Humour Me Magazine publishes stories of 1,000 to 3,000 words and comics. “We are happy to accept all types of humour, from sharp satire to slapstick.” Read the complete guidelines here.
SQF: Why did you start this magazine?
Scott Richards: I published my first book, 'The Legend of Paper Monkey' in May 2021. After that, I was looking for some writing competitions/lit mags etc that I could submit to in an effort to keep my writing sharp while I decided what book I'd work on next. As a humour/comedy writer, there didn't seem to be many opportunities, especially in comparison to the amount of horror/fantasy mags that I'd see promoted on social media.
So, in late 2021 I decided on Humour Me Magazine, the primary idea being to offer a showcase to other humour writers and also to bring some smiles and laughter into the world. I was very fortunate that I've had some other amazing independent writers who have given up their own time to help me along the way.
SQF: What are the top three things you look for in a submission and why?
SR: The first and most important thing for us is it must be funny. This of course takes many forms but should be the main focus of any submission. Humour and a desire to make people laugh is our ethos and the driving force behind the magazine.
After that, we like well-written, well-structured pieces that also have an original, authentic voice. My favourite piece of writing advice is 'comedy must work without the jokes' which is something I try and apply to my own writing and also something I like to see in submissions.
SQF: What most often turns you off to a submission?
SR: Any submission that clearly does not fit our submission brief, either in terms of word count or tone etc. Please do not start your covering email with “I know this isn't what you look for, but I think you'll like it anyway”. It is an unfortunate waste of time on both our parts which could have been avoided by following the submission guidelines.
Any writing trying to use shock value or extreme language/sex/violence and passing it off as 'dark comedy.' We will happily accept dark comedy but it must still make us laugh and have a compelling story and characters.
SQF: What do you look for in the opening paragraph(s) of a submission?
SR: The opening should set the standard for the overall tone of the story and grab our attention with inventive writing and a compelling premise.
SQF: Many editors list erotica, or sex for sex sake, as hard sells. What are hard sells for your publication?
SR: As well as the examples in your question, needless gratuity either in language or imagery for shock value. We will not consider any writing featuring hateful language or bigotry of any sort. There is plenty of scope and range for humour without resorting to writing that demeans anybody.
SQF: What one question on this topic do you wish I'd asked that I didn't? And how would you answer it?
SR: Good question! The first that comes to mind is 'What are your hopes for the magazine going forward?'
My answer would be I hope we continue to grow our audience and are able to attract more submissions. We are still relatively new kids on the block and establishing any kind of foothold in a saturated market is difficult. We are looking at growing the Humour Me brand to more than 'just' a magazine, including launching our own YouTube channel which will feature creative submissions calls and comedy videos, sketches, etc. We want to put as much laughter out into the world as possible.
Thank you, Scott. We all appreciate your taking time from your busy schedule to participate in this project.
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