Shutterstock / DiMedia©I thought it might be helpful this week to provide an update on our working from home situation.
The “Friend” eam left our offices in mid-March 2020, following government advice.
For now, we remain working from home. When we have news of any change to this, we’ll let you know via the website and our social media.
How working from home affects published “Friend” authors
For writers whose work has been published in the “Friend” within the past twelve months, the main change is that submissions should be made by email to your assigned editor, rather than by post.
This is because for the moment, we’re still unable to routinely access the office.
One other thing you may notice is that, due to the increased volume of email correspondence, email responses may presently take a little longer than we’d like.
How working from home affects unpublished authors
We now have an email system in place for unpublished authors. You can send stories to friendfiction@dctmedia.co.uk. You’ll receive immediate confirmation that your story has been received.
For unpublished authors who successfully submit a story, one slight change is that we’ll email a copy of our (unchanged) terms and conditions for you to look over. Our Admin Team will then send out paper copies of your contract when they’re in the office.
What’s happening with the backlog of postal submissions?
All posted submissions from authors previously unpublished in the “Friend” have now been read.
If you have yet to hear about a submission, it may now be under consideration.
If you need to contact us
As we’re not in the office and not yet contactable by phone, any queries are best emailed directly to your assigned editor.
If you don’t have an assigned editor, general enquiries can be posted on the Writing Hour on Twitter on Tuesday mornings, beginning at 11am. Question Six is often “Have You Any Questions For Us?”.
You can also email our general enquiry address, peoplesfriend@dctmedia.co.uk.
For more from Lucy, click here to read the Fiction Ed blog.
Lucy Crichton Better known as “Fiction Editor Lucy”, I am always on the look-out for the very best short stories, poems and pocket novels. As well as sourcing enjoyable content, I enjoy working with our established contributors, encouraging new talent, and celebrating 155 years of “Friend” fiction!
