If
you are just at the start of your writing career and you are just champing at
the bit, dying to see your name in lights, here’s some practical advice to help
you on your way. Do consider this
advice carefully. In the long run, it
will save you a fortune in stamps, and it may also save you some
embarrassment. I speak as a writer and
artist who has wasted many stamps and made many embarrassing mistakes along the
way. I also speak as an editor who has
often been exasperated (and indeed infuriated) by those who know nothing about
submission etiquette. I’ll explain this
in due course, and will even endeavour to enlighten you as to why this
etiquette exists.
Before
we approach the hows and whys of submission etiquette, ask yourself this, are
you ready for your work to be published?
Do you feel your work is mature?
Have you developed a voice of your own?
Ten years down the line, will you regret having published before your
work was sufficiently developed? These
points are well worth considering. It
may well be worthwhile to test the waters by getting involved in a writers’
circle or getting down to an ‘open mic’ session at your local pub (and if you
don’t know of any in your locality, try an internet search on google and you’re
bound to find something, just put in the name of the nearest town and key words
like ‘writers circle’ or ‘creative writing’ and you’re bound to find
something).
You
may think that the ultimate litmus test of the quality of your work is whether
it gets accepted or rejected by the literature magazines out there, but I feel
duty bound to disabuse you of that notion.
Good quality work will often get rejected, purely because of the
stylistic biases of the editor; and even works of innovative genius will
frequently be returned with a polite ‘thank you, but NO’. Even worse than that is that mediocre and
even downright dreadful work can and often does get published, and not just by
the vanity presses. You see, the thing
is, anyone who has the inclination can set up a magazine. The outlay is relatively low, as new
business ventures go. The only thing
you need at your disposal is time: lots of it!
You don’t even need business acumen to run a poetry magazine, because
lets face it, the only poetry magazines that don’t make a loss are those that
are funded by arts councils or universities.
So, in a nutshell, any idiot can start up a poetry magazine, and many
do! So beware of trying to get
published too hastily, for you may well succeed.
Okay,
let’s say you’ve read a few of your poems at an open mic session and not been
booed off the stage, and maybe even you’ve done some creative writing workshops
and you are convinced your stuff is ready for publication, what now?
First,
you need to research your market. You
need to find out which magazines would be suitable vehicles for your work. It may seem obvious to say it, but there are
plenty of people who waste stamps and pay no heed to this simple bit of advice. Relentless, they post their rhyming love
poems to experimental poetry magazines, their horror poems to church magazines
and their ranting, streams of consciousness to formalist, academic journals;
wasting their time and money, and wasting magazine editors’ time too. The only people that benefit from this are
the directors of the soon to be privatised mail service.
The
best way to conduct your market research is to start buying poetry
magazines. This will be beneficial not
just to you, but to the magazines too.
For even though there are hundreds of millions of budding poets out
there, most poetry magazines have dismal circulation figures, rarely even into
four figures. So an extra subscriber is
always welcomed. Of course, no-one but the idle rich could afford to subscribe
to every magazine they intend to submit to, that goes without saying, but
taking out a couple of subscriptions won’t kill you... won’t even cost as much
as night on the skite. So get your
priorities right! Without these magazines
about, your precious poems will remain unpublished and unloved. Seriously though, every week I hear about
another magazine that has gone to the wall because of poor subscription take
up. Support the magazines you expect to
publish you!
Aside
from buying poetry magazines, you can conduct your research over the
internet. Most magazines now have some
sort of web presence, 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 website. This is your best way of assessing the suitability
of your work for their magazine. It is
a time consuming process, especially if you have only got a dial up connection,
but it will save you a fortune in stamps and considerably reduce the amount of
rejection slips you accumulate. You can
also do further research in poetry libraries.
There’s one in London, in the South Bank Centre, and another in
Edinburgh, off the Canongate. There may
be others in the UK that I don’t know about, but most cities have reference
libraries that stock a range of more established poetry magazines like The
Poetry Review, Chapman, Outposts, Orbis and Ambit. (Apologies to readers from outside the UK, but I’m sure you’ll be
able to find the information you require through an internet search engine).
