one market

Heavenly Opportunities At Pockets
By Pamela Holtz Beres

For writers serious about fiction for middle-grade readers, few magazines offer the abundance of opportunities as Pockets. Five fiction slots are filled each month by material submitted by freelancers, including one story aimed at the younger readers of the magazine. With eleven issues published annually, writers who are in tune with this action-minded, ever-curious audience can find success at Pockets.

My own experience with Pockets began about fifteen years ago as I tried to find a home for my first story, “Joey’s Almost Good-For-Nothing Day.” When my sample copy of Pockets arrived, I knew I had found my market. Scanning the theme list and studying their statement of editorial philosophy, I made a few changes to the story and sent it in. Bingo! My first sale! I was hooked—both on writing and on Pockets. I appreciated the magazine’s Christian mission and enjoyed having the opportunity to show kids how they can apply Biblical truths to everyday situations. While Pockets editors appreciate stories with religious content, it should be woven in and made a natural part of the story. Prayers in the child’s own voice, for example, work well. On the other hand, if you have to “stick it in” or “tack it on,” then leave it out. Some of the stories they publish have no religious content but still carry the theme of the issue.

Pockets annual fiction contest gives writers another opportunity to match their skill to the needs of the magazine. Drawing nearly 600 entries each year, stories submitted to the contest should adhere to the editorial guidelines, but need not carry the theme of an up-coming issue. Although there is only one winning manuscript, which earns a $1,000 prize and publication in the magazine, other top entries are held and writers may later be notified that their story has been accepted for publication in an up-coming issue.

Humor resonates with Pockets editors and writers who can write funny find their submissions welcome and their names remembered. Action and conflict are also important but editors particularly want readers to see themselves on their pages. Cultural diversity and differences in family situations should be considered in the stories you submit but children should also see themselves in the way the main character thinks and feels. My July 2004 Timber Lake Road story shows main character Tyler dealing with loneliness while his father is away on a business trip and his mother is wrapped up in completing her college degree and planning her rapidly-approaching wedding. Tyler’s younger brother is also out of town and the courtyard of his mother’s apartment building buzzes with activity as an elderly neighbor hosts a birthday party. Amid busyness, children can feel lonely. Pockets’ editorial assistant commented to me that many kids would see themselves in this story.

While fiction is a constant need at Pockets, you might also break in by submitting profiles, activities or poems. Read copies of the magazine, check out their website and tune into the wants, needs and desires of your everyday ten-year-old. You just might find heavenly opportunities at Pockets.