How to share your story for publication
Inspired to write a true, first-person story of faith? We are currently taking submissions for future “Faith Storytellers” books.
Read our FAQ carefully before submitting.
Please also read our book, which shares in Part I how to write the type of story we are seeking. In Part II, it shares 40 stories from Christian authors and writers you can use as examples.
Submit your story and bio using the form below.
Can’t afford the book? Please ask your local library to stock “Faith Storytellers” for your community. Many librarians will purchase a book when requested.
FAQs: Story Submissions
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We accept and consider stories about your personal relationship with the Christian God and
how it has changed over time. We are open to a variety of story topics, from light-hearted moments to spiritual journeys to miracles to walking through spiritual valleys.
Review topics we’ve previously published here, although we are open to new topics as well.
Stories we accept are structured to have a clear beginning, middle where something changes, and an ending that brings resolution.
We are also looking for a personal statement about your faith at the very end of your story (“What I know to be true about God that I didn’t before is …”)Once your story is ready to submit, please do so using our online form below.
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Stories that deal with trauma, abuse or other hurts and hangups should never disparage another person.
If something happened to you it is real, and it is part of your story. For the purpose of Faith Storytellers, shift the focus from the other person to your relationship with God and how it deepened through the trials.
One way to do this is to describe the impact through a metaphor (a tornado went through my life and left it in shambles) and God’s love (I didn’t think God was there, but when I least expected it, God’s light broke through the storm and I realized I was going to be okay).
Please review our Faith Story Guardrails for more.
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We use AP Style except for the Oxford Comma, which is traditionally used in marketing and books publishing but not newspapers. Our goal is consistency and clarity.
We also adapted a church’s writing style guide so that words are used consistently throughout, as that brings a sense of cohesiveness to the stories we publish when read together. Please view the Faith Storytellers Style Guide here to learn more. -
We try our best to respond to submissions, but we cannot guarantee a reply or response.
It’s not unusual for us to go a few weeks before responding. If selected for our next Faith Storytellers book or for publication on our website, we will notify you and will provide more information at that time.
We typically ask writers to edit or revise their stories prior to publication (on average, 2-3 times) depending on their story and how closely they have ahead to our Faith Storytellers Framework and Faith Story Guardrails.
Please note, publication is not guaranteed and we may pass on stories at our discretion for a variety of reasons. In addition, by summiting your story online, you’ve agreed to our submission policies and standards.
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No. Because we publish true stories (testimonials), we want you to share your real name with our readers. This builds trust and helps our readers know that what you are sharing is true and really happened.
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Yes! We love publishing faith stories from middle school and high school students especially. Please note that there is a different submission process for children or teens under the age of 18.
You should NOT use the submission form below.
Instead, have your parent or legal guardian reach out to us via our contact page for next steps as they will need to work with you on submitting your story.
This includes being CCed on all revision and publication emails. If needed, we will schedule a video call with both you and your parent or legal guardian.
In addition, your parent or legal guardian will need to sign our Release of Materials form on your behalf.
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No, Faith Storytellers does not pay writers. This is a passion project and ministry of ours.
However, if you are selected for publication, we do link back to your website or include a mention of your book. On the website this appears at the bottom of each story; in our book it appears in the “bios” section.
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Our Materials Release Agreement asks you to grant us the right to use your story.
We do NOT ask to own your story. You own your story.
In order to publish and market your story as part of a Faith Storytellers collection, however, we need your permission, which is why we require writers to sign the agreement.
Please feel free to read our full Release of Materials Agreement, which is found in the story submission form, and run it by your attorney if you have additional questions
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We prefer to publish unique stories that have not yet been published elsewhere. This is for a few reasons:
1. We want to bring our audience a unique story and reading experience that they haven’t read elsewhere.
2. Other publishers may have the rights to your story (we don’t know what agreements you have signed).
In the Materials Release Agreement, we specifically ask that you acknowledge that you have the right to enter into the agreement and do not need permission from a third party to do so.
3. We believe we each have many stories to share about our relationship with God.
If you’re previously published one of your stories, please submit a story that you haven’t shared elsewhere.
If you aren’t sure where to start in selecting a different story, please review our Faith Storytellers Framework, which will guide you through identifying and crafting a true, first-peson story about your faith.