Questions about WRITERS' Journal

WRITERS' Journal—The Complete Writer's Magazine

Frequently Asked Questions

SUBSCRIPTION QUESTIONS

What does the information on my address label tell me?

    102838CC    January 01, 2012

    JOHN DOE
    PO BOX 394
    PERHAM, MN 56573

    Subscription number: 102838CC
    Subscription expiration date: January 01, 2012

When does my subscription expire?
    Your mailing label should have an expiration date in the upper right-hand corner. That date is the date your subscription will expire. In the        example above, January 01, 2012 is the expiration date.

What is the last issue I should receive?
    Your expiration date is the date of the last issue you will receive. In the example above, the January/February 2012 issue is the last issue of the subscription.

What is the latest I can renew so as not to miss any issues?
    You need to renew within 20 days of your expiration date. In the example above, we would need the renewal payment before January 20, 2012. The March/April 2012 issue mailing list is prepared January 25, 2012.

If I renew my subscription in advance, will I receive two copies of an issue?
When subscribers renew their subscription, we simply extend their present subscription. You should not receive two copies of the same issue.

How do I change my mailing address?
Send us a letter or e-mail stating your name, former address, and new address. Please allow six to eight weeks for the change to occur. Our publication is mailed via Bulk Mail. Bulk Mail is not forwarded. The post office will not forward WRITERS' Journal magazine when you move.

I mailed a subscription order, when can I expect my first issue?
Please allow up to six weeks for us to process subscription orders. Our mailing list must be completed six weeks in advance of the issue date. For example: In order to receive the March/April issue, we need to receive the subscription order before January 15.

If I miss an issue, when can I find it on newsstands?
WRITERS' Journal can be found at most major bookstore newsstands ten days before issue date. Some chain bookstores are: Barnes & Noble, Inc.; Borders; Hastings Books; Books A Million, Inc.; Chapter; PPresse Commerce: Coles; Indigo Books; Smith Books; Follet; Waldenbooks; Universal News; Joseph BethBookseller; and others.

Will my name be made available to mailers?
We do make our subscribers' names available to reputable companies whose products or services may interest you.

The following is used with permission of Privacy Rights Clearing house, www.privacyrights.org:

There are a variety of strategies you can use to get off direct marketing lists:

Mailing lists of major national marketers

If you want to be taken off as many national mailing lists as possible, your first step is to contact the Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) Mail Preference Service (MPS). You must re-register after three years.

Register for the Mail Preference Service by mail. Send a letter plus a $1 check or money order to:

            Mail Preference Service
            Direct Marketing Association
            PO Box 643
            Carmel, NY 10502

Click here for our simple mail-in form www.privacyrights.org/Letters/jm1a.htm .

When you register, your name and address are laced in a “do not mail” file which is updated monthly. DMA members are required to update their lists at least quarterly, and some do it monthly. Businesses who are not members of the DMA may also take advantage of the “do not mail” list, so registering with the DMA will reduce much of your junk mail.

Register online. You may also sign up online at the DMA’s website. There is no fee for online registration. Visit https://www.dmachoice.org/dma/member/regist.action . DMA says this option is quicker than by postal mail.

Register names of deceased. The Direct Marketing Association also gives you the ability to register the names of deceased loved ones with their Deceased Do Not Contact list (DDNC) at https://preference.the-dma.org/cgi/ddnc.php . Click on the Continue button at the bottom of the page to get to the form.

CONTEST QUESTIONS

Do you accept electronic (e-mail) contest entries?
No, we do not. Only hard copy entries are eligible for our contests.

As a foreign entrant, may I pay the reading fee via PayPal?
Yes. Please send the appropriate reading fee to writersjournal@writersjournal.com through your PayPal account. Immediately afterwards, please send an e-mail to us regarding the reading fee sent through PayPal letting us know your name, the contest, your entry title, and the reading fee amount. We will reply to let you know we have received payment. This applies only to entrants outside the United States.

I live in Australia and am having a difficult time finding 8 1/2 x 11 paper for the contest entry. May I use our standard paper size?
In lieu of using 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper, foreign contest entrants may use their country's standard letter paper size.

Is there a limit to how many times a person can enter a contest?
There is no limit to how many times a person can enter a contest? Each entry must accompany its proper reading fee.

Can I mail more than one entry in an envelope?
Yes. Each entry must be accompanied by its reading fee. Each manuscript must have its own cover sheet with your contact information. Multiple reading fees may be paid via one check or money order.

Do I need to send more than one copy of my contest entry?
No, except for Poetry Contest entries (see our Poetry Contest guidelines at www.writersjournal.com/PoetryContest.htm).

What is the difference between the Short Story Contest and the Fiction Contest?
By definition, all short stories are fictional works, but not all fictional stories are short stories. Some fictional stories are too long to be short stories. The differences between our two contests are no more than the reading fees, word length, and prize monies. The competition is completely open to all themes and styles except erotica.

How do I submit using a pen name?
The cover sheet should include both your real name and your pen name. If your entry is a winner, we will publish your pen name. The prize money check will be made out to your real name. The prize money, a certificate of achievement, and a copy of the issue in which your winning story is published will be mailed to your real name's address.

How much profanity is allowed in my story?
None. It is not necessary. Characters that might use profanity can be characterized in ways other than having them using profanity.

May I allude to adult topics in my story? For example, could one character say to another, "I think Jimmy has slept with half the women in the club."
Yes. Direct references such as "I think Jimmy #$%&@# half the women in the club." should not be included.

Can I simultaneously submit my story to other magazines?
Yes. As long as your story is not published at the time you enter it, you can submit it.

Can you tell me when you receive my contest entry?
If you want to be notified when we open your contest entry, please include a SASP (self-addressed, stamped, postcard) and we will drop it in the mail after opening your entry. Some contestants use the Postal Service's Delivery Confirmation method of notification.

When are the contest results available?
Please see our Calendar of Contest Web page at www.writersjournal.com/CalendarofContests.htm . The calendar indicates in which issue the contest results will be published. We also publish the contest results the first week of issue date on our Contest Winners List Web page at www.writersjournal.com/ContestWinners.htm . Also, you may send an SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope) with your contest entry and we will mail the contest winners list to you.

What is an SASE?
An SASE is an unsealed # 10 envelope addressed to yourself that has one ounce first-class postage attached. If you want your Photo Contest entry returned, you must include adequate postage on the SASE. No contest manuscript entries are returned.

What is a keyword?
We ask contestants to include an keyword with the page number like this: keyword/page number on manuscripts to help us organize the pages in the event they spill. The keyword is a word taken from the title that clearly identifies the story. Let’s take for example a story titled “The Big Red Balloon.” A keyword choice might be Big or Red or Balloon. On page 2 the keyword/page number would appear as Big/2 or Red/2 or Balloon/2.

ARTICLE QUESTIONS

I recall reading an article about visionary fiction in a past issue. How can I locate in which issue I saw the article?
Please visit our Index of Articles Web page at www.writersjournal.com/Index.htm. Click on the topic or subject and you will be taken to a list of articles pertaining to the topic. There you will see the issue Volume and Number in which the article was published. Then go to our Back Issues page www.writersjournal.com/backissues.htm where you can order the specific issue.

NONFICTION ARTICLE SUBMISSION QUESTIONS

ADVERTISING QUESTIONS