Sell Yourself Short - Option #7

Magazine name: One Story

One Story, Inc. is an award-winning, independent, 501(c)(3) not-for-profit literary publisher devoted to promoting the art form of the short story and supporting the authors who write them.

Website:  www.one-story.com 

Country:  USA

Publishing details: One Story is a literary magazine that contains, simply, one story. Approximately every three-four weeks, subscribers are sent One Story in the mail, or on their digital devices.

One Story publishes one story at a time, and they only publish an author once, so readers always get a new voice. For each story, they post a personal introduction from the editor on their website, as well as a Q&A with the author explaining their process, and invite comments on their blog, Facebook, and Twitter, so readers can share their thoughts. Each issue of One Story is artfully designed, lightweight, and easy to carry.

One Story is available only by subscription in print or on your digital reading device.

Circulation:  Over 15,000 readers

Types of stories wanted:   One Story is seeking literary fiction. They can be any style and on any subject as long as they are good. They are looking for stories that leave readers feeling satisfied and are strong enough to stand alone.

Page length and payment:  Because of the format, they can only accept stories between 3,000 and 8,000 words.  One Story is offering $500 and 25 contributors copies for First Serial North American rights. All rights will revert to the author upon publication.

What I like:  One Story is devoted to the development and support of emerging writers. They have published over 180 different authors, many at the beginning of their careers. They mentor these writers, helping them navigate the publishing world, and promoting their books through email blasts, on their web site and social networks, in a quarterly printed insert in the magazine, and at their annual Literary Debutante Ball. 

What I don’t like:  I don’t like that you have to have an account with them to submit.  I don’t like that once you sell to them, you can’t sell to them again.  But…hey, let’s try to get that one sale, right?

Submission guidelines: They accept submissions from September 1st through May 31st.

They accept PDF, RTF, and TXT files that are less than 500KB. Please include the story title and all writer contact info on the first page of the submitted file.

One Story is looking for previously unpublished material. However, if a story has been published in print outside of North America, it will be considered. No stories previously published online will be accepted.  Simultaneous submissions accepted but please notify us immediately if your submission is accepted for publication elsewhere.

Response time: One Story receives close to 100 submissions each week. Please understand that they do not have time to comment on individual stories. They usually can respond within 8-12 weeks, but it sometimes takes longer. If you don’t hear back within that time, please be patient. It is their goal to make sure each submission gets a good read.

How to submit: They have an automated system for you to send your work. It will securely send their editors your story and email you a confirmation that it has been received. To use the automated system, you need to have a One Story account. When you are ready to submit please visit their Submission Manager.

 You can check the status of your submissions at any time by going to the login page. “Received” means that your story has been received and is in their database. “Under consideration” means that your story has been assigned to a member of their editorial staff.

More info:   Published for over 13 years the publication has garnered dozens of respectable literary awards, including the PEN/Nora Magid award for editorial excellence.