Guideposts nonfiction books are created to uplift, inspire, and empower readers by sharing real-life experiences from authors writing about their own faith walk. Our most frequent needs are for submissions to multiauthor devotionals and true short story collections, but please see below for a list of current projects.
Writing for Our Annual Devotionals
Guideposts publishes three annual devotionals: Walking in Grace (formerly Daily Guideposts), Mornings with Jesus, and All God’s Creatures. Note that Mornings with Jesus and All God’s Creatures magazines use the same text as the annual devotional books, so if you write for the devotional book, your writing will automatically be in the magazine.
In order to maintain a consistent voice from year to year, each devotional has a roster of writers who are invited to contribute each year. If you are interested in becoming part of this roster, you can apply through an audition process, which involves submitting information about yourself and some sample devotions to the editor. Each devotional has its own requirements, so please see below under each title for audition guidelines.
Please note that because of the volume of emails we receive, it is not possible for editors to acknowledge every email, and depending on when messages are received, it may take some time for the editor to reply.
The tone of each devotional is very specific, and for that reason we strongly recommend downloading samples and reading them carefully before submitting auditions. The most common reason for authors to be rejected is that their writing style or approach to crafting devotions isn’t a good match for a particular title.
If you have questions that aren’t addressed below, you can email devotions@guideposts.org for more information.
Walking in Grace
Formerly published as Daily Guideposts, this annual devotional is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2027. Writers for this devotional come from many Judeo-Christian traditions and represent a wide variety of voices and experiences. This devotional is closest in tone to Guideposts magazine and includes both deeply religious and more general perspectives on spiritual living. We are most actively seeking new authors between June and August each year.
Download Walking in Grace audition guidelines
Download sample pages from a recent volume
Mornings with Jesus
Mornings with Jesus is written by women, for women. First published in 2012, this devotional emphasizes a personal relationship with Jesus through daily living and facing life’s challenges. We are most actively seeking new authors between October and December each year.
Download Mornings with Jesus audition guidelines
Download sample pages from a recent volume
All God’s Creatures
All God’s Creatures features animals of all types (including birds, fish, reptiles, and insects) and all the ways we can learn spiritual lessons from the creatures around us. We ask all authors to write about different animals each year (going beyond their own pets, for example), and we give preference to writers whose jobs, volunteer work, or hobbies bring them into contact with a wide variety of different creatures. We are most actively seeking new authors between November and January each year.
Download All God’s Creatures audition guidelines
Download sample pages from a recent volume
Current Series in Progress
Angels in Our Lives
What does an angel look like? For some, they’re winged messengers swooping in to save the day, but for many, they’re the person next door. In this new series, you’ll witness the many ways God brings helpers into our lives, from dramatic rescues to heartwarming moments of love and care. Read inspiring stories of friends, families, and even whole communities coming together in faith to help a person in need. Hear about guardian angels who provided comfort and peace to people throughout their lives. And delight in uplifting stories of uplifting reminders from people who have passed, bringing peace to those left behind.
Angels in Our Lives is a series that explores the ways God moves in people’s lives–and the truly angelic result. These true stories of angels in actions will strengthen your faith and encourage you to see signs of God’s presence in the world around you–and seek ways that you, too, can be an angel to others.
Story Requirements for this Series
We are looking for stories that clearly show how God intervenes in our lives through others, events, visions, objects, and animals. While the moment can be wrapped in an everyday or commonplace experience, the result should be the realization that whatever happened did so only because God sent a helper.
Stories could be based on a mysterious stranger, a voice out of nowhere, divine intervention, dramatic or ordinary rescues, angelic visions, angel-related objects, guardian angels, animal angels, messages through nature, and the like.
Each story should be a true, first-person account of between 750 and 1,500 words.
See below for general guidelines for submitting pitches for one of our series.
Payment on acceptance of story: We will pay $250 per accepted story
Deadline for submission of summary: Because this series is ongoing, you may submit your story summary for consideration at any time.
Send submissions or queries to: angels@guideposts.org
General Submission Requirements (All Series)
- Stories must be original and never before published in the form you’re submitting it here (other publications that refer to those events are fine).
- The story must be told from the perspective of a person central to the events described, not a third party who observed the events or heard about them secondhand. Ghostwritten or “as told to” stories (written by an author on behalf of another person) are welcome.
- Although stories may deal with difficult subjects, the takeaway for the reader should be positive and uplifting.
What to submit:
Submit a short (50- to 150-word) summary of your story along with any details that you think would be important for the editor to know. The summary should outline the progression of the story from beginning to end and include a description of how the story relates to the series concept. Please do not submit story excerpts or marketing “teaser” copy in place of this summary.
Also include with the submission (not for publication) your full name (and legal name if different from the name used in the byline), mailing address, e-mail address, and preferred phone number. If you are represented by an agent, please let us know that also.
About sensitive content: As part of the editing process, the editor may ask questions to clarify the events described. If the topic of your story is difficult for you to discuss in depth, or if you are unable to reveal key details because of privacy concerns, please describe those limitations along with your pitch.
What happens next:
We will review your summary and let you know if we would like you to write the full-length story.
Due to the volume of submissions we receive, we may not be able to confirm receipt of every submission. If we would like to use your story, we will generally contact you within 2-3 months of the deadline for summary submission (contact times will be faster for volumes on a short deadline). Request for full story does not guarantee acceptance.
