Workshop Projects, Submission Guidelines and Payment Information
Dream of Things is currently accepting creative nonfiction stories for anthologies on 14 topics. Click on a topic for more details, including sample stories and videos. Submissions are open on all topics until we announce a closing date. Subscribe to our free newsletter and watch online for updated information. Before submitting a story, please read our Submission Guidelines and Payment Information. Stories should be submitted via our online submissions form or via e-mail to editor@dreamofthings.com.
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Do you have any deadline lines for any of your projects?
Hi Sally. I have not set any deadlines because “closing” a topic will depend on the number of submissions on each topic. However, I will set a deadline or closing date for each anthology when I get close to having a book’s worth of stories. You can be notified about deadlines and keep up to date on other topics by subscribing to our free newsletter. Thanks!
I just want to know if you have any interest in publishing fiction books? Or is dream of things just for non fiction?
Hi Maria. Thanks for stopping by. I may expand to publish fiction in the future, but for now, I am focusing on creative nonfiction.
Dear Editors ( Mike )
These anthologies sound great and I have several ‘Creative Nonfiction’ essays that I am excited to send as they fit perfectly into several of the designated topics! I read the guidelines, and apologize if I missed it, but am still not clear on two things: Though time frames for initial notification and final notification were mentioned, I did not see mention of a contract. Please assure me a contract will be furnished if you would and let me know when that would transpire. Secondly, what kind of distribution to the bound anthologies currently have…?
Excited to send. I look forward to hearing from you…
Thanks!
Dominick
Dominick: Thanks for visiting and writing! Good questions. A contract will be offered several months before the publication date, once the editors have selected stories for each anthology. Distribution will be through dreamofthings.com, amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, other websites and a major national distributor (most likely Ingram) that will make the books available to major chains and indie bookstores. -Mike
I looked in payment information but I didn’t see how you would pay. Do you do pay pal or do you issue cheques or money orders? If someone can’t do pay pal would you issue payment in another form instead?
I will likely issue checks for royalties, but am open to paypal or electronic payment.
What about a book on Office Romances?
Or have you done that already?
Have not done that, but I like the idea!
I’m assuming the answer is ‘no’ but still want to make sure: Is Dream of Things a self-publishing enterprise? Thanx!
Hi Dave. Thanks for the inquiry. No, DOT is not a self-publishing enterprise. Dream of Things is an independent, small publisher. We pay for book layout and design, proofreading, printing and distribution of everything we publish, and we pay royalties to authors. As I recently told another author, you may not get rich on the royalties, but you will never have to pay to publish your own work.
Mike: I submitted my proposed work for “Making Waves” on February 21. Will you be making some decisions soon?
Hi JoAnne. Yes, I’ll be back to you soon. I’m afraid I’m making some people angry because I have not lived up to my 4-6 week turnaround time. I recently changed it to 6-8 weeks, but even at that, I am woefully behind! My plan is to respond to all submissions received prior to 12/31 by 4/30, and to all submissions received 1/1-2/28 by 5/31. I’ll include that update in the next newsletter so everybody knows. I apologize for the delay.
I have not received a DOT newsletter in quite sometime. How often do you E them out? Also, any closing dates on some of your titles?
Hi Kathie. Thanks for your question. I regret that there has been an unusually long time gap since the last newsletter, but there is one coming out today (4/21). No closing dates yet, although as I note in the 4/21 newsletter, the “Saying Goodbye” and “Holiday Story” anthologies are getting full. I’ll give everybody about two months notice (in the newsletter and on the website) before submissions close for an anthology.
Dear Mike, Thanks for all your attention to words, ideas, and stories. I’m a multi-published author (12 books and much short work). I do have a person- and event-centered piece about creating forgiveness BEFORE someone dies, instead of cobbling it together somehow afterward from guilt. Will send the piece before your deadline. Good wishes from Carole Spearin McCauley (alias Carole in New Hampshire). Keep up the good work!
Hi Mike, Could you please tell me how many books Dream of Things has published, or, if this is a new operation, what kind of publishing schedule you envision? Thanks very much, Nina
Hi Nina. We have published two books so far. I plan to publish 4-5 more books this year, and then 6-8 books per year after that.
