How to Publish Short Stories for Children

Send in your query letter and manuscript via email or postal mail, as requested by the publisher.

After writing, editing and polishing final drafts of your short stories, publishing is a logical next step. Increase your chances of getting published by following the submission guidelines for the publication or editorial in question and submitting your stories with a well-edited and convincing query letter. If you've never been published before, consider starting small with local publications and working your way up to national publishing houses or children's magazines after securing a few children's publishing credits.

Things You'll Need

• Short story for children
• Computer
• Printer
• High quality heavy printing paper
• Large 8.5 by 11 mailing envelop
• Stamps
• Self-addressed stamped envelop

Instructions

1. Look up the requirements for publication with the newspaper, magazine or publishing house you're interested in. If no guidelines are available online, call the publication. Some children's publications include Highlights Magazine, Pockets Magazine and Cricket Magazine.

2. Revise your story to meet the requirements of the publication in question. Highlights Magazine, for example, requires stories to have no more than 800 words for children ages 8-12 and a maximum of 500 words for children ages 3-7.

3. Get to know the publication in question before sending out your short story. Read a few back issues or prior publications. If your children's short story doesn't seem to fit within the general style or usual content of the magazine, this may not be the publication for you. For example, a children's short story with a Christian theme would be better in Pockets Magazine than Highlights Magazine, which has no religious affiliation.

4. Send your children's short story to the publication as requested in the writer's submission guidelines via postal mail or email. Double-check to make sure you've included your contact information, query letter and a complete manuscript, if requested.

5. Don't call the publisher to check up on your submission. Because of the number of submissions received, especially at national children's publications, not all publishers will or can advise you if your submission is refused. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified.

6. Continue submitting and editing your stories even if you receive some rejections. Send a query letter or talk to local newspapers and publications about the possibility of publishing some of your short stories for local children.

Tips & Warnings

• Edit your stories before submission, checking for spelling and grammatical errors plus inappropriate vocabulary and length.

• Write to a specific age level, but don't talk down to kids. Try to write stories that parents will enjoy as well, as parents are usually the buyers of children's literature and magazines.

• Don't force morals into your short stories; most children's publishers prefer stories that aren't preachy. If you must include a moral, show it, don't tell it.

• Getting your children's stories published will be a challenge and require persistence and hard work.

• Children's stories must be tightly and evocatively written.

• Some children's magazines, like Muse, don't accept unsolicited manuscripts. Don't waste time and effort submitting manuscripts to them.

• In many cases, a periodical or publishing company purchases the rights to your short story and it becomes the property of that publication. Be sure you understand your publishing rights before signing them away.

References

• The Children's Literature WebGuide: Publishers
• Underdown.org: Writing for Children's Magazines: Donna Freedman
• Institute of Children's Literature: "Writing the Short Story" with Dori Butler; December 2001
• Highlights Magazine: Contributer Guidelines
• Pockets: Writer's Guidelines
• Cricket Magazine Group: Submission Guidelines