Submission Guidelines

Summary

The undefined website provides detailed guidelines for submitting cat-related personal stories, poems, photographs, or artwork to the Catness publication on Medium, emphasizing the need for original content, proper sourcing, and adherence to Medium's rules against duplicate content.

Abstract

Catness, a Medium publication, welcomes submissions centered around cats, including personal stories, poems, photographs, and artwork. Contributors are encouraged to share their experiences with cats, with a preference for personal narratives. The guidelines stress the importance of accurate sourcing for any claims about cat breeds, health, or diet. Previously published material is not accepted, and submissions should be made as unpublished drafts. Authors are encouraged to use their own high-resolution cat photos and to avoid political, explicit, or disturbing content. The publication maintains a neutral stance and does not publish advice articles on pet care, which are better suited for other publications like PetTalks. Attribution for images and text not owned by the author must be correctly provided, and the use of horizontal images for feature photos is recommended. Catness adheres to Medium's policy against duplicate content to avoid trouble, and authors are discouraged from including commercial links in their articles. Links to articles on how to submit a draft are provided, and interested writers can express their interest by commenting on the guidelines article or emailing the editor.

Opinions

The publication values originality and personal connection to the content, preferring stories and images that are unique and authentic to the author.
There is a strong emphasis on credibility and trustworthiness, as evidenced by the requirement for proper referencing and the prohibition of duplicate content.
The guidelines reflect a commitment to maintaining a respectful and non-confrontational community, as seen in the exclusion of political content and the prohibition of explicit or disturbing material.
The preference for high-resolution, personal cat photos suggests a desire to offer readers a more intimate and engaging visual experience.
The neutrality of the publication is paramount, and it actively avoids content that could be divisive or content that serves overt commercial interests.
The guidelines indicate a collaborative and supportive approach to working with contributors, offering resources for submission and encouraging communication through comments or email.

Subject Matter

The subject here is Cats. So any stories or poems about cats, personal experiences, fiction, etc., or cat photographs or artwork *are welcomed.

What we want is personal stories/poems about your cat or cats.

Even though the story is about your own kitty, if you are making statements regarding cat breed, health matters or diet in your story, you must provide links to your information sources. (Just saying you found it on Google will not do.) In the event that you are using a hardcopy book or article to support your references, please supply the name of the book, the author and the ISBN number. If possible, provide a link to a book seller source for the book.

Here are two examples of personal stories published in Catness:

From Kathy Minicozzi about her new cat From John Fuller about Tigs

Catness is neutral, so we do not publish anything political.

We do not publish stories of an explicit or disturbing nature.

We no longer publish articles giving advice about pet care, diet, training, or breed specific information. You should consider submitting to one of the many other Medium publications. Here is one that I know of: PetTalks https://medium.com/pet-talks, which accepts this type of article.

Images

We understand that you may not always have a photo of your kitty, but if you do, we prefer that you submit your own in place of something from a free photo site such as Unsplash or Pixabay. One reason is that those photos are often used by many and the best ones are seen repeatedly.

Please only submit images and text to which you own the copyright, or make sure you give the correct attribution to the originator (example, if you are writing an article about cats and are using specific images from another person or publication, make sure you include a link to the originator and a text attribution “photo by Joe Blow” or “Excerpted from an article by Joe Blow, published in (name of publication) with a link to the the original piece.

It is helpful if you submit photos at the highest resolution possible for optimal display on Medium.

horizontal mages work best for your story feature image.

We do not publish images of an explicit or disturbing nature.

Special Note Regarding Submissions

Duplicate Content Medium does not allow posting duplicate content, whether from a single account or across multiple accounts, either publicly or as an unlisted story. — Medium Rules

So, if your story has already been published to another publication on Medium, we cannot accept it, or we will get into a lot of trouble.

We only accept unpublished drafts, not work already published to your own profile. See note above.

This works in your favour because if you offer us a story previously published, at an earlier date, it will be listed according to the original date of publication. If this is an older story, say from a few weeks previous, it “slips” back in the story positions. We discovered this by accident when searching for a submission that we had just published, and not seeing it at the “top”. Medium goes by the original date of publication.

Catness Submission Guidelines

What you need to know

Subject Matter

Unpublished Drafts

Images

Special Note Regarding Submissions

Links to other sites

Links to articles on How To Submit a Draft

Become a Writer