Tell students that their submissions should be typed and double-spaced or neatly printed. Make sure they include their name and home address on each page and keep a copy of their work. Caution youngsters to be realistic in their expectations. We publish only 12 drawings and 12 poems in each issue. For this reason, Gerry Mandel, editor of Stone Soup, the literary magazine for children ages 6 to 13, suggests that teachers and children focus on the process of preparing a piece for publication rather than on publication itself.
Students write with the audience of a specific magazine in mind and polish their piece.
It's a great experience - even if the piece is never published. Here's something else to keep in mind. Conduct brainstorming sessions to find additional creative ways to publish students' work in your own classroom, school, and community. A teacher I once met had her class create a book of riddles to share with the residents of a nursing home. Other teachers have children bind and illustrate their stories and then place the bound versions in a classroom library for others to borrow.