Menstuff® believes that more and more men everyday are wanting to know more about their lives. Now, after 35 editions of Chicken Soup for the Soul®, an edition for Father's is off the press, and an edition for Men has been started, right (see status). If you are interested in sharing a soulful story or have a friend who might, here's how. Tell them you saw this at menstuff.org.
Recipe for A Winning
Chicken Soup for the Soul®
Story
Guidelines
for a Chicken Soup for the Soul®
Story
What a Chicken
Soup for the Soul® story IS
NOT
Story
Specifications
Chapters
You can
submit your story three different
ways
Current
Titles
Upcoming
Titles
Updates
on Prisoner's Soul
Recipe for A Winning Chicken Soup for the
Soul® Story
Chicken Soup stories have a beginning, middle and an ending that often closes with a punch, creating emotion rather than simply talking about it. Chicken Soup for the Soul® stories have heart, but also something extra…an element that makes us all feel more hopeful, more connected, more thankful, more passionate and better about life in general. A story that causes tears, laughter, goosebumps or any combination of these. A good story covers the range of human emotions.
The most powerful stories are about people extending themselves, or performing an act of love, service or courage for another person.
Guidelines for a Chicken Soup for the Soul® Story
1. Tell an exciting, sad, or funny story about something that has
happened to you or someone you know. Make sure that you introduce the
character(s).
2 Tell your story in a way that will make the reader cry, laugh or
get goose bumps (the good kind!) Don’t leave anything out —
how did you feel?
3. The story should start with action; it should include a problem,
issue or situation. It should include dialogue and the character
should express their feelings though the conflict or situation. It
should end in a result, such as a lesson learned, a positive change
or pay-off.
4. Above all, let it come from your HEART! Your story is
important!
What a Chicken Soup for the Soul® story IS NOT:
1. A sermon, an essay or eulogy.
2. A term paper, thesis, letter or journal entry.
3. About politics or controversial issues.
4. A “My Grandma Just Died, and Let Me Tell You What A Wonderful
Person She Was” or “Let Me Tell You About My Disease or
Operation” or “I Gave a Bum Some Money, Aren’t I
Incredible?” or “Why My Mother Is the Best Mother” or
a personal testimony that may mean nothing to the reader.
1. It is preferred that all submissions are sent via our website
at www.chickensoup.com. If you don’t have access to the
Internet, please submit your stories preferably typed on plain white
8 1/2” x 11” paper, in 12-point Times New Roman font.
2. Please be sure to type the author’s name and contact
information on the first page of the story.
3. Stories should be non-fiction, ranging in length between 300-1200
words.
4. Mail your submissions in a flat, 9x12 envelope if possible.
5. No anonymous or author unknown submissions please.
6. Send only one copy of each submission.
7. We do not return submissions, so please don’t send the
original.
Every book is divided into topic chapters with the following as a guideline for typical chapters:
1. On Love: This chapter contains stories that describe acts of
love and kindness; the healing power of love; acts of tenderness and
compassion; acts of generosity; and events that transcend racism,
sexism, ageism and nationalism.
2. On Parenting: This chapter contains stories that demonstrate love
and caring in the act of parenting and grand parenting.
3. On Teaching and Learning: This chapter contains stories that
demonstrate caring, compassion and creativity in the art of
teaching—both in the classroom and outside the classroom.
4. Overcoming Obstacles: This chapter contains stories that
demonstrate how we have triumphed over our own personal obstacles or
supported one over theirs, and how individually each should be
celebrated.
5. A Matter of Perspective: This chapter contains stories that
demonstrate how our experience of all events is effected by our point
of view, that there is more than one way to see and interpret the
same event, and that as we change our point of view, we actually
change our experience. These stories may be humorous.
6. A Matter of Attitude:This chapter, like the previous one, will
contain stories that demonstrate how our attitudes and beliefs
control our perception of reality and our behavior.
7. On Death and Dying: This chapter will contain stories about the
power of the human spirit to confront the loss of loved ones through
spiritual understanding, healing acts of love and kindness, and
through humor.
8. On Aging: This chapter will contain stories about people over 60
years old who are making remarkable contributions to society, who are
challenging the stereotypes of aging, and who are living without
limitations.
9. On Living Your Dream: This chapter will contain stories that
demonstrate the power of believing in your dream, the power of goal
setting, the wisdom of trusting and following your heart, the power
of giving encouragement and the importance of asking for and being
open to receiving assistance from both other people and God.
10. Eclectic Wisdom: This chapter contains stories that don’t
fit into any other chapters. The stories are what about any aspect of
life that is emotionally moving, touching, inspiring and
insightful.
Also include a bio—a short paragraph (of about 50 words or less) about you, promoting your latest book, project, etc. It has been reported to us that those paragraphs have been great advertisements for sales of books and other endeavors. Dr. Cherie Carter Scott, author of If Life is a Game, These are the Rules, has sold hundreds of thousands of books as a result of people writing her after reading her bio in A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul. She also appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show as a result of this!
If your story is published, you will be paid $300.00 upon publication of the story.
Once we receive your story, we will mail you an acknowledgment card. It can take up to three or four years for a Chicken Soup for the Soul® book to develop. Please be patient, as this is an important, yet time-consuming process. If your story is chosen for a future edition of Chicken Soup for the Soul® or any other projects, you will be notified by mail and your permission to print it will be requested. If your story is not chosen, you will not receive a rejection letter due to the fact that there are future books for which it will be considered.
Feel free to submit more than one story if you’d like. If you do not have a personal story of your own, but have a pre-published favorite or a story written by someone else, these stories are welcomed as well. Don’t forget to include who the author is, source, etc.
You can submit your story three different ways:
1. Via the Internet at www.chickensoup.com
and
go to "Submit a Story"
2. Via the mail: Chicken Soup for the Soul®, Story Submission, PO
Box 30880, Santa Barbara, CA 93130
3. Via fax: (805) 563-2945, Re: Story Submission, Please include your
mailing address and contact information.
If you have any questions, you may visit our web site at
www.chickensoup.com or call our office at 805-563-2935.
Here are some of the up-coming titles: Chicken Soup for the
Chicken Soup for the Man's Soul® - In 2001, we were told that they were looking for stories about Men for a future edition to be published in 2003. On 12/20/02 I called to find out the status. Well, it's been pushed back to 2004 at the earliest and may be renamed Dad's Soul, though they already have one for Father's. The excuse is that 80% of their sales are to women who are more interested in titles like a Cat's Soul than a Man's Soul. Apparently, men hold a similar lack of interest because they haven't have much response for stories over the last two years. It may not be too late to change the marketing department's mind. And, while it's sad to say, maybe we have to get the women in our lives to request such a book so corporate will listen. In the end, however, if men don't submit stories, we're right back where we started - no Soul.
Please send true, inspirational, short stories ABOUT men. NO STORIES about how "I loved my dad and I'm sad he's dead." They DO want stories that are funny, stories of men overcoming obstacles, about men gaining wisdom or insight, and being transformed by the fact of becoming a man. They especially need FUNNY stories or stories of courage, wisdom, insight about or concerning men. How being a man who changed your life; what you learn from a man in you life or men in general. No cutoff date. Please…
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