Okay,
lets assume you’ve done your research and you’ve chosen the magazines you wish
to submit to. Now you have to think
about presentation. Seriously, you
do. There’s no point in sending
scrawled, hand written work with crossings out and coffee cup stains. Straight up, the editor isn’t even going to
bother reading them. After all, if you
can’t be bothered making an effort, why should he or she? Editors have to trawl through thousands upon
thousands of submissions every year, so why not increase your chances of
success and make it easy for them to read your work? There are a few simple rules to follow, and they make perfect
sense.
As
you’ll have gathered from the above, each time you submit material to a
magazine it’s going to set you back at least 50 pence in stamps and stationary,
if not more. It’s an expensive
business, and not generally a profitable one, as most magazines only pay in
contributors’ copies. You may want to
look for ways of economising, and with the advent of the Internet, you might be
tempted to email your submissions instead.
All I can say to this is, ‘yield not to temptation’. Unsolicited email submissions are the bane
of most editors’ lives, and are second only to non-inclusion of SAEs in the
list of contributors’ sins. Most print
magazines will not accept email submissions. There are many good reasons for this: the potential transmission
of computer destroying viruses being not least of them. That said, some print magazines will accept
email submissions, and I have noted those I know of in their listing, but there
are usually conditions attached. For
easy searching I have used yellow highlighter to show print magazines that
accept electronic submissions. Whilst most print magazines do not accept
electronic submissions, most internet magazines or e-zines do. So, if you are really skint this would be
the obvious avenue to go down. I've
listed over 800 internet magazines in the internet
magazines links section of this website.
You should be aware however that only a handful of internet zines have a
sizeable readership. Most people still
prefer to read their poetry on paper.
It’s
an expensive business trying to get your work published. Every time you submit some work it’s like
putting a bet on a horse in what will feel like a rigged race, and even if you
do win, your prize will most likely be just a complimentary copy of the
magazine your piece is published in. If
your work is well-constructed and in keeping with the zeitgeist, you may be
able to place it in one of the few magazines that actually pays, but even then,
don’t expect to be handsomely rewarded for your efforts. Most payments are dismal, if you think of
the hours put in and the expenses incurred.
In truth, if you want to earn money you’d be better to get a job as a
pot washer in a third world country, because they get paid more per hour than
most writers. If you’re a poet, God
help you. Even the most famous poets in
the world have to have day jobs. If
you’re a novelist, at least you can live in hope of being the next Irvine
Welsh, but before you let your dreams build you up too high, here’s a sobering
statistic: only one in a hundred completed manuscripts ever get published; and
only one in a hundred published authors actually earn a reasonable living from
royalties. Statistically speaking,
you’d still better keep the day job!
But before you even start to dream about poetry collections and novels,
you’ve still got to get over the hurdle of rejection. Rejection is going to stalk you like a demon. As soon as you send that first batch of
poems out you are going to be walking in that demon’s shadow. You better get used to it, because pretty
soon you’re going to have enough rejection slips to wallpaper a room, and at 50
pence a rejection, that’s pretty expensive wallpaper.
If
all this has put you off, well and good, because you don’t have the stomach for
it. Go and get another hobby! Seriously, I’m not kidding. If you want to be a writer you are going to
need a hide of iron. Rejections
sting like buggery, and even after years and years in the game - even knowing the
fickle nature of editors - most experienced writers will tell you that a
well-crafted rejection can still throw their whole raison d'etre into the cold
abyss of self-doubt. Although they are
few and far apart, there are some editors out there who are unrepentant
sociopaths: they actually take pleasure in one-upmanship headgames and will
spend an incredible amount of their energy dreaming up caustic rejection notes,
designed to shake up the very foundations of your being. Do not be deterred by these people. You will find, almost invariably, that these
people are failed poets. That is, they
dreamed about being the next Ted Hughes or T.S. Eliot, but the most they
achieved was the publication of a few slim volumes that sold only a few hundred
copies... and now they are taking out their revenge on you. Of course, almost every magazine editor
could be described as a disappointed poet, because almost every one of them has
dreamt at some time of being the next poet laureate, but, fortunately, most of
them are not bastards and can accept that you too share such beautiful
dreams... and even if they don't like your poem - even if they would rather
chew razorblades than read another of your poems - they will send you the same
impersonal rejection slip that they would send out to anyone else. And if they are sympathetic to poets'
plights in general, that rejection slip will be crafted in such a way that your
hopes, aspirations and dreams will be left intact after it is received.
