Short and Sweet Anthologies
If you’re a writer with a story to tell, and who is up for the challenge, consider submitting your work for inclusion in upcoming books in Grace Publishing’s Short and Sweet anthology series.
The general purpose of each piece is to entertain — rather than to teach or merely inform — so the tone should be personal and optimistic rather than instructive. The article length is anywhere from 250-1000 words. Previous books have included poems. (Take a look at previous Short and Sweet books that Grace Publishing has released for examples.)
Both multi-published and beginning or non-published authors write for the series. Stories may be original or previously published if rights have been returned to you (as long as we are informed of the latter in advance). Grace Publishing retains rights after acceptance until publication, then rights automatically return to you.
Submissions should be Times New Roman, 12-point type, sent as a Microsoft Word attachment to an email. Subject line should include the title of the book. In the header at the top of the article include: your name, mailing address for the one free copy, your email address and the story’s word count. Also include with your submission a bio of 100-125 words and a clear, crisp, 300 ppi/dpi color headshot (as an attachment in jpeg format). Each writer’s bio and photo will appear in the “About the Author” section at the end of the book. The submission, bio, photo, and any correspondence should be directed to Susan King at: shortandsweettoo[at]gmail[dot]com.
Each book in the series is a labor of love, so no one is compensated monetarily. Authors share with the possibility of changing someone’s life, heart, or mind. However, each author whose work is selected to be published will receive a free copy of the book and a discount on any order they would like to place. All royalties from this series go to World Christian Broadcasting, a non-profit organization whose purpose is to take God’s Word — through mass media — to people who may have no other means of hearing the Good News.
Now for the challenge! With seven exceptions, stories in this book series use words of only one syllable. The exceptions to the one-syllable-word-only requirement are as follows:
- Any proper noun is okay. (If you were born in California, don’t write Maine; if a name is Machenheimer, don’t write Clark.)
- You may use polysyllabic words of 5 letters or fewer — for example: into, over, area, about.
- You may use contractions of more than one syllable such as couldn’t, wouldn’t, didn’t.
- You may use numbers (even those that are polysyllabic).
- As in any published work, direct quotes — even in casual conversation — must be rendered word-for-word as they occurred, so their wording is exempt from the rules. This includes verses from the Bible — but only translations, not paraphrases (such as The Message).
- Multi-syllable words for family (for which there are no single- syllable synonyms) are fine: mother, father, family, sister, brother, sibling, husband, daughter, relative etc.
- Words for which no synonym exists — such as college/university, heredity, communication, integrity, honest/honesty, person, regret, career/ profession, passion, destination, hospital, education/ teacher/professor, institution, creativity, identity — or that cannot be replaced by a natural-sounding phrase of simple, one-syllable words.
Writers often find it easier to write the story, then go back and replace the words that don’t meet the series’ requirements.
We Are Currently Accepting Submissions for the Following Titles
Unless otherwise noted, at this time deadlines are open. As deadlines are determined they will be added.
Mishaps and Misadventures: Vacations that took an unexpected turn along the way. These stores are about your best and funniest vacation memories, created by something completely unplanned. Deadline September 30, 2023.
What Patriotism Means to Me: These stories might include topics like: How your patriotism connects with/reflects other deeply held beliefs. How you live your life differently because you are patriotic. What you consider the duties/rights of a patriot. How your views about (or feelings of) patriotism might have changed over the years. What you have taught your children about patriotism (If you have you taught primarily by example, how?). If you learned about patriotism as a child, what was the source?
Memorable Mutts
The Feline in the Family
Facing Fears: Facing and conquering fears big or small, whether as a child or an adult.