Woman's World Guidelines 2005
We buy contemporary romances of 1,100 words. Stories must revolve around a compelling, true-to-life relationship dilemma;
may feature either a female or male protagonist; and may be written in either the first or third person. Characters may be
married, single, divorced or widowed; should be down-to-earth (no yuppies or jet-setters); and their dilemma should be
poignantly or humorously conveyed. Please think carefully about a story's setting, mood and plot, and tell the story with
interesting action and dialogue. (Every sentence, paragraph, and scene of the story should deIiver more information about
your characters and their situation and/or briskly advance the storyline).
We are not interested in stories involving life-or-death matters, nor are we interested in fluffy, flyaway-style romance. When
we say romance, what we really mean is relationship-whether it's just beginning or is about to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
The emphasis in our stories is on real life-which is why we do not buy science fiction, fantasy or historical romance.
We pay $1,000 per romance and retain First North American Serial Rights for six months after publication.
Mini mystery guidelines:
We purchase short "solve-it-yourself" mysteries of 1,000 words - a count that includes the narrative and the solution. Stories
should be cleverly plotted, entertaining cliffhangers that end with a challange to the reader to figure out whodunnit or
howdunnit. The solution to the mystery is provided in a separate box.
Robbery, burglary, fraud and murder are acceptable crimes, but no excessive violence or gory detail, please! We are also not
interested in ghost stories, science fiction or fantasy.
IMPORTANT NOTES!
Manuscripts should be double-spaced in legible size type.
Where to send manuscripts: Fiction Editor, Woman's World, 270 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632. Indicate Mini
Mystery or Romance on the envelope.
How to send manuscripts: (1) You must include a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope to receive a reply. Manuscripts notaccompanied by a SASE will be discarded. Note: A #10 SASE is necessary not just for a response, but for your contract if we purchase your story.
(2) Please DO NOT fax or e-mail manuscripts-because such submissions do not include SASEs, we have no means of
responding to your submission.
Get to know us: Please familiarize yourself thoroughly with our romances and mini mysteries before submitting your work.
Be patient: Because we receive a tremendous volume of manuscripts, our turnaround time may range from one to six
months. If you still have not heard from us after that time, feel free to re-submit your manuscript. Please do not call or write us to inquire about a manuscript's status.
Feb 2006 (Check Woman's World for most up to date guidelines before submitting.)