitted it, even when it hasn’t been chosen for publishing. (Though, it’s optionally available.)
Fee: $.02 per phrase, or $20 per work, whichever is extra.
7. Spaceports and Spidersilk
Most of all, this print journal created by speculative fiction-focused Hiraeth Publishing desires your story to have one aspect: journey.
Printed 3 times per yr in February, June and October, Spaceports & Spidersilk desires fantasy, sci-fi and shadow tales (“spooky, however not terrifying”) geared toward readers ages 8-14. It prefers tales with younger protagonists, plus people who don’t harp on an overarching lesson. As a substitute, editors need a good story that “entertains and connects with feelings.”
Submit style tales between 1,000 and three,000 phrases, flash fiction that’s lower than 1,000 phrases, essays as much as 800 phrases and poetry with not more than 25 strains. No matter you submit, make sure to observe the journal’s cardinal guidelines: No swearing, intercourse, medicine or sexist language.
Take a look at the author tips to discover ways to submit.
Fee: $6 for every accepted story; $3 for flash fiction.
8. Forged of Wonders
Involved in writing YA sci-fi or fantasy? Forged of Wonders is the main voice in younger grownup speculative quick fiction, and it desires tales that “evoke a way of surprise, have deep emotional resonance and have one thing unreal about them.”
Tales needs to be not more than 6,000 phrases in size and geared toward teenagers from 12-17. Because the Forged of Wonders podcast typically presents tales in audio format, your submission must pack a punch: sturdy pacing, well-defined characters, compelling dialogue and extra.
Editors need fiction that makes them assume; nonetheless, they’ll reject tales with graphic depictions of sexual assault, cannibalism or non-consensual intercourse and/or drug use.
Submit your thrilling story to the deal with discovered within the author tips.
Fee: $.08 per phrase for authentic fiction of any size and a $20 flat charge for flash fiction.
9. Enjoyable For Kidz
Created for youths ages 6 to 13—though the 8-10 vary is the precise goal—Enjoyable For Kidz journal publishes six points per yr and focuses on the angle that every one kids deserve the suitable to be a toddler for so long as potential.
That’s why it publishes timeless matters like pets, nature, hobbies, science, video games, sports activities, careers, and the rest which may seize a youthful viewers.
To be printed on this journal, submit a fiction or nonfiction story as much as 650 phrases with vigorous writing and consists of an exercise that’s each healthful and weird. Be at liberty to submit a couple of story, however make sure to notice it in your manuscript. Plus, right here’s a pro-tip: to strengthen your likelihood of choice, connect a number of high-resolution images together with your submission.
Enjoyable For Kidz now not accepts electronic mail submissions, so learn the submission tips to study the place to mail your story.
Fee: A minimal of $.05 per phrase for fiction and nonfiction, plus $5 per high-resolution photograph; $10 per poem or puzzle.
10. Balloons Lit. Journal
Accepting of submissions year-round, Balloons Lit. Journal (BLJ) desires to publish high quality, unconventional tales for kids ages 12 and up from writers of any age.
In its biannual points, BLJ welcomes three to 5 items of poetry in any fashion and fiction tales as much as 2,000 phrases. Nonetheless, “In case you even have incredible artwork and/or photographic work” submit that, too, for additional brownie factors. In accordance with the submission tips, the editors love nice surprises.
When deciding which piece to submit, guarantee your story, irrespective of how advanced and philosophical, can enlighten and amaze younger minds. BLJ isn’t a theme-based journal, so deal with penning a submission that’s shocking, humorous, daring, distinctive, layered, instructional and extra.
Embrace a canopy letter with a short bio introducing your self and your background. All submissions to BLJ have to be emailed to [email protected].
Fee: One print copy.
11. Smarty Pants
Smarty Pants Journal for Children is a publication that “strives to thrill, educate and entertain kids from each walk-of-life.”
There’s no specified age vary within the submission tips, however writers ought to submit a kids’s story that’s kid-friendly, violence-free, enjoyable and intelligent and as much as 800 phrases. In case your story’s theme is seasonal, bear in mind to submit your story three months earlier than the event.
When you’ve edited and perfected your kids’s story, electronic mail [email protected] and paste it within the physique of the e-mail or a Phrase or Google Doc.
