MC-Guide
Content Writing
Website 135: thesunlightpress.com
How Can You Earn Money Writing For “thesunlightpress.com” Website
This guide shows you, step by step, how a beginner can learn to pitch and sell stories to thesunlightpress.com
You will learn what thesunlightpress.com wants, how to test your idea, how to write a pitch, and how payment roughly works. You can use this like a small SOP.
Guide: How to Write for The Sunlight Press (Beginner’s Step-by-Step)
This guide will help you choose a submission type, prepare your piece, write a short cover/bio, and submit correctly to The Sunlight Press.
You’ll find a short checklist, example cover email text, recommended word lengths, tips for poetry & photography, and links to the exact pages on the site so you can follow along.
Section 1 · Know the journal
What The Sunlight Press publishes and how they describe themselves
The Sunlight Press is a nonprofit digital literary journal that publishes creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, book & film reviews, photography, and “Artists on Craft” pieces. They publish on a schedule (typically Mondays and Wednesdays) and position themselves as a place for both new and established voices. Read their About page to feel the editorial tone before you write. (About)
Key takeaways for a beginner:
- They prefer finished, polished work — not how-to technical pieces or manifestos about politics or religion. If your piece is experimental, make sure it clearly fits their mission and tone.
- They accept essays (750–1,000 words), fiction (micro/flash/short stories — up to ~2,000 words), poetry (submit up to 3 poems at once), reviews (750–1,000 words), photography (jpeg, up to 3 images per submission), and Artists on Craft pieces (~1,000 words or under). Exact guidelines are on their Submit page.
- They are volunteer-run but pay modest honorariums for accepted work (see the money section). Editors are named on the Staff page — useful when addressing your email.
Section 2 · Fit your idea
Is your piece shaped for The Sunlight Press?
Before you send anything, ask three focused editorial checks:
Does it offer a clear moment or insight?
The strongest essays & fiction pieces hinge on a clear emotional or narrative core — a scene, decision, or discovery. If your piece lacks a clear heart, revise it to isolate the moment that matters.
Is the structure tidy and readable?
Keep paragraphs short, use whitespace, and avoid blocky exposition. For fiction, ensure a sense of arc; for essays, aim for narrative movement and reflection.
Can you show why this matters personally?
Personal hooks and details that reveal experience or careful observation make work memorable. If it’s overly general, add specific scenes, dates, or sensory detail.
Section 3 · Build samples & practice
Prepare 3–5 strong samples before sending
Even if you’re new, a small portfolio helps editors sense your voice and reliability. Your samples can be published on a personal blog, Medium, or a community site like Dev.to (for craft-related posts).
- One polished essay (750–1,000 words) with clean structure.
- A short fiction piece or flash (<1,000 words).
- For photographers: a small portfolio (3–6 images) hosted on a simple page or Instagram (link). Use highest-quality JPEGs.
- If possible, one “Artist on Craft” style piece (process-focused ≤1,000 words).
Open 3–5 recent posts in your target category on the site and outline their structure. Note the voice, opening lines, and how images/captions are used. This helps you match tone.
| Action | Where | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Publish sample | Your blog / Medium / community site | Shows editors you finish work and can be edited |
| Prepare cover email | Short, personal email to thesunlightpress@gmail.com | Editors read concise pitches — make it easy |
| Collect metadata | Bio, socials, contact email | Required in submissions; include 3–4 sentence bio per guidelines |
Section 4 · Submission workflow
Step-by-step: exactly what to send and how
This is a practical checklist you can follow each time you submit. The Sunlight Press accepts email submissions to thesunlightpress@gmail.com and asks you to put the genre in the subject line (e.g., “Submission — Fiction”).
Final polish
Proofread, read aloud, remove stray formatting, and ensure your doc has no names in the file itself (they request anonymous attachments). Save as .docx or .doc unless you have other directions.
Prepare email
Subject line: Submission — [Genre] (e.g., Submission — Essay). In the email body include:
- 3–4 sentence third-person bio (per their guidelines).
- Any social media handles (optional).
- Contact email and whether this is a simultaneous submission.
- Attach your piece as requested (docx/doc) and a clear filename like
title-genre.docx(without your name inside the file).
Send & record
Save the date you submitted and the exact email text in a “submissions log”. If you don’t hear back in 3–4 months, the Submit page says you may query after that time period.
If accepted
The Sunlight Press claims first publishing rights (they revert to the author upon publication). They pay via PayPal for original, unpublished work. If you’ve published elsewhere previously, they may publish but will not pay. See their Submit page for details.
Example email (paste & edit)
Use this short template and personalize it:
Subject: Submission — [Genre]
Hello Beth & Rudri,
Please find attached [title], a [word count] [essay/flash/poem/photography set] for consideration at The Sunlight Press.
3-sentence bio (third-person): [Your short bio here — 1–2 lines]
Socials (optional): [Instagram / Twitter / website link]
This submission is [simultaneous / not simultaneous]. Thank you for your time — I appreciate your consideration.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Section 5 · Money & timelines
How The Sunlight Press pays and typical response time
Per their publicly posted submission page (updated June 2024), The Sunlight Press pays modest honorariums for original, unpublished work and pays via PayPal. Their posted rates (as of June 2024) are:
- $50 for essays (including book reviews & Artists on Craft)
- $50 for fiction (short stories & flash)
- $35 for the first poem accepted; $10 for each additional poem in the same submission
- $20 per photograph accepted
They aim to respond within 3–4 months and acknowledge receipt by email. If you have not heard after that period, their guidelines invite you to query.
Rates are modest but real: each accepted piece pays a small honorarium and builds credibility. Consider these pieces as both immediate income and long-term portfolio assets to use when applying for grants, contests, or paying gigs.
- Plan 3–6 months of submissions: send pieces to 3–6 venues aligned with your work.
- Enter contests and themed calls when appropriate — they sometimes offer larger prizes.
| Type | Posted rate | Advice |
|---|---|---|
| Essay / Review | $50 | Polish, cite any books carefully; match tone of other essays on the site |
| Fiction (flash) | $50 | Strong opening, tight arc; flash can stand out if it’s surprising |
| Poetry | $35 + $10 | Submit up to three poems; avoid unusual formatting that won’t render well |
Section 6 · Ethics, AI & photography
Honesty, original work, and photography rules
The journal explicitly asks do not send AI-generated fiction, nonfiction, poetry, photography, or reviews, and requests that photography submissions be unfiltered (no AI). Respect these rules — editors will discard submissions that ignore them.
- Don’t send AI-generated texts or images.
- Don’t submit pieces with identifying info inside the attached file.
- Don’t submit pieces that are political manifestos or advocacy if they fall outside their stated focus (check guidelines).
- Don’t send unusual formatting for poems that the site cannot reproduce; editors warn that unusual formatting often cannot be replicated.
- Use AI only for private brainstorming, then radically edit and verify every line yourself.
- Include clear captions for photos and note location/credit where appropriate.
- Be ready to provide original source files if requested (especially for photography).
Section 7 · Micro-SOP
Final pre-submission checklist (copy this every time)
Use this checklist before hitting send.
Section 8 · FAQ, templates & resources
Quick answers and helpful links
- Submit — The Sunlight Press (official guidelines)
- From the Editors’ Desk — March 17, 2024 (rates & news)
- About — The Sunlight Press (mission & schedule)
- Staff — who to mention in your greeting
- NewPages — directory of literary magazines & submission calls
- A beginner’s guide to submitting to literary magazines (practical tips)
- How to write a query / cover note — Jane Friedman
- Pay & submission pay context — sample markets (for comparison)