WANTED: Short Fiction Stories!

I just signed a four-book contract for a fiction-lover’s devotional. It’s a collection of short fictional stories followed by brief Life Applications, suggesting how the lessons inherent in the stories can be applied to the reader’s daily life. Bios of contributing authors will be featured at the end of each chapter, so readers can get something new from the novelists they already know and love, as well as samples from other authors they can add to their favorites list.

The contract is with BroadStreet Publishing. They’re doing the devotionals as hardback gift books. The first one will come out in June, just in time for summer. Working title is 21 Days of Grace: Stories that Celebrate God’s Unconditional Love. Book 2 will be for Christmas, Book 3 for Valentine’s Day, and Book 4 for Mother’s Day.

Publisher’s Weekly ran an article on 11/12/14 about this publisher. Here’s an excerpt:

BroadStreet Publishing, a new house founded by Carlton Garborg early this year, has a substantial gift books program. BroadStreet has 26 gift books currently in print and plans to publish another 24 in 2015. “Our primary focus is quality, both in content and packaging,” says Garborg. “We work with authors to tell meaningful stories and bring messages of truth and inspiration; we package those into a variety of beautiful, gift-able formats that our retail partners can promote every day as well as seasonally.”

I already have submissions from some well-known and beloved novelists (including Angela Hunt, Deborah Raney, Cecil Murphey, Cindy Woodsmall, and others). But I’m going to need additional captivating, well-written stories to put into these books!

If you write fiction and would be interested in submitting, you can find the guidelines at kathyide.com/devotional-guidelines. (You don’t have to be a previously published author. But your submission will be considered alongside chapters from multi-published best-selling authors, so the writing needs to be top notch and well polished.)

You may send submissions on any topic at any time. However, if you have something that would specifically fit with one or more of the upcoming titles, please submit prior to the deadlines below.

21 Days of Grace: Stories that Celebrate God’s Unconditional Love
submit by December 1, 2014

21 Days of Christmas: Stories that Celebrate God’s Greatest Gift
submit by January 1, 2015

21 Days of Love: Stories that Celebrate Treasured Relationships
submit by May 1, 2015

21 Days of Joy: Stories that Celebrate Motherhood
submit by August 1, 2015

I’m going to need a lot of stories for this project! So please pass the word on to other fiction writers you know.