Scribe Submission Guidelines
Updated October 28, 2023
Welcome to Scribe, the little haven of peace where you can read original stories written from the heart.
Far from the hustle and bustle of the modern world, the publication invites you to climb onto a cloud to enjoy some sweet reading time. Scribe is there to bring to light texts where the emotion is vivid and unforgettable.
So, if you want to be published in the publication, you’ve come to the right place! With a little luck (and a lot of talent), you’ll feel at home here alongside the other writers. Enjoy your reading and maybe we’ll see you soon!
Please read these guidelines through to the end, it is important for our future relationship to run smoothly. They are regularly updated, so don’t hesitate to come back to them from time to time.
“We write of eternal things” — The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Table of Contents
1. Introduction2. What I publish & What I do not publish3. What it means to be published in Scribe4. Before sending your application5. How to send your application6. How to submit your draft to Scribe7. Support Scribe by joining a growing community8. The Complete Guide to Poetry on Medium1. Introduction
Since the birth of the publication in early 2017, I don’t do anything randomly. Even when I was thinking about what I was going to call it, it had to make sense.
Every Saturday, I send a newsletter named The Story Box. It is also published on Scribe, like a regular story. Reading this newsletter is the best way to be aware of everything that happens in the publication.
All editions of The Story Box can be found from the publication’s navigation bar through this tab: Newsletter. Remember to sign up (it’s free) to benefit each weekend from a selection of delightful stories and poems, discover new writers and follow Scribe’s journey.
Since December 1, 2021, the words of Scribe writers travel in a beautiful book of poetry, The Embrace of Dawn.
You can also take a long trip and re-read all the stories and poems that made Scribe shine in 2022, or follow the best of Scribe’s writers in some collections constantly updated!
2. What I publish & What I do not publish
I publish stories and poems about life, love, and freedom. I like stories that come from the heart and express a personal point of view. I seek above all emotion. I want to know what moves your heart, so I’m looking for stories and poems written in the first person.
I don’t publish stories about entrepreneurship, startups, and all things related to marketing or growth. Other publications do it very well on Medium, and that’s fine.
This also applies to stories about personal development, or stories like “How To…” and “3 Things To Do When…” that are for the most part irrelevant. If you are in the habit of writing stories by directly questioning the reader, or giving advice, you should know that this kind of piece is not welcome here. Remember the first lines of this article, Scribe wants to take you up on a cloud for a different and hopefully unforgettable journey.
On the other hand, if the main reason for your presence on Medium is money, don’t knock on Scribe’s door. I’m not interested in people who consider writing on Medium as a business and who will be willing to write anything to increase their earnings with the Partner Program. This doesn’t mean that I don’t encourage writers to make a living from their writing, but I just want that the financial aspect is not the primary motivation.
AI-generated writing is not accepted around here. Remember what you read above. Scribe is there to bring to light pieces where the emotion is vivid and unforgettable. I want to publish stories and poems written by living beings that feel emotion. I want to read what your heart tells you, no matter what form your writing takes. Machines, as artificially intelligent as they are, will never have human hearts. Scribe is and will always be intimately linked to the hearts of all its writers and readers. The words published here will therefore always be those written by humans.
3. What it means to be published in Scribe
When your story is published in Scribe, and that is the difference, then it will be visible to all followers of the publication and will appear on their network. In other words, you have direct access to an audience of more than 19,000 engaged readers. Best of all, your story will be pampered by a very active community of passionate and sensitive writers and readers.
Unlike some publications whose army of editors publishes hundreds of stories every day without any editorial work, here you will only read about ten new pieces every day, rigorously selected for their quality and uniqueness. This way of working allows me to always propose quality texts and to put forward writers who have that little extra something that makes all the difference.
On March 10, 2023, I officially joined the Boost Nomination Pilot as a nominator, which allows me to submit stories and poems to Medium’s curators every day so that they can be boosted. By joining Scribe, you have a much better chance of having your stories regularly boosted to the stars! You will find more details in this edition of the newsletter.
Important note: Whatever happens, you own your story and keep all rights to it. Keep in mind, however, that if you choose to publish your story in Scribe, it is to keep it there. If I welcome you, it’s because I think you have something different, and therefore I want our editor/writer relationship to go as far as possible. If you ever want to remove your story (or stories) from Scribe, you are of course within your rights. I just ask you to inform me by email in advance so that everything is done properly. If you delete stories without notifying me and cause multiple dead links on Scribe as a result of being featured in newsletters for example, I reserve the right to remove you from the publication without notice.
