Submit Your Manuscript to Word Surgery
Want to put your prose under our knife?
Submit an excerpt from your fiction for a chance to have Brian Niemeier review and edit it live on Word Surgery. Selected excerpts may be read, displayed, critiqued, and revised during the livestream as Brian explains the reasoning behind his editorial decisions.
There is no charge to submit. Submission does not guarantee selection.
Before submitting, please read the Manuscript Submission and Media Release below. By submitting your excerpt, you confirm that you have the right to provide the material and authorize its use on Word Surgery under the terms of the Release.
If your excerpt is selected, Kairos Publications will contact you at the email address you provide before featuring it on the show.
WORD SURGERY
Manuscript Submission and Media Release (Version 1.0, dated September 18, 2026)
By submitting written material to Word Surgery, I (“Submitter”) agree to the following terms with Kairos Publications LLC (“Kairos”), producer of Word Surgery:
1. Permission to Use Submitted Material
If Kairos selects the writing, manuscript excerpt, document, or other material I submit (“Submitted Material”) for use in Word Surgery, I grant Kairos a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use the Submitted Material, in whole or in part, for Word Surgery and its promotion.
This permission includes the right to display, read aloud, quote, reproduce, annotate, edit, critique, discuss, and otherwise analyze the Submitted Material during recorded or live programming.
I also grant Kairos the right to use the name, pen name, or other attribution I provide for public use, together with the title of the Submitted Material, in connection with Word Surgery programming and its promotion.
2. Recording and Redistribution
I understand that Word Surgery may be livestreamed and permanently recorded.
I authorize Kairos to record, publish, reproduce, distribute, excerpt, edit, archive, rebroadcast, and promote programming containing the Submitted Material, in whole or in part, through YouTube, social media, websites, podcasts, promotional materials, and other media.
This permission includes clips, excerpts, highlights, advertisements, and other derivative promotional material taken from Word Surgery programming.
3. Ownership
I retain ownership of my Submitted Material. Except for the rights expressly granted by this Release, no copyright or other ownership interest in my underlying manuscript is transferred to Kairos.
Any comments, suggestions, proposed revisions, annotations, or other editorial feedback provided by Kairos or Brian Niemeier during Word Surgery may be used or disregarded by me without further permission or payment.
4. No Compensation or Guarantee
I understand that I will receive no monetary compensation, royalties, or share of revenue arising from Word Surgery or Kairos’ authorized use of the Submitted Material.
I acknowledge that the opportunity to have my Submitted Material considered for the program and, if selected, receive public editorial analysis constitutes the benefit offered in connection with my submission.
Submission does not guarantee that my material will be selected, featured, edited, promoted, or discussed.
5. Submitter’s Representations
I represent and warrant that:
I am at least 18 years old and have legal authority to enter into this Release
I own the Submitted Material or otherwise possess all rights and permissions necessary to submit it and grant the rights described in this Release
the Submitted Material, and Kairos’ authorized use of it under this Release, will not infringe or violate another person’s copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, contractual, or other rights
if the Submitted Material is jointly authored, commissioned, licensed, subject to a publishing agreement, or otherwise subject to another person’s rights, I have obtained any permission necessary for the uses authorized by this Release
I understand that Submitted Material selected for Word Surgery will be publicly disclosed, and I am responsible for removing any confidential, private, sensitive, or personally identifying information that I do not have authority to disclose publicly.
6. Indemnification
I agree to indemnify and hold harmless Kairos Publications LLC, Brian Niemeier, and their respective owners, employees, contractors, agents, and representatives from third-party claims, damages, liabilities, and reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, arising from my breach of the representations and warranties in Section 5.
7. Editorial Commentary
I understand that Word Surgery involves candid public criticism, analysis, and revision of submitted writing. Commentary may identify weaknesses, recommend substantial changes, or replace, rearrange, or remove portions of the Submitted Material.
I voluntarily consent to this public editorial treatment and understand that I may disagree with the opinions, criticism, suggestions, or revisions expressed during the program.
8. No Professional Engagement
Submission to or appearance on Word Surgery does not create an author-editor, consulting, employment, partnership, fiduciary, or other professional relationship between me and Kairos or Brian Niemeier.
Any separate paid editing or consulting relationship is governed solely by the applicable separate agreement.
9. Withdrawal
I may withdraw Submitted Material before Kairos records or live streams its use by providing written notice to Kairos at brian@kairospublications.com.
Once the Submitted Material has been incorporated into a recording or live stream, the permissions granted under this Release for that recording and related uses are irrevocable.
10. Contact Information
Kairos may use my contact information to administer my submission, communicate with me regarding Word Surgery, and for other purposes to which I separately consent.
Kairos may disclose my contact information to service providers as reasonably necessary to administer submissions and operate Word Surgery, or as otherwise required by law.
11. Governing Law
This Release is governed by the laws of Peoria County, Illinois without regard to conflict-of-laws principles.
12. Agreement
By checking the acceptance box and submitting my material, or by otherwise signing or electronically accepting this Release, I acknowledge that I have read, understood, and agreed to these terms.
This Release may be executed in one or more counterpart copies. Each counterpart copy shall constitute an agreement, and all of the counterpart copies shall constitute one fully executed agreement. The signature of any party to any counterpart shall be deemed a signature to, and may be appended to, any other counterpart. In the event that any signature is delivered by facsimile transmission or by e-mail delivery of a ".pdf" format data file, such signature shall create a valid and binding obligation of the party executing (or on whose behalf such signature is executed) with the same force and effect as if such facsimile or ".pdf" signature page were an original thereof.
If any provision of this Release is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.