PD30 Day 28: The Basics of Poetry Submissions
September 28, 2008 by John Hewitt
Submitting your poetry, either to a contest or for direct publication, is a relatively painless process. Once you’ve done it a few times and have your basic cover letter written, it will only take a couple of minutes to prepare your work for submission. Just remember that no matter what other guidelines I offer, the first and most important rule is read and follow the submission guidelines for wherever you are sending your poem.
In general the submissions guidelines will tell you:
- What subjects are reasonable or expected
- What styles are reasonable or expected
- Geographic or other limitations on the submissions pool
- Any length limitations
- Who to send your submission to
- Where to send your submission to
- Whether or not email submissions are acceptable and what file formats you should use
Their submission rules may also be different than the guidelines I offer below. Whatever their rules are, those are the rules you want to follow. Whenever possible, read the publication you are submitting to in order to get a feel for the poems they tend to publish and determine if they are compatible with your subjects and style.
The guidelines I offer below are unique to poetry submissions. Fiction and non-fiction have their own sets of rules and generally rely on a “query” process in which you first send them your idea. In poetry, unless you are sending a book proposal, you almost always just send your poems. The guidelines below are aimed at the submission of one, two or several poems.
General Guidelines
- Include one poem per page
- Use single space, not double space
- Try not to split stanzas across pages
- Include your name in the upper right-hand corner of each page of poetry
- Proofread and spell check everything thoroughly
- Format your poem to look exactly as you would want it to appear in the publication
- Do not submit the same poem to multiple publications/contests at the same time. You may submit a poem elsewhere only it has been rejected by the previous publisher.
- Unless otherwise specified, limit yourself to three to five poems per submission.
Cover Letter Guidelines
- Include your name and contact information
- Include the titles of the poems you are submitting
- Briefly discuss your previous poetry publications (optional)
- Include a positive sentence or two about the publication/contest (optional)
- Do not include assessments or explanations about your work or reasons why you should be published. The poems should stand on their own merit.
Rules for standard mail submissions
- Use standard sized (for your country) white paper for your submissions
- Use an envelope large enough for the poetry to lie flat rather than be folded.
- Use standard postage
- Include a self-addressed stamped envelope for return of your poetry. This envelope can be smaller.
Rules for email submissions
- Your email can serve as your cover letter
- Use standard file formats such as .txt, .rtf or .doc for your poems
Today’s Poetry Prompt
Write a poem as if it were a letter to a friend
Related links
- 30 Poems in 30 Days set for September (1.000)
- All About 30 Poems in 30 Days (1.000)
- PD30 Day 1: I Believe in Poetry (1.000)
- PD30 Day 2: Generally Be Specific (1.000)
- PD30 Day 3: A Review of Meter (1.000)
Contact John Hewitt
Writing Content and Web Consulting
Email: hewitt@poewar.comPhone: (520) 261-6104
LinkedIn: poewar
Twitter: @poewar
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September the Last
Good friend,
I now have reason to suspect my to-now life has been a waste of time. Though I do interact, I do connect, there comes a point I can’t get off the dime–and follows one more Segment In the Desert, of whining, pining, doing stupid things like asking Joe the Shriner, “Does your fez hurt?” and making unwashed Sink and Bathtub Rings.
I know you’re on my side and wish me well and I remember well your sage advice, but I’ve grown and maintained this private Hell and now–my highest hope is Something Nice.
For your True Friendship, THANKS. You’re quite a guy.
Auf Wiedersehen,
Farewell, my Friend!
Goodbye.
Dear John,
Thank you for being the poetry guru this month.
It must be kind of a thankless task
Considering the shit I at least have written
But I enjoyed it more than I know how to say.
I would get up in the morning
Not knowing there was anything much going on with me.
Then I’d get your poetry prompt
And discover deep waters I hadn’t suspected.
I liked being one of several while I was.
I liked working on a joint worthy project.
I enjoyed reading others’ poems, especially yours.
The 30 days have gone by much too quickly.
I believe if I did this for another 335 days
I might conceivably get halfway good at it.
Still I did write some poems that surprised me.
And some that sucked so bad I wanted to hide.
I hope I’ll continue to start my days with a poem.
Who knows, maybe I’ll even try my hand at meter.
But I do hope you are doing 30/30 again next year.
It was more fun than the LaGrange Pet Parade.
I once tried to write serious poetry.
I studied in an honors class taught by a prof from Harvard.
We wrote in every single type of meter.
I could scan without hearing myself read.
But I have loosened up a lot since then.
I am not afraid of poetry any longer.
This experience has been a growing one.
I am forever in your debt.
Gratefully,
Maryellen
Friend of Mine
Dear Friend of mine
Who listens to me
And indulge all my whims
Thank you for being there
For listening and not killing me
For sharing my thoughts
And my anecdotes
For being happy when I am
For sharing my woes
For bothering to ask how I feel
After a particularly long day
Most of all
For being you
Warts and all
Thank you.
[...] The Basics of Poetry Submissions at Poewar [...]
to momma ella
who answered my prayers
who always shown she cares
who had shown great pride
who remains by my side
who always made me laugh
who always made me laugh
who always made me laugh
We used to get a lot of poetry submissions until we started discouraging them. But the demand continues to be there, so we will be opening a channel for creative content such as poetry soon. The one thing I can say is, people really do need to spellcheck again and again and again before submitting their work. Nobody wants to even review a hastily written poem.