Half Cent a Word for Book and Film reviews

[adonna]

Yes, I know, it's not much. But maybe better than income share ? I'm going to quote directly from their writer's guidelines page here:



"Submission Guidelines

Crescent Blues buys previously unpublished reviews of books, movies, live performances, videos, television shows, CDs and games. Recommended word length is between 300 and 500 words. We regret that space constraints preclude us from accepting longer reviews.

The market for feature articles and graphics is very limited. Query the editor in advance before submitting. No feature or graphic will be considered for publication unless the concept is approved in advance.

Crescent Blues buys first electronic serial rights for a period of one year from date of publication. The rate of compensation for all reviews and features is 1/2 cent a word, payable upon receipt of a signed contract.

All queries and submissions should be sent to crescentblues@hotmail.com . The subject line should read "QUERY" or "SUBMISSION" as appropriate.

Reviews should be typed or pasted in the body of the "SUBMISSION" email. To speed the contract process, review submissions should include the full legal name, snail mail address and telephone number of the prospective contributor.

The editor will determine submission format for features and graphics on a case-by-case basis. However, queries and approved submissions should also include the prospective contributor's full legal name, snail mail address and telephone number.

Please note, Crescent Blues uses the Associated Press (AP) Style Guide, and all narrative submissions should follow AP standards for abbreviation, punctuation, etc. If you aren't familiar with the AP Style Guide, you need to check it out before you submit.

There are many reasons why a proposed review or feature could be rejected. Foremost among them are:

The concept does not work for Crescent Blues.
The article or review is poorly written or contains so many typographical errors it is not worth the editor's time to fix it.
The article or review is out of date; the movie is no longer in the theaters, the book is no longer on the shelves, etc.
The review item is too popular; we already have two or more reviews on this topic in the publication queue.
The content of the article is actionable under libel, copyright, trademark or other statutes.
Prospective contributors should be aware that although the editor's decision is final, the editor is rejecting a submission, not its creator. We appreciate our readers' interest in Crescent Blues and wish them well in their creative endeavors."


That's it. From this I'm going to check out that AP style, but it's not likely I'll review any books or films, as that's never really been my genre. However, I've seen some pretty damn fine book and film reviews over on epinions (some of you guys have talent) and maybe some of you could put this to use. Who knows?

[MrsNormanMaine[$]]

300-500 words?

MNM uses that to describe her luggage. How is she supposed to create meaningful film criticism in that small a space?

MNM

[kurt_messick]

Sounds interesting. 1/2 cent per word is better than no cents per article!

[adonna]

Originally posted by MrsNormanMaine
300-500 words?

MNM uses that to describe her luggage. How is she supposed to create meaningful film criticism in that small a space?

MNM

Think haiku, I suppose. It's a challenge, isn't it?

[jankp]

Thanks adonna. It does sound interesting. I wouldn't get any comments or feedback on it, but sometimes that's a plus. At least people would read the whole 500 words, too.

Jan

[adonna]

While comments and feedback are great things, sometimes it's just as good to just have it out there, and have someone read it.

I would like both. I mean, I cherish the times that I've gotten cards and letters telling me that my efforts made a difference in someone's life, but I also like paying the bills. Sometimes you get both, sometimes one or the other.

[THMeeks]

300-500 words? MNM uses that to describe her luggage. How is she supposed to create meaningful film criticism in that small a space?

MNM, I hear you.... I think it's a sign of the time, or at least of diminishing attention spans. It seems as though every thing I check into these days wants 500 words. I think I'm getting pretty good at it. Really puts those long-ago learned journalism 101 skills to the test. I was delighted to find I could submit up to 750 words to one market I checked on.... ooh, what luxury.

Terrisa