We Pay For Stories!

lit, a place for stories, is now paying for your stories! That's right -- or should I say that's write ha ha!-- this website is now a paying publisher, in two different ways.



First

you can submit any short story you want for publication. If it's accepted, I will offer to pay you to publish the story on this site and in any collections of stories on this site. Payment is based on the story and is negotiable.

 Make sure you read the rules about what rights you are giving up and what rights you are giving up.

To submit a story for pay, email to

litaplaceforstories[at]gmail.com, 

and PUT IN THE SUBJECT LINE "I want to get paid." That way I'll know it's not for the contest.

Format your story exactly as you want it to appear; paste it into the body of an email. NO ATTACHMENTS; I'll just delete them.

Include your name, the name you want the story published under (if different than your name), and any links/bios, etc. you want.

SUBMIT ANYTHING YOU WANT.  Just make it good.

I will respond to stories as I read them, with either a rejection, or an offer to publish it.  If you haven't heard back from me, I haven't read it yet.



Second,

 you can submit to

The "My Story Can Beat Up Your Story" Contest.

This is a weekly contest between two stories, which might get YOU, the author, PAID! Here's how it works:

You submit your story: any word count, any topic, any style.  It doesn't even have to be a story; it can even be a poem or essay or whatever -- basically, if you've written it, you can submit it -- to me here at "lit."

Once we have at least two stories, they will go head to head for 7 days, with readers voting by comment on which story they liked better.  After 7 days, the story with the most votes wins, and moves on to a new challenger the next week, where the process is repeated.

This gets you paid this way: When your story has its first win, you get $1.  If you win a second week, your story gets $2, and that continues to climb until it reaches $5. If your story wins 6 or more weeks in a row, each consecutive win is worth $5.  But that's PER WEEK, so if you story continues to win, you'll be making $5 a week off your writing.

And if you lose? You can submit a new story to take on the new challenger, and start trying to get paid again.

AND, your work might appear in an annual compliation of the WINNINGEST STORIES!

To submit to this, again, email it to:

 litaplaceforstories[at]gmail.com, 

and PUT IN THE SUBJECT LINE "My story can beat up your story submission".


HERE ARE OFFICIAL RULES THAT APPLY TO BOTH THE CONTEST AND REGULAR SUBMISSIONS:


Official Rules: :

1.  Stories must be submitted in the format you wish to have them published.  I will not alter, edit, or format them other than necessary formatting for appearance on my blog.  You are encouraged, but not required, to provide a printable copy via a service such as "Scribd," with links in your post.

2. Stories are to be submitted by copying and pasting into the body of an email, with pictures (if you want) and with any links that are necessary already in there.  Stories sent as attachments will be disregarded and/or forwarded immediately to the NSA so that Rand Paul can republish them as his own.

3.  Stories may be submitted at any time. Stories should include your name, an email address where you can be reached, and any specific directions for formatting, which i will try to follow.  Stories can include links to Twitter/Facebook/other social network sites and blogs, and an author bio, but those are not needed.  Stories can be submitted under a pseudonym, but pseudonyms may not be used to have two stories submitted at once. 

4.  Did I mention that you may not have two stories competing against each other? You can't do that.  

5.  Selection of stories: Stories may be selected by me based on my editorial decisions and my sole discretion.  While not limiting my ability to decide to pick a story for the contest, factors considered will include but not be limited to the novelty of the story, my determination that people would enjoy reading it, whether or not it contrasts or coincides with the current champion, the author who wrote the story, and the subject matter of the story.  No story will be rejected based solely on content.  Stories may be chosen entirely at random.  

6.  Votes are SOLELY comments left on the post in which the story appears.  The stories will appear in a single post, with the competitor appearing first and the current champion appearing second.  A vote counts if it clearly identifies the story the commenter is choosing as better.  Multiple votes from commenters will be disregarded: each commenter may vote only once and only for one story.  Anonymous comments do not count as votes.  Votes suspected to be sock puppet votes, votes paid for by cash or other consideration, or otherwise less -than-honest will be disregarded.  VOTES MAY BE DISREGARDED IN MY SOLE DISCRETION FOR ANY REASON SET FORTH IN THESE RULES OR FOR ANY OTHER REASON NOT DIRECTLY PROHIBITED BY STATE OR FEDERAL LAW.  My decision to disregard votes is not subject to challenge or appeal.  

7. Your submission of a story does not entitle you to be chosen to compete or to be published.  Your story being chosen to compete does not entitle you to payment.  IF and ONLY IF your story is officially named the winner of a week BEFORE any disqualification do you have a right to the payment as spelled out herein. If you submitted a story for payment and accepted my offer for payment, you are entitled to the payment agreed upon.

8.  A contestant may be disqualified at any time and for any reason not directly prohibited by law.  My decision to disqualify a contestant is up to solely my discretion and is not appealable or challengeable.  If you are disqualified AFTER being named a weekly winner, you are entitled to that week's prize amount and nothing more.  If you are disqualified prior to being named a winner you are entitled to nothing.  While not being a limit on reasons for disqualification, grounds for disqualification include but are not limited to: paying for votes, creating sock puppets, falsifying votes, submitting stories without clearly identifying the author, copyright or potential copyright infringement problems, poor behavior and etiquette on this or other websites, denigrating comments about this or other websites, plagiarism, and not believing in Santa Claus.