That
said, you don’t need to take every rejection personally. With a little
experience, you will learn to calm the inner voices that tell you you’re an
abject failure just because Joe Bloggs at X, Y or Z magazine has rejected your
poems. Editors are not the
ultimate arbiters of what is and isn’t good work. Editors are frequently blinded by their own biases and
tastes. It is not uncommon for poems to
be rejected by numerous magazines and then accepted by another. I’ve had poems rejected by a succession of
scrotty little xeroxed rags, only to be finally accepted by a serious literary
heavyweight. There is no obvious logic
to this; and often it is just a process of trial and error, but with time and
experience you will slowly get to understand what makes poetry editors tick and
will thus be able to target your poems a bit more accurately. So, persevere in the face of all
adversity.
Perseverance
is a necessary virtue in this game. So
is patience. You are going to wait a
long, long time to see your work in print.
First, you need to wait to find out whether your work has been accepted
or rejected. Then, if it has been
accepted, you are going to have to wait some more before you see it
published. It is not uncommon to wait
three months before you hear of a decision, and in some cases, it can be as
long as a year, depending on the publication schedule of the magazine in
question. As a rule of thumb, you
should wait at least three months before getting in touch with the editor to
query the status of your submission. As
for how long you are going to wait to see your accepted submission published,
well, usually at least a year, but quite often you will have to wait even
longer. My personal record for the gap
between acceptance and publication is thirteen years, and this dubious
honour goes to Global Tapestry Journal who accepted my poem ‘Sartre’s Eyes’ in
1987 and published it in 2000. I must
admit, I had given up on the possibility of seeing my poem published in Global
Tapestry Journal. I assumed the
magazine had folded. This does happen a
lot: you’ll get your poem accepted, and the magazine will fold before your poem
gets published. This is called Sod’s
Law. Some believe that Sod’s Law is a
universal truth, which even Einstein couldn’t negate; others (of a sunnier
disposition) believe it’s a myth.
Believe me, in the world of poetry publishing, Sod’s Law prevails. Get used to it!
Another
instance of Sod’s Law is the first time you break the almost holy commandment
of ‘thou shalt not simultaneously submit’ you’ll get the same poem accepted
by two magazines. So, what will you do
then? Hmmm.... well, you could always chance your arm and
let both magazines publish the same poem.
Truth be told, I used to do this.
I figured, what the hell, both magazines have only a tiny circulation,
why shouldn't my poem be published twice over?
But I learned my lesson later on, when an illustration of mine was
accepted by a very prestigious Canadian poetry magazine with a promised payment
of $100. Before the magazine in
question went to print, they found the same illustration published in an
internet magazine and refused to use my work.
I not only lost out on publication and $100, but also on the chances of
any future acceptances with that magazine.
You see, in both America and Canada, magazines will very often insist on
First Serial Rights (often including electronic rights). Even magazines that don't pay often insist
on First Serial Rights. And if you are
a UK writer, used only to the way the UK magazine market works, you will be
surprised - maybe even flabbergasted - when you start dealing with US and
Canadian magazines. Not only will they
probably insist on all sorts of rights, but they will also often send you a
contract. Again, even some that don't
pay will still insist on this pre-publication hoop-jumping. Do read these contracts very carefully
before signing them. Mostly it's just
standard fare, and you will retain copyright of your poem, but best to make sure,
just in case you are signing yourself off to a life of indefinite servitude. In the UK, contracts are usually the reserve
of anthologies and collections.
