Frequently asked Questions

What is the difference between READ-ONLY and FULL MEMBERSHIP?

Read-only members can read stories etc but cannot contribute.

Full members can post stories, blogs, profiles and portfolios of work, as well as taking part in forums, contacting other members and receiving discounts on services offered by bluethumbnail.com.

How much does it cost to be a member?

Full membership fee is £3.95 or €4.50* per month, recurring until cancelled.
(*About US$6.50 / $6.95Aus / $6.65Can) 

OR £42.50 / €49 per year, non recurring.

Writers GROUPS (maximum 20 members) pay double: £7.95 or €8.95 per month or £85 or €98 per year.

How do I pay?

Through Pay-pal  (using credit card if preferred).

How do I cancel?

If you pay yearly your membership will expire automatically at the end of the twelve months. We will notify you one month prior to this, reminding you to renew. If you do not renew, your account will be cancelled.

If you pay monthly and wish to cancel please write an email (providing your user name and password) to  admin@bluethumbnail.com  entitling your mail  'cancel subscription'. We will terminate your account within the following month.   

If for any reason we do not receive your monthly payment on the due date your account may be suspended.

NB: minimum  membership to the site is ONE YEAR.

As a full member why should I pay to post my own work for others to read free?

You are not only paying to post work but to use the site to promote your work with your profile and portfolio. We want to build up bluethumbnail.com to make it an exciting site that readers will visit again and again. We also want to promote it on as wide a level as possible with targeted advertising to provide you with as wide a readership as possible. This will help you develop your talent and build a reputation that might interest conventional publishers.

What other services are offered by bluethumbnail.com?

On-line tuition. We offer two courses, each with twelve assignments, to help you develop your writing skills, as well as a more informal service for authors who seek creative feedback on work in progress. We also offer editorial services for authors wishing to polish their work before submitting it to a publisher or posting it on the site.

Members will receive a 10% discount on these services.

Becoming a member of Bluethumbnail.com also means a complimentary membership of ‘Friends of Limnisa’. We hold creative writing workshops and writing retreats every summer at Limnisa, Methana, Greece (see www.limnisa.com). For these we can offer full members a 10% discount.

We can offer a 50% reduction for admission to story competitions organized by Limnisa and / or Bluethumbnail.

What about copyright on stories posted on the site?

You retain ownership of any story posted on our site and have the right to remove it at any time. The story remains yours to sell to a publisher.  Don't believe it if someone tells you your work will be rejected if it has been shown on-line. Some publishers have scouts checking out blogs and on-line sites seeking new talent.  (Belle de Jour started off as a blog!)

Can bluethumbnail.com help me publish my work?

By posting work on our site we hope you will build up a readership that will help you in finding a contract with a commercial publisher.  We will be updating literary agencies on work on our site on a regular basis. 

What sort of stories are you looking for?

We are looking for stories of every variety and genre.  The only benchmark is quality. Stories must be well told so they appeal to readers.

 How do I submit my work?

Go to submissions and send your story with a covering note to editor@bluethumbnail.com.  Please allow a few days for a reply.

 What if you reject my story?

There are two categories of story posted on the site.  You are welcome to post anything you like within your own portfolio, or on a blog.  But stories to go on Front Page must be submitted to the editor whose judgment is final.  However, we may suggest making a few changes.  If you are happy to make these changes we will then reconsider.  You can submit as many stories as you like. 

What feedback will I get on stories posted on the front page?

Readers can award points.  The stories that win the most points will rise to the top of the list.   Readers can also write comments. 

What happens to a good story that isn't 'popular'?

It might not be high on the list but every week we'll be featuring stories we think deserve  more attention. 

What's so different about bluethumbnail.com?

There are plenty of sites for 'writers' communities' but most of these are inward looking,  not open to general readers.  We want bluethumbnail.comto be visually exciting, with stories that really stand out, so readers will want to return.       
 

Who are these 'general readers'?

Wherever there is wi-fi, anyone with a laptop or net-book can access our site for a story - a story short enough to read through in one sitting, during a break or on the way home, or last thing at night.  In this way we want to appeal to people who might not ever consider buying a book of short stories (an endangered species these days) or wade through a magazine.   Remember, a book of stories by an unknown author would probably have a print run of no more than 3,000 copies.  Not all of these would get sold. Readership via the internet is potentially global. 

What about e-books?

As e-books become more popular we hope readers will keep coming back to bluethumbnail.comtodownload your stories.   In due course we want to be able to post novels as well as shorter stories and start charging royalties (payable to the author).