Submission Guidelines for CRICKET magazine for children ages 9-14

In September 1973, Open Court Publishing Company began publishing CRICKET magazine, a literary magazine for young readers. CRICKET is now published by Carus Publishing Company and is part of the Cricket Magazine Group that includes SPIDER magazine for ages 6-9, LADYBUG magazine for children ages 3-6, and a selection of other fine literary and nonfiction magazines.

CRICKET, for readers ages 9 to 14, publishes original stories, poems, and articles written by the world's best authors for children and young adults. In some cases, CRICKET purchases rights for excerpts from books yet to be published. Each issue also includes several reprints of high-quality selections.

CRICKET measures 8" x 10", contains 48 pages, has a full-color cover, and is staple bound. Full-color and black-and-white illustrations of the highest quality appear throughout the magazine.

Editor-in-Chief: Marianne Carus
Editorial Director: Alice Letvin
Editor: Lonnie Plecha
Senior Art Director: Karen Kohn
Contributing Editor: Deborah Vetter

Published: monthly except for combined May/June, July/August, and November/December issues
Price: $33.95 for 1-year subscription (9 issues)

Categories

Fiction: realistic, contemporary, historical, humor, mysteries, fantasy, science fiction, folk tales, fairy tales, legends, myths
Nonfiction: biography, memoir, history, science, technology, natural history, social science, archeology, architecture, geography, foreign culture, travel, adventure, sports, music, dance, theatre

(A bibliography is required for all retold folktales and nonfiction articles. Be prepared to send other backup materials and photo references—where applicable—upon request.)

Poetry: serious, humorous, nonsense rhymes
Other: crossword puzzles, logic puzzles, math puzzles, crafts, recipes, science experiments, games and activities from other countries, plays, music, art

Length

Stories: 200 to 2,000 words (2 to 8 pages)
Articles: 200 to 1,500 words (2 to 6 pages)
Poems: not longer than 50 lines (1 page, 2 pages maximum)

An exact word count should be noted on each manuscript submitted. For poetry, indicate number of lines instead. Word count includes every word, but does not include the title of the manuscript or the author's name.

Rates

Stories and articles: up to 25¢ per word
Poems: up to $3.00 per line

Art

CRICKET commissions all art separately from the text. Any review samples of artwork will be considered. Samples of both color and black-and-white work (where applicable) are appreciated. It is especially helpful to see pieces showing young people, animals, action scenes, and several scenes from a narrative (i.e., story) showing a character in different situations and emotional states.

CRICKET accepts work in a number of different styles and media, including pencil, pen and ink, watercolor, acrylic, oil, pastels, scratchboard, and woodcut. While we need humorous illustration, we cannot use work that is overly caricatured or "cartoony." We are always looking for strong realism. Many assignments will require artist's research into a particular scientific field, world culture, or historical period.

Themes

CRICKET does not publish an advance list of themes. Submissions on all appropriate topics will be considered at any time during the year.

Comments

• CRICKET would like to reach as many illustrators and authors as possible for original contributions, but our standards are very high, and we will accept only top-quality material. Before attempting to write for CRICKET, be sure to familiarize yourself with this age group.
• PLEASE DO NOT QUERY FIRST.
• CRICKET will consider any manuscripts or art samples sent on speculation and accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Submissions without a SASE will be discarded.
• For art, send tear sheets or photoprints/photocopies. PLEASE DO NOT send original artwork. Be sure that each sample is marked with your name, address, and phone number.
• Submissions from outside the U.S. should include an International Postal Reply Coupon.
• Response time: Please allow 6 months for manuscripts and 3 months for art samples.

CRICKET normally purchases the following rights:

1. For stories and poems previously unpublished, rights vary.
2. For stories and poems previously published, CRICKET purchases second North American publication rights. Fees vary, but are generally less than fees for first publication rights.
3. For recurring features, CRICKET purchases the material outright. The work becomes the property of CRICKET, and it is copyrighted in the name of Carus Publishing Company. A flat fee per feature is usually negotiated.
4. For commissioned artwork, CRICKET purchases all rights plus promotional rights (promotions, advertising, or any other form not offered for sale) are subject to the terms outlined below:
   (a) Physical art remains the property of the illustrator.
   (b) Illustrator may use artwork for self promotion.

Please address all MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSIONS to:

Submissions Editor, CRICKET
Carus Publishing
70 East Lake Street
Suite 300
Chicago, IL 60601

Please address all PORTFOLIO SAMPLES to:

Art Submissions Coordinator
Carus Publishing
70 East Lake Street
Suite 300
Chicago, IL 60601

Direct inquiries regarding PERMISSIONS to:

Mary Ann Hocking
Rights and Permissions Manager
Carus Publishing
30 Grove Street
Suite C
Peterborough, NH 03458