Magazines will rarely ask you to sign away any rights, but that said, UK
magazine editors often get the hump if they find out that they have published
your poem and it was previously published elsewhere.
Believe
me, you really don’t want to piss magazine editors off. Editors may be eccentric, cantankerous and
even unreasonable, but they are the ones with the power. If you don’t play the game by the rules its
your loss, not theirs. It’s what’s
called a ‘buyers market’. So, play the
game, even if you think the game's a bogey.
If you want to substantially reduce your chances of
getting published, here’s what to do.
The next time you receive a rejection slip, write to the editor in
question and let them know that their decision is wrong, that your poem is a
work of genius and the editor is a fool.
If you want to absolutely guarantee that this editor will never publish
you, be as abusive as possible, perhaps even threaten physical violence. That should do the trick. Seriously though, don’t do it. No matter how angry or frustrated these
rejection slips get you, bite your tongue, count to ten, go and make yourself a
nice cup of tea. Don’t noise up
editors. It isn’t polite and it won’t
do you any good. Common sense, you
might think, but there isn’t an editor in the game that hasn’t received abusive
responses to their polite rejection slips.
Editors
are mostly nice, well-meaning people.
They work their knuckles to the bone and earn nothing for all their
efforts, many of them even subsidise their magazines from their own pockets,
and they get sweet FA in the way of thanks for all their hard work. Why do they do it? Well, the answer is love, which is a good enough reason to
do anything. So please, respect the
editor!
Before
I sign off, a word of warning, beware of Vanity Publishing. There are unscrupulous people out there who
will happily fleece you as you set off on your quest for literary fame and
fortune. They will use every device
possible to reel you in and part you from your money. Do NOT be fooled by their flatteries. A rule of thumb is that legitimate magazines pay you for publishing
your work, not the other way round. You
will get paid, at least, a contributor's copy, and sometimes even a bit of cash
thrown in on top. If they ask you to
pay then they are taking the piss. Or,
even more deviously, they won't insist on any payment (so you don't think they
are vanity publishers), but if you want a copy of the book your poem is
published in you will have to pay for it, and often a ridiculously
over-inflated price. People who fall
for this trick often report that these books are shoddily produced and they are
crammed to the rafters with seriously dreadful poetry. Also, be very aware that these free poetry
competitions, often advertised in the national press, are also a front for
Vanity Publishers. If you enter one of
these competitions, do not be surprised if you receive notice that you have
reached the semi-finals and selected for inclusion in an anthology, again,
which you will have to pay for. You may
even be offered certificates and trophies, again at a price. In general, the rule of thumb is this: if
they are asking for money have nothing to do with them. A very useful and informative site that
deals with the practice of vanity publishing is at http://www.vanitypublishing.info/. It is definitely worth checking out.
As
far as I'm aware, every magazine listed in The AA Independent Press Guide is a
legitimate operator. Almost all of them
will pay you in contributors' copies and/or cash for publishing your work. There are some that don't pay at all, and
may even only accept work from subscribers.
There's a subtle difference between these magazines and vanity
publishers, but it's a thin line - and I personally find their practices
questionable - but the difference is that these magazines don't charge the
earth and they don't try to sucker you in with flattery. I'd still advise you to avoid such
magazines, as it is common courtesy to pay contributors at least one
complimentary copy of the issue they are published in.
My
aim with The AA Independent Press Guide is to provide you with a useful and
accurate resource. However, it is
impossible for me to guarantee that the information in this guide is 100% up to
date. Magazines come and go with sadly
inevitable frequency. They can also
change personnel and contact details.
Whilst I do my best to keep on top of this I just don't have enough
spare time or enough money to stay in constant touch with every magazine listed
in this guide. I rely on magazine
editors getting in touch with me to let me know about changes, but very often
they just don't. They've usually got
other things on their minds. So, this
is where you can help. If you hear of a
magazine folding or changing contact details, please do email me and let me
know (you'll find my current contact information here). Also, should the worst happen and you find
that a magazine or publisher listed in The AA Independent Press Guide tries to
shaft you, let me know.
