The submission club

veinglory · Feb 12, 2010

Is anyone actively submitting poetry to markets right now? please share you experiences!

I sent out a few over the last few weeks. Mostly I have received no response, and probably won't receive a response. It seems the 'black hole' approach to rejections is becoming more common.

I did also get a very prompt and encouraging reply from newWitch magazine (modern witchcraft newstand magazine) saying that, with my permission, they will be keeping my poetry on file for potential use in future issues. So that was encouraging.

ajc · Feb 12, 2010

Ohh, I like the word "sold" with the word poetry. Nice one, Polenth. Thanks too, for naming the markets. If they don't get back to me in 3 months I send something out asking them what's up. In general, I find most magazines rather prompt. Poetry gets back to you very quickly, so does Boston Literary Magazine, so does Every Day Poets, so does Orange Room Review, so does Ascent Aspirations, so does Word Riot. There are so many fast ones. I tend to go with the ones that get back to me quickly, so I knock the slow ones off my list for submissions.

veinglory · Feb 12, 2010

With poetry I will taken token payment--but there are enough paying markets out there to provide a lot of options IMHO before moving onto non-paying...

ajc · Feb 12, 2010

veinglory said:
With poetry I will taken token payment--but there are enough paying markets out there to provide a lot of options IMHO before moving onto non-paying...

I guess I don't care if they pay 'cause it won't make a difference. If I add up the hours vs. the payment it would be a joke. Unless, there's some big money that I'm unaware of (?). Some of the ones that I really like don't pay like: Boston Lit., but the magazine is so good I am honored if to be in it.

SirOtter · Feb 12, 2010

Y'know, I came in here expecting
A completely different sort of thread.
The title is rather misleading,
Might want to consider something else instead.

And no, I rarely submit poems. I did sell Contemporary Rhyme three poems several years ago for the grand combined sum of $15. Given how much effort I really put into my little pieces of doggerel, that wasn't a bad hourly rate but I didn't see it repeating often enough to support me in the lifestyle to which I would like to become accustomed.

veinglory · Feb 12, 2010

My point was more that there are enough good paying markets that even though the pay is small, pay is better than no pay and there is no reason not to have it. However I once sold a poem I wrote in an hour for $50. So sometimes it can work out.

ajc · Feb 12, 2010

veinglory said:
My point was more that there are enough good paying markets that even though the pay is small, pay is better than no pay and there is no reason not to have it. However I once sold a poem I wrote in an hour for $50. So sometimes it can work out.

Who pays $50?

veinglory · Feb 12, 2010

Evolving Editions did for the book 'Illuminations'. It doesn't happen every day. But duotrope lists a few others.

Izz · Feb 12, 2010

ajc said:
Who pays $50?

There's a few places that pay that and more for poetry.

I've got one poem and one thing that can't decide whether it's flash or a prose poem out on sub at the moment. Keep getting back 'we liked it but not quite for us. Send more when you have more' for the first one. I reckon those rejections, once you get a few of them in a row, are more frustrating than blank form. The second's sitting in a contest pile that pays $1000 for first prize (with no entry fee; i couldn't pass that up, even though prose poetry is a tough sell almost everywhere).

Later on this year i'll have a poem coming out in an antho. Low pay ($5) but the theme inspired me. I too only submit to paying markets (and of those, only ones that pay $5 or more) unless they've got a stellar reputation. But, to be honest, i don't try to sell most of my poetry.

skelly · Feb 26, 2010

veinglory said:
Is anyone actively submitting poetry to markets right now? please share you experiences!

I sent out a few over the last few weeks. Mostly I have received no response, and probably won't receive a response. It seems the 'black hole' approach to rejections is becoming more common.

I did also get a very prompt and encouraging reply from newWitch magazine (modern witchcraft newstand magazine) saying that, with my permission, they will be keeping my poetry on file for potential use in future issues. So that was encouraging.

Unless you wrote it specifically for that market and don't want to publish it elsewhere, I'd thanks-but-no-thanks that and sub it elsewhere. I sub a lot of poetry--all in genre markets--and with one very annoying exception I always get responses. Even small or lit markets should at least send a polite "no."

Good luck going forward.

ajc · Feb 28, 2010

Polenth said:
On that note... Pedestal has opened submissions for a visual poetry issue, for anyone interested in that sort of poetry. Details and links to examples are on their site: guidelines (has a different payment scheme than normal)

I'm hoping to submit, though I don't have enough pieces yet.

Oh my, this is too cool. What would you do scan it?

The submission club

veinglory

volitare nequeo

ajc

What do I know?

veinglory

volitare nequeo

ajc

What do I know?

SirOtter

Il Cavaliere Marino

veinglory

volitare nequeo

ajc

What do I know?

veinglory

volitare nequeo

Izz

Doing the Space Operatic

skelly

Kickin it old school, posers beware

ajc

What do I know?