DQuinn.net » beth gylys

Rejection and Publication

Daniel Quinn — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 19:09:33 +0000

Depending on the popularity and circulation of the magazine, it can take over six weeks to receive a response from the editors. The Atlantic, for example, receives over 75,000 unsolicited poems a year. On average, a single issue of The Atlantic may contain three poems, so the likelihood of being accepted by the publication is less than one percent. In dealing with rejection, Witek offers some consolation: "Dry your tears. Everyone gets rejected... What one learns to look for are those rare rejections that ask for more poems-oftentimes those people aren't kidding and are waiting for you to knock their socks off."

Magazines usually pay poets either in cash (per line) or in copies of the publication. According to the article "Ask the Editor" on the Poet & Writers' website, this payment covers first serial rights to publish the poem. After about 60 to 90 days, the poet may republish her work. It is important that the poet understand that first serial rights do not mean all rights, because if the poet signs over all rights in her contract, she may have to pay the magazine to republish her work elsewhere.

"You have to keep putting your work and yourself out there," Stetson's Witek continues, "The lone scribbler is just that—a romantic fiction for non-writers."

The Cover Letter

Daniel Quinn — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 18:55:58 +0000

Though not every publication requires a cover letter, poets can use a cover letter to preface their work with their publication history and professional credentials, or signal the editors if the submission is a response to a requested revision or invitation to submit more poems. Alternatively, poets who lack publication credits can thank the editors for having published undiscovered or little-known poets in the past. Stetson's Witek writes: "As Charles Wright has said, ‘They know what you want.' So short and sweet-name and publication history." On the same note, Gylys adds: "The work is going to sell itself if the work is strong and a good fit."

Always be sure to address the editor by name:

Dear David Barber,

Enclosed are three poems, "At Pleasure Bay," "Ginza Samba" and "Impossible to Tell," which I ask you to consider for publication in The Atlantic.

I live in Boston, where I teach creative writing at Boston University. I received my M.A. from Stanford University and have attended the Bread Loaf Writer's Conference, Summer Poetry Institute Seminars, and various other writers' conferences/workshops. My work has appeared in several literary journals, including Threepenny, American Poetry Review, and The New Yorker, as well as the Best American Poetry anthology.

Also included is a self-addressed stamped envelope for your response.

Sincerely,
Robert Pinsky

The Manuscript

Daniel Quinn — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 18:51:32 +0000

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.

The Strategy

Daniel Quinn — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 18:47:49 +0000

For the unpublished poet, getting fresh ideas into editors’ slush pile is the first step in a long process that culminates in print publication, a process which may involve multiple rejections, revisions, and resubmissions. The poet must prepare her manuscript so that her work does not drown in that pile—and that involves a little research and modesty.

While some presses may adopt reading or contests fees to publish the winner, it should never cost the poet money to get the process started. “It is truly not respectable to publish your own work, nor is it respectable to pay to get your work published,” writes Terri Witek, poet and Chair of Creative Writing at Stetson University, in an email interview. The respectability of the poet, in this sense, is proportional to her publication credits.

One possible strategy, then, is to start with college literary journals or low-profile magazines in order to establish a publication history. Beth Gylys, Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Georgia State University, writes: “Generally speaking, the literary community wants to see good work that has been published by a peer-reviewed press or journal and looks down on [vanity and subsidy presses].” Gylys’ appearance in numerous journals over the years (The Paris Review, The New Republic and Ploughshares, among others) has left her with “so many rejection slips, it’s ridiculous. I think it’s good to just think you’re likely to be rejected. Just put the poems in the mail. Just do it.”

Determining what exactly should go in the mail will vary from publication to publication, however. First, the poet needs to have a good sense of the content of the magazine she is submitting to long before she begins to affix any postage stamps or seal manila envelopes. Carefully selecting her poems to match the magazine’s style is just as important as polishing them to perfection. To this end, resources such as Little Magazines and Small Presses, The Writer’s Handbook, Literary Marketplace, and Writer’s Digest are indispensable because they catalogue a broad selection of venues for publication, as well as book and chapbook publishers, contests, conferences and workshops. Each journal has different guidelines for the acceptable length and number of poems that should be included in a single manuscript. Moreover, the poet has to check whether the magazine allows “simultaneous submissions,” which means that the poet is sending the same poem for consideration to multiple publications at the same time. While Stetson University’s Witek strongly disapproves of this practice, Gylys writes, “many journals accept simultaneous submissions as long as you let them know.”