Mouth Full of Bullets: Your Online Showcase for Crime Fiction, Poetry, and Non-Fiction
March 16th 2007 09:15
Have an itch to write a murder mystery? Or have one you've already written? Or perhaps your forte is penning highly suspenseful crime-related poetry. You might even be more the type who's into writing about crime writing (either the craft or the business.) If any of the above situations describes you, you might just want to check out MOUTH FULL OF BULLETS, a website and online mystery magazine that publishes crime-related non-fiction, poetry and short fiction by writers of all levels.
According to the info in their Submission Guidelines, in the area of fiction, they accept "Mystery/suspense of all types (police procedural, private eye, amateur sleuth, cozies, hardboiled, etc.)" They go on to say, " Basically, if it involves a crime, and it's within our guidelines, we'd love to consider it."
As for poetry, they seek "anything crime-related."
And in the area of non-fiction, they state, "We are open to articles and columns related to mystery writing, seeking representation, editing, writing in general, or anything else that grabs our attention."
They publish four times a year and welcome both new and established writers to submit their work--which, incidentally, must be submitted via e-mail.
While MOUTH FULL OF BULLETS is an extremely low-paying market--in fact, 'nominal' is the word they themselves use to refer to their payments--this market can offer you an opportunity to get your work out there before the public, get it read, and possibly earn you a reputation as a mystery writer, a crime genre poet, or an author of writing-related articles of the criminal variety. And this could be a very good thing!
Though I've never dealt with this website personally and so have no real experience to draw upon in giving advice to the aspiring crime writer where the site is concerned, I have more than once considered submitting work to them myself. However, due to one or another writing project--to be totally honest, coupled with the fact that they are one of the lowest-paying markets--I haven't yet gotten around to doing so.
Yet, there seems something fascinating about them. (Could it be the illustration that adorns the site of a spoon full of bullets being lifted toward a wide-open mouth?)
Whatever it is, I think MOUTH FULL OF BULLETS would definitely be worth looking into for the writer who has any interest at all in crime-related writing!
If you've dealt with this website in the past--or do so in the future--perhaps you would be so kind as to share your experience with the rest of us, via a comment. Your thoughts about the experience would be greatly appreciated by all of us!
This particular site does seem to have some fairly stringent manuscript formatting requirements that any writer who hopes to be published by them would probably do well to note--and follow. (The above links will take you directly to the site's Submission Guidelines page, which contains all the info you'll need to submit your work according to their specifications.)
Best of luck to you!
Jeanne
Did you enjoy this post? Don't leave me lonely--Please comment!
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Comment by Wendi
W
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Thanks for your kind words!
I must admit, it takes a great deal of imagination to 'think like a criminal'! And it's not something I do often! But I do find it interesting to try my hand at many different types of writing--just to see what I'm able to do with them!
Coincidentally, I just learned this morning that my flash fiction piece, "Confession," which is a crime story, was chosen the winner (out of 64 entries) in an online writing competition--which was great news! I may write a blog post about it, because, that way, I'll also be able to inform my readers about the site that sponsored the contest, since they'll be having another competition in April. Stay tuned.
Jeanne
Comment by Wendi
Congrats! I'm extremely happy for you!
W
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Jeanne
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
There was a prize: $50! (Not a huge amount, but certainly better than nothing!)
Comment by Wendi
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Thanks, Wendi!