M is for Markets

Markets for your writing are everywhere. You just have to search for them. Make certain you always follow the magazine's submission guidelines. If you're entering a contest, follow their rules to perfection. Here are a few markets you might be interesting in.

Pockets magazine teaches 6- to 12-year-olds about God's love and presence in life. Pockets accepts freelance submissions of stories, puzzles and games, activities, recipes, and poems.
Send to: Lynn W. Gilliam, Editor; Pockets; 1908
Grand Avenue; P.O. Box 340004; Nashville, TN 37203-0004. No email submissions but go HERE for more details.

Alive Now is a devotional magazine that nurtures the spiritual lives of individuals
hungry for God. For themes and deadlines, go HERE.

For writer's guidelines and theme lists for Homeschooling Today Magazine, go to  http://www.homeschoolingtoday.com/write-for-us/.

FlashFiction Online - They are open for submissions and usually open year round. They publish stories from 500 to 1,000 words in length. They are publishing audio versions of their stories, approximately one year after they appeared as text online.

FirstLine Literary Journal:  Every story starts the same. The first line: Rachel’s first trip to England didn’t go as planned. Deadline 5/1/2012. Be sure to look at the upcoming first lines.

Delta Sky Magazine is looking for expertly executed stories about travel, lifestyle and business. Features range from 600-2,000 words. Departments include very small 100-word pieces to longer 500-word columns.
Go HERE for guidelines and where to send submissions.

Entangled Publishing is adding historical romance to its lineup of offerings. The new imprint is called Scandalous. These 60,000 to 70,000 word romances may be set any time between 1900 and 1950, in almost any setting. The stories are bold, sexy, and heartfelt, and can be funny, action-packed, mysterious, or dramatic. They should feature a classic romantic trope and an Alpha male hero. Stories should be historically accurate and may contain light paranormal elements, though paranormal elements are not required. Stories should be sexy and sensual, but they’re not looking for erotica. Find out all the details here.

Children’s Writer, a monthly email newsletter, is sponsoring a Middle Grade Mystery Contest. Write a mystery short story that appeals to 9 to 12 year-olds — no longer than 900 words. First prize is $500 and publication in the newsletter, second prize is $250 and third, fourth and fifth graders will each receive $100. Subscribers to Children’s Writer may enter for free: all others pay $15. The deadline to enter is April 30. Get all the details here.

Harlequin Heartwarming is a line that started as a reprint program of older titles. Editors are now accepting original manuscripts for this imprint, which focuses on warm, romantic stories with no sex and no religion. The guidelines characterize these as “Stories readers can feel comfortable sharing with their daughters and granddaughters.” The books are 70,000 to 75,000 words, are contemporary, with emotional conflicts, and focus on home and family. You do not need an agent to submit to Harlequin Heartwarming. Find the guidelines HERE.