How to Publish Your Dog's Story

So, your dog has a story to tell? Well you've come to the right place!
First of all, jump over to Kol's Notes today, where I have a guest post about How to Write Your Dog's Story. 
Then, check back here for tips on how to get that story published! Okay, ready?

How to Publish Your Dog's Story

1. Dog Magazines-  If you've written a shorter piece, try submitting it to a magazine such as Dog Fancy, Fido Friendly, or Modern Dog. Other consumer magazines love dog stories too. Many of my dog stories appear in Guideposts magazine, an inspirational magazine. Although many articles in magazines are staff written, usually they offer a column for readers' stories. BEST TIP: Study the magazines for style and themes of stories and make sure your story fits their needs. If they don't publish fiction, don't send them your short story. Follow the guidelines found on the magazines websites.

2. Contests- Many magazines also offer contests which will result in publication, such as AKC Family Dog's Fiction Contest.  BEST TIP: Don't jot off the most obvious idea, dig deeper to stand out.

3. Chicken Soup for the Soul- I have stories in dozens of Chicken Soup for the Soul books, and they are always coming up with new titles, and need new stories! Check out the Chicken Soup for the Soul website to see what new books are coming out and if your dog story might fit. The submission process is right there online and couldn't be easier! BEST TIP: Tell a true story from the heart.

4. Traditional Book Publishing- If you've written a book length piece and want to get it published traditionally, you should first land an agent. Most larger publishers won't accept submissions without representation. BEST TIP: Build your platform before querying agents. Gather publishing credits in newspapers, magazines and online sites, build a large and active audience online, accept speaking engagements, etc.  Here's a great post from author Nathan Bransford on How to find a literary agent.

5. Self Publishing - Work with a self publishing company to produce your book. You retain control of what you want to say, and the process is much quicker than traditional publishing. This involves a cost to you, which ranges from affordable to thousands of dollars. Print on demand options may be less expensive. When your book is finished, you will still have to market and publicize it yourself in order to sell your book. BEST TIP: Be sure you understand all the financial small print before signing a self publishing deal.

6. e-books- Write your book in Microsoft Word or Pages for Mac, then format your book, create a cover, and upload to Kindle Direct Publishing. Okay, that makes it sound really simple, but it's a popular option. BEST TIP: If you're hopelessly lost at formatting, hire someone to do it for you.

So there you go! I hope I'll be reading YOUR dogs's stories soon!