Blue Mountain Arts- Creative Writing

Updated on: by Amy Kennedy

Blue MountainBy: Jessica Bunyard

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Blue Mountain Arts has been around for a while and is very popular with freelancers due to the high amount of freelance submissions they accept. Being an oldie, you can be assured that Blue Mountain Arts is a goody. They have an established reputation and pay well. Blue Mountain Arts publishes books and greeting cards and are one of the largest independent greeting card companies around.

What Does Blue Mountain Arts Publish?

Blue Mountain is always looking for poetry and prose for their greeting cards and books. They ask that the poems NOT rhyme and they do not publish one-liners. BMA suggests that you write your poem/prose with someone specific in mind. For example, a poem about your daughter graduating or a piece to your husband about being married for ten years, ect. While the company publishes mostly sentimental pieces, they want it to be new and refreshing. Do not use “over-used” sentiments. No cliche’s! Sara, an editor for Blue Mountain Arts, did an interview with WOW! where she talks more in-depth about what the company is looking for.

Do I Need Experience to Write for Blue Mountain?

Nope; Just ability. Blue Mountain loves publishing unknown authors, especially in the greeting card line. If you are a talented poet, you should have no problem.

How Much Does Blue Mountain Arts Pay?

Blue Mountain buys exclusive rights for $300 per poem. This gives them ownership of the piece to use in any product they produce. Blue Mountain may also offer one-time rights for $50 to publish your piece in a book. Details will be sent to you once your poem is accepted. Being a freelance writer in the printing world is very different from working online. There is no instant submission process and acceptance usually takes longer. This is also true for payment. I look at it this way; I may not get my payment for a couple weeks or even months, but I am getting $300. It makes the wait worth while. Most online content companies, like BrightHub or Texbroker, pay from $4 to $20.

How Do I Submit Work to Blue Mountain Arts?

Send the finished poem to: Blue Mountain Arts Editorial Department, P. O. Box 1007, Boulder, CO 80306 or email (in the body of the email) to [email protected]. Writer’s guidelines are available here. I recommend reading the guidelines carefully before submitting. Also, check out Blue Mountain’s Website a little to get a feel for the style they publish. Don’t copy/recycle the style of the authors there but use it as a springboard for your own ideas. Always proofread, spell-check…repeat as needed.

What Do Others Say About Blue Mountain Arts?

Blue Mountain Arts is known as one of the best places for a freelancer to get their feet wet in the publishing industry. This is due to the encouraging attitude of the staff as well as their fondness for newbies. Regina Hill, freelance writer at Helium, has worked for the company and has found it the perfect creative outlet since 1994.

“From personal experience, writing for Blue Mountain Arts is like a dream come true and I believe this publisher is one any writer of poetry (Especially Free Verse) , would be delighted to work with.”

Regina has been happy with her experience there and says she loves the opportunity to write things that come from her heart.

Extensive searching has found no bad reviews of writing for Blue Mountain Arts. I once submitted a poem to them during my freshman year of high school (we won’t say how long ago THAT was) and received a very polite refusal email with encouragement to try again. Needless to say, my poetry skills were a bit raw back then. While I have not published with them myself, I have heard great things from some writer friends and online co-workers about Blue Mountain Arts.

Pros and Cons of Blue Mountain Arts

Blue Mountains Art has some ups and downs. Here are the pros and cons you should expect:

Pros:

  1. Established Reputation: Blue Mountain Arts is a well-known and respected company in the greeting card industry. Collaborating with them can give you exposure and help build your professional reputation.
  2. Regular Work Opportunities: Blue Mountain Arts is known for frequently seeking new content and artists to contribute to their greeting cards and e-cards. This can provide you with a consistent stream of freelance work.
  3. Creative Expression: If you enjoy writing poetry or creating sentimental and heartfelt messages, working with Blue Mountain Arts can allow you to express your creativity in a specific niche.
  4. Copyright Protection: Blue Mountain Arts is known for protecting the copyright of their contributors. They typically purchase the rights to the work they publish, which can provide you with financial compensation and protect your intellectual property.

Cons:

  1. Competitive Selection Process: Due to Blue Mountain Arts’ reputation and popularity, there may be a significant number of freelancers vying for opportunities. This can make it challenging to get selected and stand out among the competition.
  2. Limited Flexibility: Blue Mountain Arts has specific guidelines and themes for their greeting cards and e-cards. This may restrict your creative freedom and require you to adhere to their preferred style and tone.
  3. Compensation Structure: Some freelancers have reported that the compensation offered by Blue Mountain Arts may be on the lower side compared to other writing or creative gigs. It’s important to carefully consider the financial aspects before committing to any projects.
  4. Exclusive Rights: When you work with Blue Mountain Arts, they typically acquire exclusive rights to the content you create. This means you may not be able to publish or use the same work elsewhere, limiting your ability to monetize it further.

Give traditional publishing a try. Seeing your name in print is a rush that you may not experience online.

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Comments

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Katie Jones

June 22, 2011 at 8:47 am

This would be a great opportunity for those who like to write but are more prone to writing poems or sentimental pieces!

Great post, really enjoyed it!

Jessica

June 22, 2011 at 10:58 am

Thanks Katie, I think there are a lot of people who love to write creative pieces but aren’t really confident with writing online content. I think this is a great opportunity for them.

TraceyJoy

June 23, 2011 at 11:47 am

great to know Jessica. thanks for sharing

Regina Riddle

March 31, 2016 at 7:26 am

I was surprised to see my name here. I’m Regina Hill, except I’ve remarried and am Regina Riddle now.

Miranda Grimm

March 31, 2016 at 3:07 pm

Ha! That’s so cool!

BethAnn

March 10, 2018 at 9:47 am

Regina Riddle, do you still submit work to Blue Mountain Arts and recommend the company to other writers? Thanks!!

Florence

January 27, 2018 at 1:27 pm

Can I submit a book I wrote, to you at Blue Mountain books?
And how would I do that?
And could you tell me what you look for in a book so I can write it up your way?
* it’s on Happiness, based on research, and fun!

FStewart

January 29, 2018 at 7:32 am

This is not Blue Mountain books, this is only a blog post on our blog that is written about them. We do not have direct contact with them.

Warren Melvin

December 21, 2018 at 6:29 am

I would like to submit a greeting for consideration