The Manuscript

Outside of these guidelines, the poet makes her first impression through the physical details of her manuscript. Gylys warns that “pink paper, a handwritten submission stained and dog-eared, hearts over the i’s, a copyright sign on the page of each poem, and no SASE” will not only insult editors, but expose the poet’s immaturity. To avoid a premature rejection, the prevailing wisdom of publications such as The Poet’s Market and Poet’s and Writer’s Magazine is that every poet should adhere to some basic standards:

• Print one poem per page, and number pages when a poem is longer than one page.
• Include brief identifying information in the header of the first page of each poem.
• Print in black ink on white 8”x11” paper with 1 - 1.25” margins.
• Use a plain typeface, such as 12-point Times New Roman.
• Left-justify and single-space, unless the poem requires special formatting.
• Don’t staple or clip the poems together.
• Enclose a SASE.