Submissions

Writer Submission Guidelines

Group Publishing, Inc.
1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO 80538
[phone]

Submission Contact: [e-mail]

Church Resource and Curriculum Writer's Guidelines
Group Publishing's mission is: To equip churches to help children, youth, and adults grow in their relationship with Jesus.

We publish resources for Christian education in local churches, including adult, children, pastoral, and youth ministry (both single-author royalty books and multiple-author compilations assigned on a work-for-hire basis).

Submitting a Church or Curriculum Resource Proposal
If you have a submission that meets the criteria listed, we would like to know about it. You're welcome to submit a resource proposal that includes:

• a cover letter briefly summarizing your resource idea and telling about your background;
• an outline of how you' d structure the resource;
• an introduction to the resource explaining how it can be used easily in a ministry setting and why people need or want your resource (write this as if the buyer were reading it while he or she browses in a bookstore); and
• a sample which could include one or more of the following:

1. two sample chapters (written and formatted in such a way that any average church leader could read, understand, and implement your ideas with his or her group);
2. two sample sessions or studies (if it's a resource Bible Study, events, meeting ideas, and so on);
3. about a dozen sample experiences/ideas (if it's a resource of short ideas, worship, devotions, skits, or the like);
4. a CD/DVD clearly labeled to match a manuscript with a Web link, if applicable (for media proposals). If you send in a media piece without the other bulleted items listed above, it will likely be rejected. 

If you would like your submission returned, please include a postage-paid, self-addressed envelope. If postage is not included, your submission will be recycled 30 days from the date on your cover letter. 

What We're Looking For
We ARE NOT acquiring young adult or romantic fiction, fantasy or science fiction novels, general Bible studies, autobiographies, or poetry. Our resources are often leader/teacher-oriented, though we do also publish family- and adult-oriented resources. The DNA of all Group’s resources are that they’re R.E.A.L.—relational, experiential, applicable, and learner-centered.

Children's Ministry
• Bible lessons & Bible-based activities
• crafts
• object lessons
• devotions
• leadership
• family ministry
• volunteer management

Youth & Young Adult Ministry
• administration/leadership (includes spiritual growth)
• counseling
• devotions
• foundational
• messages
• retreats
• small groups

Adult and Pastoral Ministry
• creative and affordable ways to encourage and affirm volunteers
• devotions for adults or devotions for volunteers

Women's Ministry
• Bible studies
• ideas & short articles on women's ministry
• ideas for engaging younger women
• mentoring

Consumer Resources
All consumer resources should reflect the core values of the Lifetree Family brand and the 4 Acts of Love. Our focus is building a foundation of healthy, loving relationships and exploring spiritual growth through the context of relational experiences. (See website for more information.) We do not publish fiction, autobiographies, or poetry. We would consider submissions for the following:

• family devotions and activities (age specific is best)
• books for grandparents
• experiences for families

Writing Group Books
Group Publishing, Inc. receives hundreds of resource proposals each year. These questions are designed to help you evaluate your own idea the way our editors would.

• Is it original? Is the idea for the resource yours alone? What makes you the best person to provide this resource for ministry leaders?
• Is it practical? Group publishes resources that our readers—youth workers, parents, Sunday school teachers, and Christian education directors—can pull off the shelf and use immediately.
• Would its sales benefit from your ministry influence or special efforts? How are you uniquely positioned to market this resource? What kind of platform do you have that would help its sales?
• Is it need-oriented? People buy ministry resources that meet their needs. What needs does your proposal address? Why would people feel compelled to buy and use it?
• Does it reflect biblical principles? Group is an interdenominational Christian publisher and everything we produce reflects that perspective.
• Is there anything else out there like it? Is there any competition for this resource? What else has been published that is similar to your idea, and how will yours be superior and unique enough that people will buy it over anything else? Tell our readers something they don't already know in a way that they've not seen before.
• Is it clear and easy to use? Does it make its point concisely? Are instructions easy to follow?

Writing Group Curriculum
We're always looking for good writers who know kids, understand active learning, and have the ability to write lessons that help kids apply the Bible to their lives.

Check out and read Why Nobody Learns Much of Anything at Church: And How to Fix It and The Dirt on Learning by Thom and Joani Schultz. These will give you the best example of our philosophy.

Check out our various curriculum lines at your local Christian bookstore.

Your submission will be logged and forwarded for review. We will try to respond to your inquiry or submission as quickly as possible (based on current project/editor deadlines and the number of submissions which were received ahead of yours), but the turn-around can take six months plus.

DON'T FORGET TO SEND A POSTAGE-PAID ENVELOPE IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR SUBMISSION RETURNED. ANYTHING NOT RETURNED 30 DAYS FROM THE DATE ON YOUR RESPONSE LETTER WILL BE RECYCLED.

Mail your submission to:

Group Publishing, Inc.
ATTN: Submissions
1515 Cascade Avenue
Loveland, CO 80538

or

E-mail your submission to: [e-mail]

Children's Ministry Magazine Submission Guidelines
Thank you for your interest in contributing to Children’s Ministry Magazine. At this time, we are not accepting submissions. Please feel free to check back on this page as we will open submissions from time to time during the year.

GROUP Magazine Submission Guidelines

Important Notice:
Effective with our Winter 2016/2017 issue, we will no longer be publishing GROUP Magazine. The “voice” of GROUP will be shifting to our digital platform, YouthMinistry.com. If you would like to submit short pieces (300 to 1,000 words) for publishing consideration on YouthMinistry.com, please do.

Needs:
YouthMinistry.com needs short articles on successful youth ministry strategies, including youth-led ministry ideas; understanding kids and youth culture; recruiting/training/keeping adult leaders; family ministry; staff issues; serving and training parents; professionalism; self-nurture; how-to articles on personal spiritual growth, time management, issues vital to working with young people, leadership skills (listening, discussion-leading), worship ideas, handling specific group problems, fun and experiential programming ideas, and active-learning meeting plans and retreats. We pay $80.00 for accepted submissions.

Preparation of Copy:
We accept only emailed submissions. Please send to: [e-mail]. Your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address should appear with the piece. No fiction, prose, or poetry. Payment is only upon acceptance of submission and receipt of signed contract. We buy all rights.