Chicken Soup Seeking Writers for 6 Books. $200 for 1200 Words

Nonexclusive. You can post here, too

When was the last time you wrote 1200 words or less and got paid $200? Heck, I’ve written 10 min reads that didn’t pay that. Haven’t we all?

There’s an inspirational saying that says something like this: the ballplayer with most homeruns also has the most strikeouts.

Writer are more familiar with strike-outs than homeruns. Way more strikeouts. The home-runs shock even me.

I was poking around a writing site and found a link to the Chicken Soup submissions page. There’s a whole bunch of them coming up right now. Thought I’d share in case you’d like to give it a whirl.

They take personal stories or poems and it’s non-exclusive, which means you can post the same story on Medium, too. Why not get paid twice?

If they run your story, you get $200 and 10 copies of the book your story is featured in. Here’s the current list they’re seeking submissions for.

1. Me Time: Taking Time For Yourself

Here’s the premise of the book. A lot of us suck at taking care of ourselves. We put ourselves last on the “to-do” list and take care of everyone else first. Then we get exhausted, stressed and maybe even sleep deprived.

So, they’re looking for stories of all flavors. For example… — What happened when you did “too much” without enough rest? — A story about what sleep deprivation cost you. — What’s your favorite rejuveniating activity? — What have you added or removed from your life? — Did you ever have to remove a toxic person to find peace? — Pandemic lockdown and coping stories are welcome, too.

That’s the reader’s digest version. There’s a long list of suggestions here.

Deadline: Sept. 30, 2020 | submission guide | submit here

2. Tough Times

This entire book that will be filled with uplifting stories about coping in rough times. They’re looking for ups and downs, silver linings, unexpected blessings, and the resilience you discovered in yourself and people close to you.

Yes, pandemic stories are welcome. They’re also accepting stories about other tough times, like health crises, loss of loved ones, personal challenges, family issues, job loss or economic problems. Some suggested topics are:

— Death, grieving and healing — Chronic disease and serious illnesses — Accepting the new norms and living with them — Stay-at-home self-quarantine stories — Zoom schooling and home-schooling challenges — The silver linings during tough times — Celebrating birthdays or holidays in a pandemic

That’s the reader’s digest version. There’s a long list of suggestions here.

Note that they do not accept submissions that argue against social distancing or wearing masks. Those will be deleted and rejected without reply.

Deadline: Oct. 31, 2020 | submission guide | submit here

3. Cat Stories

Go figure! Apparently their cat books are so popular they publish a new one every 18 months or so. Man, I knew cats owned the internet, but I didn’t know they’ve also taken over the Chicken Soup books.

They are looking for first-person true stories and poems about your furry feline friend. Did you rescue a cat? Did the cat rescue you?

Amazingly, there’s little by way of guidelines, except that it be a cat story. Of course, they’re going to pick the best ones of the submissions, right? The ones that make them laugh, cry or feel something. Make it a good one.

Deadline: Nov. 30, 2020 | submission guide | submit here

4. Angels and Miracles

On the surface, this one sounds a bit dicey. Except, I can’t help but think of my neighbor and a story she told me several years ago.

She was driving too tired, trying to get home. She rolled her car on the freeway. In the middle of the night. Just her and her kitty in the car on a secluded road between the city and her parent’s rural home.

She told me she heard her grandmother screaming her name. Becky, fire. Becky, fire. Her grandmother’s voice woke her. She got out just in time.

That’s the kind of story they’re looking for. True personal stories from people who believe they received help from an angel or guardian angel. Stories that will give the readers the chills.

Some of the ideas they suggest are: — Mysterious help from angels/guardian angels — Unexplained healing — Rescue from accidents or disasters — Being saved from death — Voices that spoke to you and helped you — Mysterious visitors

Please note that they are not looking for stories about people who are “angels” because they do nice things, or eulogies about a loved one who has died and is now “an angel.” Also, no particular religion or faith.

Deadline: Dec. 15, 2020 | submission guide | submit here

5. Eldercare

Are you providing eldercare for a spouse, partner, or sibling due to dementia, chronic illness, permanent physical or mental disabilities, or old age? Have you in the past?

Did you move in with an older family member to care for him or her? Or did an older family member move in with you? Are you part of the “sandwich” generation — caring for a parent and a child at the same time?

This book is intended to provide support and care for caregivers. Caring for an elderly family member can be exhausting and often the caregivers feel very alone. Like no one really understands what they’re experiencing.

Some of the suggestions they list include:

— Recognizing when eldercare is necessary — Convincing the person that he or she needs help — Cleaning out the old residence — Dealing with physical changes — Reactions from the outside world — Reacting to personality changes — Coping with the stress — Taking care of yourself while being a caregiver — The lighter side and funny moments

Please note they’re not looking for stories from professional caregivers. They are only seeking stories from people who provided elder care to a family member.

Deadline: Jan. 30, 2021 | submission guide | submit here

6. Counting Your Blessings

They don’t even have a title for this book yet, but it will be about handling challenges, finding silver linings, and counting your blessings whether the challenges are COVID-19 related or some other type of challenge.

Submissions can be serious or funny, can be essays or poems, but what they’re looking for specifically is that they be inspirational and heartwarming.

Basically it’s a book about gratitude to inspire readers to find their own paths to happiness and to remember to count their blessings.

A few of the topics they suggest include; — How did doing good for others turn into a blessing to you? — Silver linings in challenging events — Turning lemons into lemonade — The joy of simple pleasures — The unexpected benefits of a health challenges — Triumph over tragedy — Managing financial problems — Turning a negative into a positive — Gratitude journals and other gratitude practices — Stories of volunteering or charity work that changed you — What uplifted you during a challenge

Deadline: Feb. 28, 2021 | submission guide | submit here

Non-exclusive rights to publish

When you submit your story, you are giving them non-exclusive rights to the story. Which means you are fully entitled to post the same story anywhere else. Including on Medium or other paid writing sites.

There’s no downside. If you can tell a good story, you can earn for the same writing more than once. Plus, you can say you’re published in print.

Good luck and happy writing!

“The freelance writer is a man who is paid per piece or per word or perhaps.” — Robert Benchley

If you liked this, you’ll also like…