Fee: $15 for brief tales.
12. The College Journal
Australia’s The College Journal publishes quick tales, articles, performs, poems and actions which have literary and tutorial advantage for youths between 8 and 12. Undergo any of its magazines: Countdown, Blast Off, Orbit or Landing.
Its author tips say readers “reply effectively to texts that delight, intrigue, problem and encourage them.” Since The College Journal’s audience is exploring their identities and craves insights into the world round them, you’ll do effectively with a narrative that displays the multicultural, various society the magazines attempt to exhibit.
Irrespective of in case you submit a fiction story, poetry, an article or a play, writing needs to be energetic and suspenseful with credible characters. Phrase counts for accepted classes vary from 800 to 2,000 phrases—make sure to use these phrases on a contemporary angle relatively than a preachy theme.
To submit, scroll up on the contribute web page, then click on “Contribute” and fill out the generated fields.
Fee: The College Journal pays on publication, plus a repeat price if a bit is reused in a print model of the journal.
13. Clubhouse
Concentrate on the Household Clubhouse journal (Clubhouse for brief) reaches greater than 80,000 younger readers and fogeys all over the world—all of who flip to the journal to learn adventurous and humorous tales that provide “Scriptural or ethical perception.”
For teenagers ages 8-12, write fiction (500 to 2,000 phrases) or nonfiction (400-500 or 800-1,000 phrases) fast-paced tales which can be thrilling but healthful, plus contemporary and inventive and have well-developed characters the identical age because the journal’s audience.
Your fiction tales needs to be descriptive and fascinating, or distinctive and fascinating for nonfiction tales, articles and different supplies. In case you submit a nonfiction article, consider it should have a Christian angle, although not an overbearing one. As for fiction tales, “they need to be constructed on a basis of Christian beliefs and household values.”
Learn the submission tips to study the sort of tales Clubhouse seeks, like thriller or sci-fi, and what is going to get you axed from the shortlist.
Fee: Between $.15 and $.25 per phrase; $200 and up for feature-length fiction tales; $150 and up for nonfiction items.
14. Zizzle
“We search for tales that can shock, transfer and amuse each younger and older imaginative minds,” writes Zizzle Literary journal’s submission tips. An anthology e-book sequence that brings mother and father and youngsters collectively to foster a love of studying, Zizzle publishes literary fiction that fascinates youngsters from age 12 and up.
Your fiction story ought to have a robust voice and dive deep into themes of that means and morality that evolve naturally. Whereas Zizzle editors embrace “contemporary views on the nuanced joys and tensions in youngsters’ day by day lives and imaginations,” they welcome untraditional storytelling plus tastefully humorous tales.
Flash fiction kids’s tales needs to be 500 to 1,200 phrases and a pair of,000 to 4,500 phrases for brief tales. Earlier than you submit, notice Zizzle requires a $3 submission price.
Fee: $100 for flash tales; $250 for brief tales.
Word: After we checked Zizzle for updates, their web site was down so it’s unclear in the event that they’re nonetheless round.
15. Youth Creativeness
On the twenty first of every month, Silver Pen Publishing publishes a brand new sequence with kids’s and YA tales from these genres: fiction, trendy, city or classical fantasy, sci-fi, slipstream, literary, action-adventure and suspense.
In case you’re a prolonged author, you’ll love this word-limit: 20,000! For the quick story class, submit a narrative of 1,000 to eight,000 phrases; not more than 999 for flash fiction. To make the lower, write a well-written story, and deal with method, voice, characterization and language — that can all play a component within the editors’ choice to just accept and publish your story.
“Amaze us together with your writing, use of language, sense of story, and memorable characters,” writes the tips. The sort of story they gained’t be amazed by, nonetheless, is fan fiction, or one which possesses cliche components.
Submit your story by way of Submittable.
Fee: $15 per story.
Word: Youth Creativeness closed to submissions in December 2022 and didn’t re-open in 2023.
We want you one of the best as you submit your kids’s and YA tales! It’d really feel uncomfortable at first—or all the time—however it’s all a part of the journey of being a greater, stronger author.
That is an up to date model of a narrative that was beforehand printed. We replace our posts as typically as potential to make sure they’re helpful for our readers.
Photograph by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
