Chicken Soup Editors Looking For Your Stories

According to Clay Aiken the Ideal Idol, the editors of the popular Chicken Soup for the... series are looking for YOUR stories. Selected stories will be published in a new book called Chicken Soup for the American Idol Lover's Soul.

Dear Fellow American Idol Fan-atics,

We know who we are - we're the ones who wouldn't miss an AI show even if the world were coming to an end. We're the ones who think that the vote between Clay and Ruben was one of the most important elections of the past decade.

Now we have a chance to share how AI has impacted our lives. We are in immediate need of funny, inspirational and heartfelt true stories for our newest upcoming Chicken Soup title Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul.

The stories should be 1200 words or less, and should be positive and non-controversial. No tributes, philosophical, self-promoting or biographical pieces will be accepted.

The stories must be written in first person but you don't necessarily need to be the person that the story is about. It can be about a friend who auditioned for AI, your grandma who re-ignited her singing career after watching the show or your sister who began working with special needs kids having been inspired by Clay.

Tentative chapter headings include:

· America Got It Wrong (dealing with disappointment)

· Success is a Journey (lessons/experiences along the road)

· Touched By an Idol (viewer's stories)

· "And Tonight Our Next Idol Hopeful Will be Singing." (stories of the songs that moved you - stories can be from Idols or fans)

As you can see, many of the stories will be written by the contestants or their family members, but we also want to hear from you, the fans - especially for the chapters:

· Touched By an Idol (viewer's stories)

· Success is a Journey (lessons/experiences along the road - must relate to Idol)

· "And Tonight Our Next Idol Hopeful Will be Singing." (stories of the songs that moved you)

You may submit more than one story. We accept previously published pieces, as long as you retained all rights to your story. For each story published, a 50-word biography will be included about the author and a permission fee of $200 per story will be paid. We also need AI cartoons and if accepted for publication, payment will be $100 each. We accept poems, although very few are used. Payment for poems is $50. All payment s are paid within thirty days of publication. The submission deadline is April 15th, but the sooner the better!

Please submit stories through the Chicken Soup for the Soul website at
www.chickensoup.com. Click on Submit a Story and be sure to select "American Idol Soul" as the book title.

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, All Is Well, Merry Christmas With Love, Invisible