Saturday, December 8, 2007

A Market Switches Gears

I'm not quite sure how many of my readers are aware of Common Ties. It is an amazing story blog that publishes real stories from real people and I can't say enough good things about it. For quite a while now, I've enjoyed quality stories at this site--stories that evoke strong emotion and sometimes tears.

I was elated to discover not too long ago they were seeking stories for a new category--Quickies. What an excellent opportunity! A writer could either submit a longer piece, over 700 words, or a short "Quickie", under 300 words. The Editor is a dream to work with and payment is something to be proud of. And... I was honored when they published my Quickie, Moses or Man? (Story # 2).

There was more good news recently when I found a call for submissions to an even newer category titled, "20 Questions." I haven't had as much time lately to splurge on reading, but I had a few extra minutes today and thought I'd stop by to find a good story to enjoy. I found this first...

I'm astonished.

In a post titled, "Common Ties to Focus Exclusively on 20 Questions", Editor, Elizabeth Armstrong Moore writes:

"Dear readers:

Effective Monday, Dec. 10, 2007, Common Ties is only accepting submissions to our 20 Questions project and will no longer review stories and quickies. We will continue publishing stories, quickies, and our podcast through the end of January based on our current publishing commitments, and we will continue to review all submissions we have already received and purchase the best of those."

Click here to read more.


She goes on to explain why this change is taking place. I urge you to read the rest of her post. On a positive note, there is still a wonderful opportunity for writers who pursue this great market. The answers to the questions are only approximately 50 words.

Here are the payment details (as listed on their site):

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We pay for:

1. Answers ($50 per accepted answer; to see answers we’ve bought but that still need artwork, go here)
2. Recordings ($50 per accepted recording; we will approach you if we want you to record your answer; recordings are optional)
3. Artwork (if you submit artwork with your answer, and we choose to publish it, you will receive additional compensation, to be determined per circumstance; artwork is optional)

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What are you waiting for?

If you're interested, here are the 20 Questions guidelines.

Hope you had a great week writing the cyber highway! Enjoy your weekend.