Write For Us
Submission guidelines for The Happy Human
Welcome, writers!
I’m glad you’re here. Below I’ll be outlining my vision for this publication and how you can get published here.
Let’s get right into it, shall we?
What I Look For
I’d like this publication to be a place where talented writers (that means you!) can share their stories or experiences about getting through hard things and/or advice on how to stay generally happy.
Topics could include relationship advice, life lessons, self-care, wellness, travel, writing, entrepreneurship, humor, etc. — you can be as creative as you want.
As the tagline says, I want to focus on stories that will help people see the bright side! We’ve all lived through hard experiences, and I want this to be a place where we can all support each other.
So, I’d love to see articles full of hope and encouragement because I think that’s what people really need these days. And I would especially love to see stories that have an element of humor. We could all use a good laugh, don’t you think?
How long should articles be?
As far as length goes, you’re not limited to a particular word count. If you can develop your article and end with a hopeful and/or funny conclusion in 500 words, that’s fine. As a general rule, I would aim to stay within the 500–1,500 words range.
A Few Guidelines to Keep in Mind
- Moving forward, I will only be accepting unpublished drafts (or exceptional recently published stories). This is because unpublished drafts spend time on the front page, whereas old, already-published stories get buried extremely quickly.
- When you’re ready to submit a story, please make sure you have a clear title in title-case and a subtitle in sentence-case. Don’t worry about finding a good image, though — I’m trying to create a general theme for our publication, so I usually change the cover image anyway.
- Please edit your story and run it through a grammar checker before submitting it. I can make small corrections as needed, but I don’t want to have to make changes that could alter your unique writing style.
- I reserve the right to change your title/subtitle and featured images. This is simply to ensure clarity and a sense of cohesiveness with other articles.
- I think you deserve to be paid for your writing. That’s why I suggest putting your stories behind Medium’s paywall. (This isn’t mandatory, though.)
- I also want to give you the best chance at getting curated. Here are Medium’s curation guidelines. Please read and follow them.
- Submissions get accepted and edited (or rejected) based on quality and fit with the publication theme. If you submit a piece that has a clear, interesting title, subtitle, and message, that makes my job a lot easier. (An example of a good title would be: “5 Ways To Boost Your Mood Right Now” rather than “Mood Boosters”.)
I always like to publish articles that need minimal editing first, so keep that in mind when submitting.
If you haven’t heard back about your article in a few days, please be patient — I always try to let writers know if their writing doesn’t make the cut.
How can I be added as a writer?
It’s easy. Just leave a comment saying, “I’m a happy human!” or why you want to write for this publication and you’ll be added as soon as possible.
Thank you for your interest in this publication. I can’t wait to read your submissions!
— Luba Sigaud, Editor of The Happy Human
Important Update:
As of March 24, 2021, I am back on Medium and will continue adding new writers and publishing your work. I sincerely apologize to those of you who have been waiting without an answer for a long time; for the past few months, I have been completely focused on finishing my degree, which I have just done. Thank you all for your patience, and I look forward to reading your stories!
