WRITERS’ GUIDELINES
Steven S. Michalicek, Publisher
Geri Albrecht, Editor
Heuer Publishing LLC
Mailing: P.O. Box 248 • Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52406
Physical: 211 First Avenue S.E. Suite 200 • Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Toll Free: 1-800-950-7529 • Fax (319) 368-8011 • Email: editor@hitplays.com
A RICH TRADITION
Heuer Publishing is one of the oldest publishing houses serving the educational and community theatre markets. Founded in 1928, Heuer is a pioneer in commissioning and publishing unique works from a broad range of distinguished playwrights. Heuer’s performing arts catalog is distributed annually in August with a current circulation in excess of 50,000. While these two markets will remain the mainstay of our business, Heuer is now targeting professional theatre as a focused end-market.
Assisting in this process is our Board of Directors, which is comprised of accomplished teachers and professionals, actively involved in all aspects of the performing arts and humanities. Additionally, our staff, which is heavily involved with local arts organizations, is able to provide unmatched customer assistance in play/musical selection and production, for every show in our catalog.
ETCETERA
We publish plays, musicals, play anthologies and theatrical resource books. The genre of works we publish is broad and includes comedy, drama, mystery, fantasy, farce and melodrama from 10 to 120 minutes in length. The number of actors should remain appropriate for the length of the play and provide solid character development. We are meticulous about detailed production notes, staging directions and character descriptions.
Specific thematic areas of interest include:
* Classic Theatre – great works from throughout history,
* Dinner Theatre – works that combine a theatrical experience with great food,
* Ten Minute Theatre – collection of ten minute plays,
* Social Theatre – works addressing society and the issues and opportunities we all face,
* Family Theatre – works designed for family audiences with flexibility for adult or child actors,
* Interactive Theatre – works that involve a level of audience participation,
We highly encourage theatrical experimentation and challenge our writers to push the edge on traditional theatrical forms; however, because we serve the educational, community theatre and professional markets, special consideration needs to be given to age appropriateness and we highly encourage student editions for works with a mature theme.
RIGHTS AND ROYALTIES
Heuer is extremely flexible with respect to rights arrangements and compensation structures for both amateur and professional markets. Our goal is to develop a long-term relationship with our authors and composers, which is mutually beneficial.
THE SPECS
Please make sure you follow the appropriate guidelines so that your work can be seriously considered by our editors. In the past, it has been our policy to respond to all queries and submissions; however, because of the high volume of submissions that we receive, this has become increasingly difficult for us. At this time, plays that have received a full production will be read before all other submissions. If your play has been produced, please include its production history with your submission. You may begin by clicking on Submit a Play on the left-hand border of our home page and signing in as a New Author. Be sure to include a) the play’s genre, duration, cast size, and synopsis; b) any awards and/or production history and c) your contact information, including email address. Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat are our preferred word processing programs; however, if you use another program, please use Rich Text Format (rtf). This option is available in most word processing programs by going to the “File” menu and selecting “Save As.”
Submission procedure for musicals:
We accept musicals only with proof of production and which include a script/lyrics, a three stave piano score, an instrumental CD and a vocal CD. Please submit the manuscript online by clicking on Submit a Play as noted above and snail-mail a CD with a cover letter and proof of production.
Note: ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS ARE REQUIRED. Each manuscript will receive the editorial staff's full consideration and while we seek to be responsive to all submissions, the evaluation period for those plays without a production history is currently 10-12 months. And remember, “There is no perfect time to write. There is only now.” - Barbara Kingsolver.
Encouraging Creativity Through The Performing Arts |