Tag Archive for: Woman’s World

Two Mini Anthologies

/in /by

by Paula Gail Benson

Woman’s World has two weekly features: 5-minute romances and 2-minute mysteries. Mystery Writers of America lists Woman’s World as one of its approved periodicals/webzines, which means that it meets “MWA’s professional standards of good business practice and fair treatment of authors” and that stories published in Woman’s World may qualify for Edgar Award consideration and applications for active MWA membership.  

During the holiday season, Woman’s World released anthologies of 40 romances and 40 mysteries. Available for $5.99, these compilations provide excellent sources to study the work Woman’s World editors are likely to accept.

In addition to some delightful reading, each anthology has information about where to submit stories.

Further information, analyzing the romance stories Woman’s World has published may be found in Kate Willoughby’s blog, Woman’s World Style.

John Floyd, whose mini mysteries often appear in Woman’s World, has provided tips for would-be submitters in his Sleuth Sayers posts A Woman’s World Survival Guide and 100 and Counting. His fellow blogger, R.W. Lawton, whose short story “The Road to Hana” (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine) has been nominated for an Edgar, also wrote about the process in Writing for WW and Other Magazines.

Looking for a new experience this new year? Why not read these anthologies and submit your own story to Woman’s World?

Writing for Woman’s World Short Fiction Markets

/in /by

by Paula
Gail Benson

If
you’re interested in writing short romance or mystery stories, you might want
to consider submitting to Woman’s World
(WW), a weekly magazine found in most grocery stores. Before sending in a
story, you’ll definitely want to read the publication. Its fiction guidelines
are strict: (1) romances must be contemporary and no more than 800 words, and
(2) mysteries must be up to 700 words written in a “solve-it-yourself” format to
allow readers to test their sleuthing skills with the resolution at the end.
The pay is excellent (about $800 for romances and $500 for mysteries), but the
competition is fierce. If your story is selected, you’ll become part of a distinguished
group, including John Floyd and B.K. Stevens.

Several
websites have been developed to help writers determine how best to hone their
submissions.

The
following provide guidelines:

for
romances

and
for mini-mysteries

Until
September 6, 2016, when she had to suspend her messages to concentrate on
caring for her mother, Jody Lebel, a WW published mystery author, analyzed the
mini-mysteries and listed other markets accepting shorts. Her blog is well
worth reading to understand the type stories and formatting that WW is seeking.
Here’s the link:

In
addition, two Sleuthsayers blog messages from R.T. Lawton (“Me and the
Mini-Mystery”) and John Floyd (“A Woman’s World Survival Guide”) give some
excellent advice for successful submissions. They can be accessed at: http://www.sleuthsayers.org/2012/08/me-and-mini-mystery.html
and http://www.sleuthsayers.org/2012/08/a-womans-world-survival-guide.html.