What can I submit to open calls?

We're looking for fiction short stories and poems that fit the theme. We're open to creative nonfiction tribute pieces for WayWords and sometimes other calls. Please see the call for details. 

 

Include your Title Information inside your document body. This tells us who you are, how to contact you, and which team should read your work. 

 

Previously published works are accepted if you own the publication rights; let us know where the piece was published when you submit.

 

Simultaneous submissions are accepted; let us know if someone else picks it up first.

 

Whether we've published or declined your work before, you're welcome to submit a new work to another open call.

 

If you need to withdraw, contact us. Tell us the name of your piece and which call you submitted it to. We might have as many as four open calls at the same time so we need to know which team is reading your piece.

 

 

 

What should I avoid?

We will reject all political or religious topics for all opportunities.

The Writer's Workout is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. This is a fancy way of saying our federal government allows us to accept donations as long as we do not publicly side with any political or religious view. Maintaining this strict rule also helps prevent subjective bias.

If you're unsure whether your piece crosses the line, feel free to contact us.  

 

We will reject erotica for all opportunities. 

Our publications are marked for all readers and some of our authors are minors in their country of origin. 

 

Avoid sending a piece without Title Information. This is the first thing we check; if it's missing or incomplete, we have to reject the piece. Title Info should be inside your document body.

 

 

 

How do I submit my work?

We accept submissions via email, Dropbox, and Duosuma. Links are available on each call page. Our email address for submissions is submissions [at] writersworkout.net. 

 

Don't worry about a cover letter or bio at the time of submission. These extras put a lot of pressure on you and don't affect our decision so it's okay to skip them here. 

 

 

 

When will I hear from you?

Review time and acceptance rates vary by call.

For WayWords, our contact goal is 45 days from call closure. Acceptance rate: 44%

For Tales, our contact goal is 60 days from call closure. Acceptance rate: 35%

For Fiction Potluck, winner notifications are the second-to-last Friday of the quarter. Potluck pieces are published as received.

 

We contact every writer who includes the required Title Information in their submission. If we decline your work for a publication, we try to provide a reason. If we accept your work, we include a link to view the editors' notes so you can revise before publication. We cannot change your work for you.

 

We keep each call page updated with the current stage of the process. If the call page indicates we contacted everyone and you haven't heard from us, check your spam folder. If you still haven't heard from us, check your original submission's Title Information to make sure your email address is correct, then contact us. 

 

 

 

How does editing work?

The Writer's Workout values education and focuses on providing tools for self-growth and improvement. If we accept your piece for publication, our editors will add line notes to your document, housed on our company's Google Drive. We'll link your document in your acceptance email and give you time to revise. 

 

We cannot change your work for you and editors will not respond to replies on comments. If you agree with a suggestion, make the change. If you disagree with a suggestion, resolve the comment without a change. You control how your work is represented. 

 

When you're finished, add your name to the top of your document, under your piece's title. This should be exactly as you wish to see it in print. Add your author bio to the end of your document—around 50-75 words, first or third person is usually best. Include links if you'd like. 

 

If you have questions about an editor's comment, please contact us. 

 

 

 

Rights 

The Writer's Workout requests one-time, non-exclusive serial rights with worldwide distribution.
We accept simultaneous submissions, previously published works, and you retain the right to submit your published work elsewhere after we publish it. You retain the right to withdraw until your piece is published (just let us know by email). 

 

Learn how to add a publication to your Amazon Author page here.

 

 

 

We wish you knew...

Our organization is 100% volunteer. We donate thousands of hours annually and pay out of pocket to keep the lights on. We have full time jobs and families outside of this organization. We do everything we can to provide the very best resources and opportunities for writers around the world and work as quickly as possible. We know you're excited about your submission—we're excited for you!—but please be patient. Our guidelines help things move faster and easier so we can respond to you quicker. When a submission doesn't follow the guidelines, the process takes longer. In some cases, like with missing or incomplete Title Information, we're forced to reject it.

 

We're honored to read your work. We volunteer to be here and we love reading your interpretations of the themes. If we reject your piece, it's likely because it doesn't fit the theme. This doesn't mean your work is bad and it's definitely not personal. Rejections sting and we don't like it; we try to explain our reasons to help you improve.

 

How we choose: we look at each submission individually without any identifying information. We examine how and how well it conveys the theme of the call. We study the strengths and weaknesses of the piece, look for areas of improvement, and assess the overall quality of the writing.

Things we don't consider: the piece's length, the author's first language, the author's publication history, any identifying or demographic data. 

 

Your submission to any Writer's Workout open call is a charitable donation. Royalties cover less than 15% of our annual operating cost. The rest comes out of our own pockets and we are not paid for our time. We provide a digital contributor copy for each accepted submission. 

 

 

We appreciate your support!