Fiction Ed’s Blog: Submit Six Months Ahead

This week, Lucy looks at why we ask you to submit “Friend” fiction six months in advance.

We try to get through as much reading as we possibly can, here on the Fiction Desk.

We read every story we’re sent, and give each one fair consideration.

We Read Every Story

Assigned Editors on the Fiction Team pop stories they hope may be suitable for publication into Fiction Ed Lucy’s ‘Review’ folder.

And if I give them the green light, they are then passed to Editor, Angela, who has final approval on every story and serial instalment we publish.

Ensuring we publish quality fiction remains a robust process, but it’s one that takes time.

Our Christmas Stories

We’re already looking at Christmas stories for our weekly and Special, and our “Magic Of Christmas” Bookazine.

We need lots of pre-Christmas, Advent, and festive stories.

So seasonal stories really need to be submitted six months ahead.

Why You Need To Submit Early

Even for ‘anytime’ weekly stories, it’s helpful to submit six months in advance. Why?

Once your story has been read by your own editor, it then needs time to move through my reading queue.

It then goes to Angela for consideration and approval.

And once we’ve read and approved your story, it still needs time to go through the process of being paid, and illustrated.

Our illustrators have other work priorities as well as “Friend” illustrations, so we need to allow time there, too.

Submit Six Months Ahead Of Publication

So if you’re submitting fiction to the “Friend”, we’d ask you to please submit six months in advance of when your story is set, if it’s set seasonally.

That will give it plenty of time to go through the reading process, be paid, illustrated and ready for production.

Thank you!