Submit

Do you have a story to tell?

I am seeking thought-provoking, poignant, entertaining, and life-affirming stories to publish on this blog! If you have a particular story to tell that you feel would be a good fit for my blog, please consider submitting it here for consideration. You may not want to start a blog of your own, but you may have gone through some trying times and come out alive on the other end—and people can benefit from hearing your story. Or you have an amazing nature story that only you witnessed. Or, an amazing set of circumstances led you to your dream job…If that’s the case, consider writing it down and submitting to me.

“Yes, I have a great story, but I’m not a writer!!” If that’s your hesitation, relax. Guess what? I am! Just start putting your pen to paper (well, we don’t do that anymore, but just start typing), and get the basic facts down (the who and the what). You’ll be surprised how easy it is once you get started. Then, fill in the details, such as the time of day or year (the when), the where, how, and why. Finally, tell how this affected you personally—your feelings, your emotions, how it changed you. Did you learn anything? The story must have a resolution.

If I feel your story has merit and will benefit my audience, I’ll work with you to polish it before publication. Note that if I do substantial writing/rewriting of your story, I will be listed as a coauthor.

Please read the following guidelines carefully before submitting:

  1. Your story must be nonfiction (i.e., a true story) and must be original. It can’t have already been published anywhere else, including your own blog.
  2. Because these true stories will end up on the Internet, if yours requires that you obtain written permission(s) to use another person’s name, or any business name, that responsibility lies 100% with you. When in doubt, change the names!
  3. Aim for a manuscript length of between 1,500 and 2,500 words. No links are allowed in the story itself.
  4. I am looking to publish stories that demonstrate personal growth, lessons learned, triumph over difficult circumstances, or lighthearted essays that make people smile. I’m also interested in stories about nature, wildlife, and our four-footed friends. Stories I’m not interested in receiving include those about parenting, religion, politics, poetry, and money/wealth building. No stories about news/current events, unless they affected you personally.
  5. No self-promotion is allowed in the body of your story, or references to your business or blog.
  6. If you have a relevant photo that helps tell your story and it is available in 300 dpi resolution, consider submitting it. Please see my strict photo requirements in my sample Guest Post Agreement.
  7. At the end of your story, include a brief bio of yourself, stating your name and where you live and work. Here you may include a link to either your blog, place of business, or your web site.
  8. Note that I take plagiarism very seriously, and will be running all manuscripts I receive through a “similarity checker.” Any text I receive that fails this test will be rejected outright.
  9. You will be asked to sign a Guest Post Agreement before publishing your story. Please review this agreement and make sure you’re OK with signing it before submitting your story.

How to submit

  1. Please send a Microsoft Word file only to gail@gailsstory.com. Do NOT send your story dropped into an email message, a Google Doc, a Notepad file, a PDF file, or any other file format that will require me to do file conversions or any substantial cleanup; all of these will be immediate cause for rejection.
  2. If you are sending a photo, attach that separately to the email as a 300-dpi JPG file; do not embed it into the Word document. Do not send any other file format (TIFF, PNG, etc.).

What happens next?

  1. If your submission appears to be a good fit for my blog, I’ll be in touch within the next 3 weeks. If you do not hear from me after 3 weeks, your submission won’t be published but you’re welcome to try again with something new.
  2. All submissions may be lightly edited for spelling and grammar, and your title may be slightly changed to attract readership. You will be given the opportunity to approve any substantive changes before the story goes live, especially if I change the title.
  3. Once the story goes live, I’ll notify you via email so that you can let all your friends and family know you’ve been published!
  4. After your story is published on GAIL’S STORY blog, it will be announced to my subscriber base via email. It will subsequently be promoted on my Facebook® page to build further readership, and may be posted on NextDoor® if I feel it is relevant to Houston audiences or if you are a Houston author.
  5. Everyone who submits a guest post to GAIL’S STORY blog does so with the understanding that there will be no financial compensation whatsoever for being published on this blog, either on the date of publication or at any time in the future.

Thank you!

…for helping me build and promote a community of true-life story tellers!

Still have questions?

If you have more questions that aren’t addressed here, feel free to contact me via my Contact page. Fill out my form and I’ll get back with you as soon as possible.