Finally,
as you know, The AA Independent Press Guide is a completely free, online
resource. I put a lot of time and
energy into producing it, which I am happy to do, because I am a bit of a
hippie idealist and I believe in trying to help other people. When I was starting out in this game I
received a lot of help and advice from more established writers and artists for
which I am eternally grateful. So this
guide is my way of paying back (or rather, I should say 'forwards'). I offer you this guide as a labour of love. That said, there are a lot of costs involved
with the production of this guide, so if you find it useful, you may want to
make a donation towards its upkeep.
Even a donation of a few pounds/ dollars/ euros will help. So, if you feel you have benefited from this
guide, please do consider making a contribution towards its continued
upkeep. You'll find details on how to
make a donation here.
I
hope you find this advice useful.
Follow it, and I guarantee you, you will save yourself a lot of time and
a heap of cash. Good luck on the long,
slow, winding path to literary success.
All
the best
Dee
Rimbaud
Now, here are a few points of view
from some writers, publishers and magazine editors, which you might want to
consider....
Don't
consider this advice, or anyone's, as gospel. Just consider it. Don't blindly follow, or naively
believe everything an editor, agent, or writer who has it made,
tells you....
Don't
hibernate. No one ever makes it
alone. ..Networking is necessary to progress in any field. Every step up (acceptance)
results from the decision or action of somebody else....
Don't
brood over rejections. A
rejection letter is simply a no-sale; it is not a writing report card. Negative
responses sometimes result from whims, idiosyncrasies, and circumstance...
Don't
assume that breaking into print is your greatest challenge. Acceptance isn't always easier
thereafter--every sale involves luck and circumstance, as well as
expertise....
Don't
be afraid to be a genius. For
you are a potential genius. As are each of us--when our fire is
lighted--and we dare to stride out in fields without a footprint, creating new
paths...
Author of " The Writing World, Living The Literary Life".
Website: www.authorsden.com/luben
Some
writers put enough sellotape around their envelope to protect a Mona Lisa - and
I'm not smiling by the time I get inside! Their work is likely to be torn
or dog-eared before I see it. If you live in Ireland, please specify north or
south, it affects postage and I would sooner pick up a dictionary than an
Atlas. IRCs hear hear! If you absolutely must have a reply from
abroad, enclosing your email address could save you a lot of money. I'm
not picking up the phone to the States if there's insufficient IRCs. Having spent time reading a poetry
collection and writing a review suited to my readers, the poet sent a very
snotty, personal and ill-informed reply. Needless to say, I won't
bother to review the poet in future. Poets often write on postcards, with
enough words to fill an A4 sheet. Needless to say, the postman obligingly
stamps over half the scribble, which saves me the job of reading it! Poets
frequently pity the Post Office so much, they stick 3 or 4 stamps on an
envelope, when a simple pair of kitchen scales would help them to estimate
under 60 grams. If they must send so many stamps - thank you, but don't
stick them on the envelope. Some poets
obviously steam off stamps before sending their work and reusing the stamp -
sadly the postman's eyesight is better than theirs; they can see the franking
marks and will charge over £1 for loss of earnings!
Wendy
Webb
Website:
www.wendywebb.mysite.orange.co.uk
I've just had a browse through your tips for writers
and it looks pretty comprehensive to me. I'd second all the thoughts about
clearly set out on decent paper and spelled properly! (Do you mention email? I
get a lot of stuff submitted that way which is fine by me particularly if I'm
going to use it cos I can just paste it in, as long as it's in the body of the
email or on an attachment I can open!) Being a mag. about oral storytelling I don't get too many
unsuitable submissions because I've learned to describe it as such and most
people do find out what we're all about before sending stuff but there is
a trickle of people - mainly from USA for some reason! who insist on sending
their very formulaic detective stories or sometimes really sloppy love poems which
have no relevance at all. I always reply and explain that they are not what we
are about but a couple of them have continued to send inappropriate stuff so I
just bin it.
