Well Versed 2015 Submission Guidelines/Page 1 of 3
Well Versed 2015
Submission Guidelines
The Columbia Chapter of the Missouri Writers’ Guild invites writers to submit original, unpublished works of
poetry, fiction, flash fiction, and nonfiction to be considered for publication in Well Versed: Literary Works
2015, an annual anthology. Entries will be judged independently, by professionals in the three fields (poetry,
fiction, and nonfiction). The authors of the judges’ top choices will receive monetary prizes.
General Submission Rules
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Entries must be unpublished at the time of submission.
Entries must be the original work of the entrant.
One cover sheet per author must be provided as a separate document. The cover sheet must include the
entrant’s name, address, telephone number, email address, author biography (written in third person) of 75
words or less. List the title and first line of each piece and designate each piece as fiction, nonfiction, or
poetry. For each prose piece provide a word count.
The author’s name and contact information must not appear on the manuscript.
All submissions must be typed in 12-point Times New Roman font with standard document margins.
Place title and page number in a header in the upper right corner of page. Notice how the title and page
numbers for this document are located in the header section of the page—not in the body of the
manuscript. Title and page numbers in the header are not required on a one page submission. They are
also not required on the first page of a multiple page submission.
The [postmark] deadline for all entries is November 15, 2014.
Entries containing pornography, graphic violence, explicit or gratuitous sex, and scatological content will
not be accepted.
Submission: Entrants must submit entries both in hard copy (paper) and via email.
 Nonmembers complete payment form, attach check, and mail with hard copies.
 Mail hard copies to CCMWG, P.O. Box 7628, Columbia, MO 65205-7628.
 Email electronic copies, in Word files, to wellversed2015@gmail.com. Use the subject line: Your
name, Well Versed Contest Entry.
This contest is open to all writers. Entrants are not required to be CCMWG members.
Fees: CCMWG members pay no fee. The fee for nonmembers is $5 per prose entry and $5 for up to three
poems. Checks should be payable to CCMWG.
Individuals are limited to three prose and five poetry entries. Entrants may join CCMWG for dues of $15
for one year. Checks should be payable to CCMWG.
All entries and membership applications should be mailed to CCMWG, P.O. Box 7628, Columbia, MO
65205-7628. Note with memo on check if membership application fee is included.
CCMWG assumes no responsibility for misdirected entries.
Additional Guidelines
Poetry
1. Poetry may be any form.
2. Poetry may address any subject (except as noted in General Rule #8, above).
3. Poems are limited to 100 lines.
Well Versed 2015 Submission Guidelines/Page 2 of 3
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Entrants are limited to five poems.
Each poem must be submitted on a separate page.
Lines should be single-spaced, with a double-space between verses.
Please note: A line width in the book is approximately 4.3 inches. If a line of your poem is wider
than 4.3 inches in a 12 point font, it will be wrapped to the next line and may not appear as you
expect.
Prose
1. Entrants are limited to a total of three pieces whether fiction, flash fiction or nonfiction.
2. Prose will be limited to 2000 words; manuscripts over 2000 words will be shredded.
3. Flash fiction will be limited to 150 words (flash fiction pictures can be found on our website at
http://ccmwg.org/wordpress/?page_id=2
4. Stories may be on any subject (except as noted in General Rule #8, above).
5. Please use standard manuscript format. (See page 3 for important formatting information.)
Judging
1. All submissions for publication are selected by independent judges, whose decisions are final.
2. The editor does not judge or select; the editor edits for publication.
3. The editor does not judge or select; the editor edits for publication.
4. Judges may award up to three places, at their discretion, but will select at least one “Judge’s Pick” in
prose and poetry category.
Awards – Each Category when awarded by Judge are:
 1st Place $50
 2nd Place $30
 3rd Place $20
“Judge’s Pick” in flash fiction.
 1st Place $15
 2nd Place $10
5. Entrants whom the judges name as Honorable Mention will receive certificates.
6. For a list of winners, check CCMWG website http://www.ccmwg.org after April 1, 2015. Winners
will also be announced in the CCMWG newsletter.
By submitting to Well Versed ~ Literary Works 2015, you give permission for your story to be published
unless you submit a withdrawal, in writing, by December 31, 2014. CCMWG purchases first rights. If your
submission is chosen, payment upon publication is one copy of the issue in which the work appears, plus $1.00
per piece accepted.
Use Standard Manuscript Format – This section includes common problems that have to be
manually changed by the editor.
1. Well Versed uses The Chicago Manual of Style.
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Well Versed 2015 Submission Guidelines/Page 3 of 3
Center the title on the first page about the middle of the page. Do not use multiple tabs
to center text.
Left-justify your paragraphs. Right margins should be “ragged.”
Use double line spacing for all text.
Indent (not spaces) first line of each paragraph by .5 inch.
To indicate a story break, use three asterisks centered on a line by themselves rather
than an extra line.
Leave only one space after end of sentence punctuation.
Use smart quotes(“) instead of straight quotes (“). Also, watch for backward
apostrophes such as ‘em which should be ’em.
Do not use paragraph spacing before or after, paragraph indention left or right, or other
special “styles.”
Do not submit a work or bio containing a hyperlink. If your word processing program
automatically creates a hyperlink, right click on it and remove the link. Why?
Hyperlinks print in a light gray color.
Use italics for most foreign words, and titles of books. Titles of poems, articles, and
short stories should be enclosed in smart quotes (“”).
Turn off hyphenation, widow/orphan control, and keep lines together.
Punctuation should normally be inside an end of sentence quotation mark.
Use a new paragraph when the speaker changes.
Our printer is associated with Amazon.com and will reject the book for printing if
anyone uses the link for Amazon.com. For example, “My book is available on
Amazon.com.”
If you are in doubt, please ask the editor. You can also do a Google search for
“standard manuscript format.”