4. Before sending your application
First of all, please note that I only publish original stories, i.e. stories that are not already published online outside the publication. I find it more interesting to offer readers stories that they haven’t been able to read elsewhere on the Internet. You can share your poems or stories on your Instagram profile for example, but only after your piece has been published on Scribe, and by adding the link to your text and mentioning the publication in your post.
In addition, I really want writers who want to join Scribe to be actively involved in the life of the publication, by reading, clapping, and replying to the stories of the publication’s talented pens. You must therefore be a member of Medium to be able to read everything that is published on the platform without restriction. I expect writers to be first and foremost passionate readers who like to support writers on Medium and on Scribe.
On the other hand, your desire must be to publish your next pieces in Scribe because you are connected to the stories and writers published in the publication. You’re not welcome around here if you’re publishing in dozens of different publications just to try to get more views. I will take the time to study your profile carefully, the writers you support, and the publications in which you already publish your stories to ensure that you share Scribe’s values. This may seem very strict, but for me, it is a guarantee of quality. You can get a good idea of how I work by visiting this list.
You should also consider supporting our community on Buy Me a Coffee. Please take note that this is not a disqualifier. You can be published in Scribe without spending a cent. Many writers support me in ways other than money, and I’m very happy about that. Scribe is not a paid publication, and I do not select writers based on whether or not they are willing to put their hand in their wallet. I never have, and I never will. What matters to me is writing, and only writing. Supporting me through Buy Me a Coffee is just a plus for me and a sign that you see real value in Scribe and what I do on Medium. I also want to make it clear that my involvement in the Boost Nomination Pilot as a nominator has nothing to do with how I personally run Scribe and what I do on Buy Me a Coffee. You can browse this collection to get a better understanding of the editor I am.
One last very important thing you should know before sending your application. If I have to refuse your request to join the publication, never take this as a judgment on the quality of your writing. Unlike many editors who are mostly concerned with growing their publication by any means necessary and therefore accept just about any writer who knocks on their door, I need to have a real crush and be touched to the core when I read a text. If it’s not the case, I prefer to go on my way and follow what my heart tells me, always. I am not here to teach writing, so I will not give you reasons for my rejection or give you advice regarding your application. Please respect my way of working and always trust what you write, no matter what I think about it.
You can read this story to better understand how I see things.
5. How to send your application
After carefully reading the previous chapters, please submit your application by writing an email to this address: [email protected].
Your email must include:
❁ The link to your Medium profile and two stories or poems (in draft form on Medium) that you would like to publish in Scribe.
❁ A few words to explain why you want to join the publication and the links of three stories you loved reading in Scribe, and for which you gave claps or responses. Feel free to write a few lines about yourself and what drives you to write. I love to hear from writers!
❁ The tier you would be willing to choose on Buy Me a Coffee to support what I do on Medium and to help the publication grow. I would like to reiterate that this support is not mandatory.
The review process usually takes 1–7 days. Please don’t call me back after a few days if you don’t get an answer. I get a lot of requests and pressuring me will result in ignoring you. That is not the point!
Please note that I’ll not take the time to read your work if you write it directly in the email or if you send it as an attachment. Your piece should be in the form of a finalized draft and ready to be published on Medium.
Given the significant number of stories received each day, please consider that if I don’t come back to you within 15 days, it is because I have not selected your story. That doesn’t mean your piece is not of quality, it is only that it does not correspond to what I’m looking for at the time.
If I send you a positive email back and welcome you in the publication, I expect a second email from you to make sure we’re both okay. This is very important for our relationship to last as long as possible. I know I’m being hyper demanding, but this is how Scribe will continue to stand out on Medium and deliver high-quality writing.
6. How to submit your draft to Scribe
Please read the 10 points below to avoid wasting your time and to get your story published as quickly as possible:
6.1 You should write under your real name, but pen names are accepted. Your Medium profile includes a good-quality picture of you and you have filled in your bio (a few words to introduce yourself) and your about page. Readers will be happy to know a little bit about who you are. Here’s how to do it.
6.2 Your story has no spelling or grammar errors. Remember to review your piece or have it reviewed if you are ever unsure. Install the Grammarly extension for your browser, it is free and fixes most of the classic errors. And it works with Medium!
6.3 Carefully present your story. Let your story breathe by making short paragraphs (between 5 and 6 lines). Use the different layout options offered by Medium to improve legibility.
