Authors – Pre-Submission Checklist

Here on the ‘People’s Friend’ Fiction Team, we want every short story to have the best possible chance of success.

Our short story guidelines contain lots of useful information for authors – find them by clicking here.

What information shouldn’t you forget to include, when you’re preparing your story’s final draft?

When And Where Your Story Is Set

Does your story have a contemporary, or a historical, setting? If it’s the latter, specify the year it is set, and the period if applicable. For example – Set 1908/ Edwardian.

Dual-period stories are welcome, but please state this clearly and be exact about the dates. Eg Dual period Present Day/1944.

Where is your story set? And is it seasonal?

Is Your Story Date-Sensitive?

Likewise, if your story pertains to a certain date/event in the calendar, please be completely clear about that – eg Wimbledon, Father’s Day.

The Age Of Your Character

It’s helpful to give an indication of either an exact age, or thirties/forties, etc. This helps speed things up when we’re looking to illustrate your story.

Your Character’s Name

Please give main characters a name. It’s difficult to get a sense of someone when you don’t know their name.

Character Description

Please include a little bit about main characters’ features in the text – hair colour, eyes, height. This is especially helpful for longer stories and pocket novels – and also helps speed up the illustration process.

Short Synopsis

A short synopsis at the start of your story is helpful – two or three sentences to sum up the main gist. A logline might work for shorter stories under 2000 words.

In Summary

Please include a working Title; Author’s name; Pen Name If Applicable; Word Count; and Historical Date /Time Period/Season, If Any.

And please include word count, title, and season if any, in your story’s file name.