Back on December 3,
2011, I posted “Submission Etiquette,” which included some general guidelines
for submitting poems to journals. Since then, a number of readers have asked
about a “re-run” of that prompt. Summer seems a good time to step back and
think about “submission etiquette,” so, I updated a bit and here’s the info
requested. I hope you find it helpful and, yes, there is a prompt this week—be sure to scroll down!
Many poets think that
the ultimate litmus test of their work is whether it gets accepted or rejected
by literary magazines. The truth is that good quality work is often rejected
purely because of an editor’s style and content preferences, and even works of
innovative genius are frequently returned. By the same token, mediocre work is
often published. Selecting poems for publication is essentially a subjective
process: what one editor rejects, another may accept. As an editor myself, I
can tell you that most of us work hard and earn little or nothing for our
efforts. Most do it for the same reason that poets submit—love of the art. So
be sure to respect the editors to whom you send your poems. This does not mean
that editors are the definitive arbiters of what is and isn’t good work. If
your poems are rejected, don’t take it personally. Move on. Send the poems
elsewhere. It isn’t uncommon for poems to be rejected before being accepted.
So, persevere.
Let’s say you’ve read
your poems at open mic sessions and have not been booed off the stage. Maybe
you’ve participated in poetry writing workshops. If you are convinced that your
poems are ready for publication, what do you do about submitting them to
journals? Be aware that you have the option of sending your poems to print
journals (hard copy issues) and/or online journals. There are plusses for both.
First, you need to
research your market. You need to find out which magazines would be suitable
vehicles for your work. The best way to conduct your “market research” is to
start reading poetry journals and Internet e-zines. Buying poetry journals can
be an expensive proposition, but many journals now have strong web presences,
so check out their web sites. You’ll usually find submission guidelines and
information about editorial tastes; and many magazines post sample poems on
their websites. Reading these poems is an effective way of assessing the
suitability of your work for particular journals.
When you’ve decided
which journals you’d like to target for possible publication, check their submission
guidelines and follow them without exceptions!
Following are some general guidelines; if they don’t
conflict with specific journal guidelines, they may be helpful to observe.
(Please keep in mind that every journal has its own submission guidelines, and
you should read them carefully before submitting your poems).
1. Always present
your work in a simple 12-point font like Arial, Times New Roman or Courier. Fancy
fonts will not impress editors.
On the contrary, they may suggest that the sender is a novice writer.
2. Poetry should be
single-spaced with the title at the top and your name, address, phone, and
email address in the upper left or right hand corner. Setting this info into
clever text boxes at the top or bottom of the page isn’t necessary and can look
amateurish.
3. Type one poem to a
page. For poems longer than one page, paperclip the pages together if
submitting to print journals.
4. Poems should be
left-aligned (unless the form dictates otherwise). Don’t center all the lines
simply because you think a poem looks nice that way.
5. Be sure to
spell-check and to carefully proofread before submitting.
6. If you include a
cover letter, it should be short, including only your name, contact details,
and titles of work submitted. In general, most editors do not want to read your
life story, know your hobbies, or hear about your marital status. It isn’t
necessary to include a bio. Most editors are not impressed by previous
publication credits and prefer to judge submissions on their own merits. (Should
your work be accepted for publication, the editor may invite you to send a bio,
but only include it if asked.)
7. Always retain a copy
of any material you send. Most editors receive hundreds of submissions, and
it’s possible for submissions to go missing.
8. Some print
journals will not accept email submissions. There are good reasons for this: the potential transmission
of computer-destroying viruses among them. Many journals, however, do welcome email submissions. Some
journals will accept submissions in attachment form; some require the poem text
to be copied and pasted into the body of an email. Make sure you know the
preferences before submitting!
9. If you submit via
snail mail, use a plain #10 envelope and always include a self-addressed,
stamped envelope (s.a.s.e.) for the editor’s reply. This is a basic courtesy—most
journals will not reply to a submission if the s.a.s.e. is not included.
10. Many online
journals use electronic submissions managing programs. Some online journals ask
you to send your submissions via email. Be sure to follow the directions
carefully.
11. Be careful not to
over-submit. Journal editors are usually more dismayed than pleased when they
receive large numbers of poems from a single poet. Unless otherwise specified,
send no more than five poems, and DON’T follow up with another batch during the
same reading period.
12. Simultaneous
submissions (sending poems to multiple journals at the same time) are often
allowed, but check guidelines carefully to be sure. Given the response times of
many magazines, this means that a poem may be “away from home” for many months
before you know if it has been accepted or rejected.
13. Many journals
will indicate response time in their guidelines—if that response time has long
passed, then and only then might you
query an editor about the status of your poems.
14. You should also
not expect editors to make individual comments on your poems, accepted or not.
While a few editors might, most aren’t critiquers in that sense—they simply
choose the poems they wish to publish. Occasionally, an editor will suggest
edits, which, if made, will result in publication. As a poet, it’s up to you to
decide whether or not you agree to the changes.
15. Beware of vanity
publishing in which you pay a fee for your poems to be published. There are
unscrupulous people out there who will happily fleece you if you are desperate
enough to be published at any cost. Do not be fooled by their flatteries. If
you have to pay to be published, think again. This is not the same as paying an
entry fee for a contest, which is not only credible but often necessary to fund
the prize monies. To learn more about vanity publishing, you may want to check
the following website: http://www.vanitypublishing.info/.
And … here’s the link
to an interesting article in which several journal editors were asked to answer
the question: “What is the worst thing a creative writer can do when making a
submission?” http://www.writersrelief.com/blog/2011/08/worst-submitting-mistake/ (You’ll see my response under the
entry for Tiferet).
Your prompt this
week? No, I didn’t forget, and
here it is!
This week write a poem about getting
(or not getting) published.
Some Things to Think about:
How did you prepare the poem?
Where did you send it?
Did it get accepted or rejected?
How are dull opening lines, stale
language, clichés, and weak endings part of the “recipe” for rejection?
What’s the funniest rejection
letter you’ve ever received?
For a little added fun, try
writing a poem in the form of a rejection or acceptance letter.
Sylvia Plath once said, “I love
my rejection slips. They show me I try.” What does that mean to you? How about
using that quote as an epigraph for a poem?
If these ideas don’t work for
you, consider wiring a poem about any kind of acceptance or rejection.
You might enjoy this article by Major Jackson, poetry editor of The
Harvard Review.
