Guest Post Guidelines

The picture depicts someone writing in a notebook with a blue pen.

At the Winged Pen, we believe it takes a flock to get a story aloft. We love to share our writing journeys with other writers. We’re also open to guest contributors who have something to share.

What types of posts are we looking for?

The Winged Pen is written by kidlit writers for kidlit writers. our primary focus is on young adult and middle-grade fiction.

We’re open to guest posts from writers or publishing professionals on:

Writing craft
Writing life
Recommendations or tips on writing tools (written by writers who use them, not marketers)
Book marketing and publicity

We’re looking for a new and fresh take on the topics kidlit writers struggle with. That could be an aspect of craft you’ve thought about deeply because you’re wrestling with it in your work-in-process. Or it could be an aspect of the writer’s life you’ve dealt with and have advice on.

We love tips and takeaways that our readers can take from a post.

What Are We NOT Looking for?

Marketing and ads for books, products, or services.
Requests for backlinks.

Our main focus is to publish posts of value to our readers, not promote products or services.

Guest contributors can link to their published book or personal website in their bio on the post.

Do I Need to Be a Published Author to Write a Guest Post?

No. We weren’t published when we began this blog, though it’s good if you’ve given posting a shot on your own blog or website.

How Do I Know if My Post Idea is a Good Match for Winged Pen?

Take a look at our last few posts or our Top 10 Posts page to find out what subjects we cover.
Search our site to see if we’ve covered the topic you’re thinking of writing about before. If we have, do you have a new spin or angle? (The search button is on the top right of the home page right under the blue Winged Pen banner.)
Our posts tend to be 800-1500 words in length.
Posts should be edited, proofread, and ready for publication. We can only publish a limited number of guest posts, so take your time to make your post as strong as possible before you submit.
Please keep in mind that we’re all volunteers. We’d love to publish more guest posts but there are only so many hours in a day!

Does Winged Pen Pay for Guest Posts?

No. We don’t make money on this blog, so we can’t pay for posts. But we can help you get your words out to a wider audience.

Expectations for Post Day

We’d like guest contributors to be available to respond to comments on their post on the day it’s scheduled. Please also share the link to your post on social media so we can continue to build our community and the conversation on kidlit writing.