Pete
Castle
Facts
& Fiction, UK.
Website:
www.factsandfiction.co.uk
I don’t think my anecdotes
are particularly funny, but we get all the usual mistakes – submissions that
virtually need origami experts to get them into tiny envelopes, no return
postage, 20 poems when we ask for six, Epic poems when we only publish up to 40
lines… We get vast amounts of doggerel from people who’ve never read poetry –
perhaps that’s something worth adding – if people don’t read poetry how can
they expect to write something that others will want to read? One of the
classics that jumps to mind is a poem that began ‘don’t be a rebel/ sit on a
pebble’ and got worse from there L I recently had
something from someone who said he didn’t have an address to give me – very sad,
but hard to engage with. We do accept electronic submissions – it’s quick and
easy and much cheaper for people, but we don’t accept attachments – none the
less we get streams of them.
Jan
Fortune-Wood
Website: www.coffeehousepoetry.co.uk
Some advice for novice
writers? First off, they should get Poet's Market and submit to
the better-than-average percent of acceptances (50% or better). These are
usually markets that will accept poems from beginner poets (although
better-known poets sometimes get published here too, which is always nice --
being published along with a "name" poet). Here, at The
Poet's Art, I try to accept one thing from each contributor, but poets
need to realize this is not the common thing, although some publications tend
to favor the beginning poet. Last of all, poets can't let rejection stop
them, especially if they have never been published before. I can't tell
you how many places I was rejected in before receiving that first-cherished
acceptance letter and then the journal it was in! Oh, and did I forget to
mention that beginning poets that it is very hard (if not impossible) to make a
career as a poet. I have had to pay more money than I've received
(the highest being $5 from one publication). I wouldn't pay a penny more
than that. Any publication that asks you to do this, isn't worth being
published in!
David Fox
The
Poet's Art, USA.
Website: http://www.freewebs.com/thepoetsart
I've
had a quick read of Tips and it makes sense to me. I very much agree that poets
should buy/subscribe to the magazines that they like, and I'd emphasise the
idea of the poet building a kind of mutual-respect relationship with an editor
over the years and, hopefully, with the other contributors to magazines they
are published in - that for many editors it's not about getting published in a
way, but about building an artistic community around the magazine (which will often
have associated readings and pamphlets or books - again these are something
that should be participated in, in good faith, by a poet who really
admires/enjoys the work published there). IRCs. I have yet to be sent a
single submission by an American who has enclosed enough IRCs to cover return
postage: my advice to American poets is, if in doubt, add a further IRC to
cover.
Richard
Price
Painted
Spoken, UK
Website:
www.hydrohotel.net
I reckon IRCs are pretty redundant
now, most POs don't touch them. I've never ever been asked for First Serial
Rights. They just don't exist.
Its' bollocks made up by stupid editors; and in line with that, I would
suggest writers never give their copyright or rights away. As Robert
Fripp says about music publishing, its an outdated and indefensible practice,
especially in a poetry world where no-one ever gets paid anyway...
Stride Publication, UK
Website: www.stridebooks.co.uk
Submissions that annoy me: Whole MS received from
unknown persons, often 500 pages, with no return postage. Poems submitted which are of completely the wrong genre for the
magazine e.g., I specifically state I do not wish to receive poems about cute
cuddly kittens, and then receive poems about cute cuddly kittens. Poems that have been rejected by numerous publishers and are
sent to me as multi creased, hardly legible, tea or beer stained chip wrappers. Poems where no effort has been made to check spelling or
punctuation and the dreaded 'i' is used instead of 'I.' These hit my bin
faster than a speeding bullet. No return postage = no
return. E-mail submissions should consist of no more than 6
poems, and not as file attachments; file attachments will not be read through
fear of computer virus proliferation. I also have a 'blind spot'
for over blown statements; recently received an accompanying letter which said
the poet had been described as "equivalent to Byron, but you judge . .