Illustrate your piece with a featured image. Place it right after your title and subtitle. To ensure perfect image quality, I prefer that you use images from Unsplash. Unsplash is also integrated into Medium! If you choose your image directly on Unsplash, please use the download button on the site, if you do otherwise (drag and drop) the image quality will not be preserved and the image will be in a small format. I can however make exceptions and accept your own images if, for example, you make nice illustrations!
Use the title case format for the headline and the sentence case format for the subtitle. If you have any doubts when writing your headlines, you can use this great tool: Title Case Converter. Besides, when you highlight the subtitle, choose the small “T” in the toolbar to apply the “subtitle” format, as Medium does not apply it automatically.
For your poems, remember to remove the automatic line breaks that Medium does. When you are at the end of a sentence, hold down the shift key and press Enter. You can only do this via a computer.
6.4 Your story should not exceed 10 min read. It’s not that I’m not interested in long stories, but it’s a format that doesn’t really work in Scribe at the moment.
6.5 Your story is properly referenced with the five topics available (Love, Life, Short Story, Poetry, Writing, Fiction, Poems…). Please note that in order for your story to appear on the Poetry page, you must use the “Poetry” tag. Here is the help to add topics to your draft.
6.6 Your story is in draft form. This is important so that your piece is well featured in the publication. Once you have submitted your draft, be patient. Your story will be published either the same day or scheduled for the next day. Please submit only the final version of your draft. I do a real proofreading job before publishing your story, please respect this work by not editing your piece once it is awaiting publication. If in spite of everything you realize that something is wrong once your story is published, don’t hesitate to inform me via private notes or by email, and of course, we will do what is necessary together to make sure that you are completely satisfied.
6.7 Calls to Action are not welcome. I mean, avoid the many links at the end of each of your stories. Instead, try to optimize your profile and your about page!
6.8 I publish only one piece per writer per day. I’m not at the factory here, and I really care about the writers I publish. Quality will always take precedence over quantity. You will never see hundreds of new stories published every day in Scribe.
6.9 Once you’re added as a writer for the publication, I can’t guarantee you that I will publish every story you submit. I read each piece carefully, and my priority remains to offer readers quality work. I will always explain to you why I refuse a story and help you improve it if necessary. It is never easy to refuse a story because I am aware that the writer puts a lot of his heart into it. But sometimes it’s possible that I just don’t feel enough emotion when I read your story. That doesn’t mean it’s bad.
6.10 I will never edit your content. If I have comments I’ll send you a private note or I’ll try to contact you directly.
Is everything ready? Great, now all you have to do is follow the steps below:
Create a new draft, and write your words. Once your draft is ready for submission, click on the three little dots beside the Publish icon in the right-hand corner of your Draft page, choose “Add to publication”, select Scribe and I will be notified.
If you need help: add a draft or post to publication.
The review process usually takes 1–3 days. You will be notified of acceptance or rejection.
If you have just joined the publication, I wish you a warm welcome! I’m looking forward to reading your next piece!
7. Support Scribe by joining a growing community
I edit Scribe on a voluntary basis. To help me bring the publication and its writers closer to the stars, you can support my work via this wonderful creative place.
In addition to supporting everything I do on Medium, your contribution will allow me to organize more writing prompts by rewarding writers with tangible rewards, like the one organized at Christmas in 2020, or this other one organized with the award-winning writing app Bear, or this one that was shared by the WWF! I may also publish other books, such as the first book of poetry published on December 1, 2021.
Depending on the tier you choose, you can benefit from solid advantages, such as a permanent highlight in the weekly newsletter, a one-week spotlight on the publication’s home page every month, the world’s best writing software, Bear and iA Writer.
Having your support will be a great help to me in continuing to do what I love most in the world: writing, reading and publishing great writers.
Please note that this support is not mandatory to become a Scribe writer. See, for example, the excellent The Guardian. You can read great journalism without paying a cent, but you can also subscribe to support a great independent newspaper and talented journalists. It’s much the same for this publication. You’re free (and welcome) to join without paying anything, but a small monthly donation will help it grow.
💛 Support Scribe 💛8. The Complete Guide to Poetry on Medium
In late 2022, Medium CEO Tony Stubblebine generously reached out to me to give the poet community on Medium a boost. I can’t thank him enough for his gesture and this incredible opportunity to shine a light on poetry and its wonderful writers.
Take care, and keep writing! 🍃 Thomas