Hi Mike. I have a personal story about how my book saved a little girl from committing suicide. I will NEVER in a million years get a better “payment” for my work. I’d like to submit this story, but I didn’t see a category in your Workshop listings that would be appropriate. Can you use a story like mine, and if so, what category? Thanks a bunch for such an awesome idea! Regards, Linda Robertson
Hi Linda. It might fit in the “Advice” anthology or the “Role Models” anthology. Please submit it to one of those. Thanks!
I have a story I feel would fit into the ‘Forgiveness’ category. Do you have a deadline yet for submission to that category? And, if I do submit it, how long before I know if it has been accepted? Thanks for getting back to me.
Hi Leslie. No deadline yet. I’ll announce via the newsletters and website when we set a deadline. You’ll get about 2 months notice. And my goal is to respond to submissions in 6-8 weeks, although it’s been more like 3-4 months so far. But we’re getting caught up.
Hi mike
I’ve made four attempts to submit my story to the Holiday Story section, but for some reason the little wheel turns to say it’s sending, then it just sits there without doing anything … what am I doing wrong???
Sláinte
Brendan
Author of Once On A Cold And Grey September, which is now available as an e-book from http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/10114
Brendan. You are probably not doing anything wrong. Sometimes the submission form just gets hung up. Anyway, you can always submit stories via email to editor@dreamofthings.com if the submissions form isn’t working for you. Just be sure to include your contact information and tell us which anthology you are submitting to. Thanks for persisting!
Hi Mike,
what are your requirements with regards to rights, do they stay with the author or do you require first time rights etc. Plus, with two novels already published I know how skimpy royalties are so what can authors expect to get per published book apart, of course, from fame and glory!
Ann O’Farrell. author of Norah’s Children, and Michael
hi mike. i hope this isn’t a horrible question, but how does dream of things publications feel about the use of profanity? and what is your policy on pseudonyms? do you prefer the author to submit everything in his or her own name and only inform you about the desire to use a pen name after a story is chosen for publication?
Hi Ann, Sorry I took so long to respond. I will ask for first time rights for print and e-versions of each anthology. Authors retain rights after that. As for royalties, I may someday switch to a flat one-time payment for stories (as Chicken Soup and Cup of Comfort do). But for now, authors get a prorated share of the royalties. So let’s say 30 authors share the royalties equally. On a $12 paperback with a 10% royalty, those 30 authors would split $1.20 per book sold, or 4 cents each. Multiply that by 1000 books sold, and each author would get $40. Multiply it by 2500, and each author would get $100, which is what I believe Cup of Comfort pays per story. On the other hand, multiply that by 100 books, and each author would get $4. So I’m really hoping the authors will help spread the word about each anthology.
That’s not a horrible question. I’ve been known to swear, so profanity doesn’t freak me out. But it would have to make sense for me to include it in one of the anthologies. Nothing gratuituous, but if it was an important part of a good story, okay. Pseudonyms: let me know anywhere in the process.
I do hope you branch out to fiction. I have a fiction story about 9/11 and have no idea where to submit such a piece.
Also, I have not heard if my ‘The Thread Box’ was accepted.
Thanks for your hard work.
Thanks. LinnAnn. Maybe we’ll branch out into fiction some day. It’s harder to market though, and I don’t want to do a disservice to an author by publishing something I can’t sell. I’ll check on “The Thread Box.”
Mike-
Will you be responding to all submissions or only to the ones which are finalists?
George
Hi George. We will be responding to all submissions to let you know whether your story was accepted or not.
Hi Mike,
I stumbled across Dream of Things a couple of days ago, and am thrilled to be here. Already I’ve submitted to four (or five?) of the anthologies. To be blunt, I’m not interested in money, I’m interested in writing, and as a psychotherapist, every now and then I have something I think needs to be said. I’ll be back often, checking for calls for submissions. If I’m chosen, that’s fantastic. If not, I’ll try again. Good luck and thanks so much for what you’re doing!
Melinda Clayton
Hi Melinda. Thanks for the note. Glad you found us. I’ll look forward to reading your work! -Mike