." I did, he wasn't. Don't bombard: if you've
had two or three submissions rejected by the same publisher there is little
point in sending further poems to this point of contact, (it would appear
your genre of poems are unsuitable for the magazine in question, but may be
eminently suitable for another magazine). Do your research. Swear words, sensational tactics, fancy fonts and 'arty'
borders - forget it.
David Pike
Pulsar Poetry, UK
Submissions
that irritate: Letters and envelopes decorated with New Age stars and glitter;
letters that state the sender has umpty-tumpty years experience as a
professional writer and then includes a typescript that has been typed on an
old Remington (with half the letters missing) and covered in Tippex;
typescripts that fill the entire page with no margin and no double
spacing. Surprise packages: The
typescript that looked like it had been soaked in half a pound of lard and the
collection of pubic hair!
Suzanne Ruthven
The
New Writer, UK.
Your
tips for novice writers are excellent - our lives would be easier if people
read these before submitting. Top 5 submission blunders from Mslexia:
1.
Constant fretting, leading to incessant phonecalls. Harsh but true.
2.
Making changes to submissions after submitting and judging. Let it go.
3.
Clip art. Say no more.
4.
Plastic folders. Save the planet.
5.
Tiny return envelopes. Plant a tree.
MsLexia,
UK
Just a few thought on your tips for writers... Thoroughly comprehensive.
Like so many we always receive 20 submissions when we ask for 5, envelopes with
no stamps, hand-written scrawls on the back of junk mail, unopenable e-mail
attachments, 2000 word biogs, poetry we've already read in another magazine and
letters full of those annoying tiny metallic stars which make you
wonder if it's worth 'phoning George Dubya and convincing him that
Afghanistan is spelled Altrincham and can he start at Number 37 Chapel St where
there's someone with a Pritt Stick and a bag of glitter who's threatening world
peace. We once received a rather nasty threatening letter from a
well-respected Geordie poet which made us look over our shoulders for a
while, until we realised that it was actually a submission. Editing
can be so much fun. If only they'd just read the bloody guidelines...
Mucusart Publications, UK.
Despite
everything, it is a great pleasure to edit a poetry magazine. Opening the post in the morning is often a
joy. Really! But, I must say, your tips do spell out the
downside. My pet ‘challenges’ come when
poets:
1.
Send no sae
2.
Submit pages of autobiography
3.
Use stationery from work
4.
Omit a name at the bottom of each poem
5.
Make out the subscription cheque wrongly
6.
Use a nom de plume. I know this seems
harsh, but it does play havoc with the administration.
7.
Use fancy fonts
8.
Submit a poem, and then, two days later, write in with amendments
9.
Send no name, no covering letter, just a jumble of poems shoved in a tiny
envelope.
10.
Write an abusive reply to my helpful comments asking what right I have to
criticise their work.
But, my heart sinks when
somebody writes ‘my poems come from the heart’.
Jean Tarry
Never Bury Poetry, UK.
http://www.nbpoetry.care4free.net/
Thanks for the invite - to submit anecdotes re
submissions - but those I reject I very quickly put out of my mind. I do try to
give reasons for any rejection, especially if I think I espy a particular fault
in a poem, and those reasons have occasionally led to outraged and outrageous
reponses from their authors. Who are quite often American academics, and who
seem to think their work beyond question. Especially by an uneducated ignoramus
such as I. The result of such responses is that for a while after I confine
myself to formletter rejections, which is probably of no help to anyone.
Sam Smith
The Journal, UK
http://members.aol.com/smithsssj/index.html
I've
just read your tips for writers - excellent. Now it looks as if I'll have to
start all over again! My method of acquiring publication was to enter the office
of the editor with a petrol can and threaten to pour the fluid over my head and
ignite it unless he published my effusion on whatever it was that was on my
mind. Although I did not manage to secure publication, I did acquire a rather
scorched-looking, mottled scalp which was better than nothing, I suppose.
Paul
Newman
Abraxas,
UK
Website:
http://abrax7.stormloader.com
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