9.  Publication rights granted/other publications.  By submitting your story, you agree to grant me the right to (A) Publish it on my blog, "lit," or any subsequent blog hosting this contest or any successor to this contest, and to republish it on that blog as necessary for contest purposes or promotional purposes.  I will try, but am not required, to notify you each time the story is re-posted in whole or in part.  My failure to notify you of a reposting does not grant you any rights or entitle you to any damages or payments and you waive any such claims.  In addition, you grant me the right to publish your story in (B) an annual or seminannual compilation/collection of stories from this contest, in electronic or print form, and to sell that compilation for profit.  YOU WAIVE any claims to profits I obtain as a result of posting your story on any blog or website, as a result of linking to your story on any blog or website, and as a result of any sales of any compilation or collection of stories.  I will not republish your story other than on a blog for this contest or as part of a compliation.  YOU RETAIN ALL RIGHTS NOT EXPRESSLY GRANTED HEREIN.  I can include stories in the compilation at my sole discretion whether or not they have appeared in the contest.  If you submitted a story for payment, both (A) and (B) are to be read in this paragraph as applying to you with references to the contest omitted; in other words: I get publication rights to a story accepted for payment that are identical to stories submitted for the contest.

10.  Republishing the story on your own:  IF your story has appeared in the contest, you are permitted to use "lit," my website, and any associated graphics or websites, in mentioning that fact in any republication provided that you link to "lit," and that you not make reference to me or my site or the contest in a denigrating manner.  You may republish the story at any time and in any format and may resell any rights or other productions of the story, and you retain all copyrights other than those granted to me.  You are not required to mention the contest or "lit," but if you mention the contest or "lit" in connection with your story you must abide by the terms of this clause and this agreement.  IF your story has not appeared in the contest yet, you may republish it at any time and in any manner, but if you mention "lit" or the contest you must abide by this paragraph and agreement.  If you submitted a story for payment, this paragraph is to be read as applying to you with references to the contest omitted; in other words: you can republish a story accepted for payment in ways that are identical to stories submitted for the contest.

11.By submitting a story you certify that you are the sole holder of the copyright to that story and/or that you have permission for any copyrighted material in that story.  By submitting the story, you agree to hold me harmless for any lawsuits or claims brought by any copyright holders against me.  "Hold harmless" means that you will repay at a minimum any attorney's fees I incur and any damages I must pay to any person who brings a copyright claim against me, whether or not that claim is meritorious, if I actually pay damages or settlements and incur attorney's fees.  I am allowed to settle any copyright claims brought in my sole discretion and seek reimbursement under this clause even if the claim brought is nonmeritorious.  Time spent by me as a lawyer in a copyright claim is compensable at my then-standard hourly rate regardless of any rule of law that would otherwise not let a litigant claim fees payable to himself.  I am entitled to recovery of any fees incurred, including fees for my own personal time spent, in pursuing payment under this clause.  I have the right to bring any litigation for this hold harmless clause in Dane County, Wisconsin, and you consent to jurisdiction in Wisconsin by submitting your story, as well as consenting that any such case brought by me is not removable to federal court or movable to a different jurisdiction or venue for any reason at all. 

12. Open to anyone except where prohibited by law. 

13.  The contest is subject to end at any time and without notice.  Submitted stories will not be returned.  Rules may change at any time and without notice.  Submissions  may be closed without notice.  

14.  Any controversies about this contest, or any matters related in any way and in any form to it, shall be resolved, if necessary, through litigation.  Any and all such litigation shall be filed in Dane County, Wisconsin, and resolved using Wisconsin's substantive law.  By entering the contest, you agree irrevocably to this provision and waive any jurisdictional or forum non conveniens arguments and any claims to venue other than in Dane County, Wisconsin.  In the event of a claim brought against me, the Court has the authority to award me and only me attorney's fees for successfully litigating any or all of that claim, including specifically fees for time spent by me personally, at my then-current hourly rate, and the Court may award actual or punitive damages suffered by me as a result of any such claims; in my sole discretion I may elect to in the alternative be awarded liquidated damages of $100,000 as compensation for harm caused by any such claims brought against me which were terminated in whole or in part in my favor.


YEAH BUT HOW WILL I BE PAID?

You can choose one of three ways:

Via Paypal, or

I will mail you a check or money order, if you want me to do that. If you opt for that, you will get paid the cost of the postage (at the then-current rate) and the cost of the money order (at the then-current rate), and you must provide a post office box address.

OR you can get paid in Amazon gift cards. I like that the best.


YEAH BUT HOW COME YOU PUT ALL THIS STUFF DOWN HERE ABOUT PAYMENT?

To make sure you read the whole thing.


496,161, 11/10/13.

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