May I have some advice, please

kimmi said:

What do I do here, please? I want to submit my poem.

Do I say: (Do I need a small cover letter?)

Dear Blank, Blank,
For your review and submission, TITLE is enclosed.

Thank you for your consideration.

hugs
kimmi

Do I expand on the poem, because if I have to, I sure as heck do not know what I've really written.? See that thread--

Then, what type of envelope, my poem is 4 pgs.? Do I fold it or just get the priority 8 by 10 mailers?

Thank you

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I would say: Yes on the cover letter, and that is all you really need, except, maybe a more professional close .

4 pages... eeeeyah.. That's right at that magic breaking point where you can't really fold it with sharp, crisp folds anymore. But it's still short enough that a big envelope might seem pretentious.

Tough call. I'd probably go with regular letter envelope.

kimmi said:

What do I do here, please? I want to submit my poem.

Do I say: (Do I need a small cover letter?)

Dear Blank, Blank,
For your review and submission, TITLE is enclosed.

Thank you for your consideration.

hugs
kimmi

Do I expand on the poem, because if I have to, I sure as heck do not know what I've really written.? See that thread--

Then, what type of envelope, my poem is 4 pgs.? Do I fold it or just get the priority 8 by 10 mailers?

Thank you

Click to expand...

Unless you are on really friendly terms with the editor I would skip the "hugs" part.

If this is your first submission to them you might mention a little background information - "I am a steel drivin' man who began writing poetry after being forced out of work by the invention of the steam engine. Other poems of mine have been published or are pending in "Locomotive Quarterly", "Ozarks Journal of Folk Literature", and "Silent Hammer Review".

Don't forget to include a SASE for the rejection notices. My wife and I need to wallpaper our guest bedroom and just in time, too! Because many poetry journals only accept submissions during the school year and I have a RAFT of new poems to submit! Wallpaper, here we come!

I am 1000% certain that kimmi is not a steel-drivin' man.

Though she may have one at home.

dclary said:

I am 1000% certain that kimmi is not a steel-drivin' man.

Though she may have one at home.

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... metaphorically-speaking, of course. Anyway, someday she might want to play one on TV. Or she might want to adopt a nom de marteau. I'm hoping to submit some work someday under the name Mark V. Shaney or some relative of his, for example.


But she could just as easily say in her cover letter, "I recently returned from a whaling cruise under a maniacal single-minded captain in pursuit of one particular whale, and was so shaken by the experience that I've decided to devote myself to writing. I hope you'll accept these offerings ..." I think it's important to say something about yourself in a cover letter so the editor sees you as a real, genuine, actual human being, even if it's all a pack of lies.

Kimmi, be sure to check guidelines for where ever you plan to submit. Most places, unfortunately, have a line limit on poetry. I've read "60 line limit" a lot in submission guidlines.

You're on the right track for queries. Here's an example of an email query I sent out recently:

Dear Mr. HXXXX

Attached is a document containing several poems that I'd like you to consider for publication. Your magazine has a fresh voice and I have enjoyed reading it. It would be an honor to work with you.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Sara Spock
sara's email address
State College, Pennsylvania

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