Break-In Markets: Highlights for Children

I decided it's time to plug my favorite magazine market again: Highlights for Children.

Highlights is a great break-in market for new writers. Why? Here are a few reasons:

• They accept--and respond to--unsolicited manuscripts, including manuscripts from unpublished writers. As for any publicaion, a list of publication credits in the cover letter helps, but they'll take a serious look at your writing whether you've been published before or not.


• They actively encourage beginning writers with their yearly fiction contest (http://www.highlights.com/custserv/customerservicecontent2main.jsp?iCategoryID=203&iContentID=1584&CCNavIDs=3,203 -- deadline of Jan 31; sorry not to mention it sooner,) with the Highlights Foundation's Writers Workshops http://www.highlightsfoundation.org/, and with a generous scholarship program to help struggling writers to attend.


• It's a well-known and well-respected publication with a circulation of two million+ readers.


• They have diverse needs, publishing fiction, nonfiction, multicultural, science, history, crafts, rebuses, poetry, puzzles and recipes.


• They publish a list of "current needs" that helps writers target topics to the publication (http://www.highlights.com/custserv/customerservicecontent2main.jsp?iContentID=2552&iCategoryID=203&CCNavIDs=3,203)


• They're devoted to their writers. Once you've sold a piece to the magazine, they try to respond personally to all future submissions.


• They have a reputation for fairness. Although this company buys all rights, they resell articles and share the profits with the writer.


• Comparatively rapid response time. Depending on the department, response time can range from a few weeks to a few months--which is still relatively quick for the magazine market.


• Highlights is closely associated with Boyds Mills Press, a high-quality children's book publisher. When you build a relationship with the editors at Highlights, you're building relationships with Boyds Mills' editors as well.

On the flip side, Highlights buys all rights (never a favorite amongst writers) and the pay is modest compared to adult publications. If you've spent time studying the children's magazine market, though, then its pay scale starts to sound pretty good!

The market can provide great writing credits for the beginning writer. Sound good? Tune in later this week for an analysis of the most recent Highlights magazine.

:) Cheryl