Nanette's comments (member since Dec 21, 2008)

Nanette's comments from the ¡ POETRY ! group.

hi ruth,

yes, I still haven't had a chance to read it, but congratulations to you too!

nanette

thank you, sugar~

nanette

Oh, I wanted to add something else when it comes to sending poems or stories to journals - I have a different feeling about that as contrasted with sending queries for books.

I have come to look at single submissions as comparable to job interviews or auditions. They either want you or they don't and there's no use sitting around. Book submissions on the other hand, to me, are comparable to auditioning for Broadway or a feature film - way more important and more willing to wait around.

This is of course, only my way of looking at things, from my own life experiences.

Ray is way more "understanding" than I. Four months after the deadline is alot of time to me. I would move on way before that.

I was a guest poetry editor awhile back for a journal and I read the submissions, sent out acceptance and rejection letters all in one day. I know that some journals receive way more than the 200 I was dealing with, but "years" - come on!

I also read submissions for a project for prisoners, and the whole thing was so badly organized that I wanted to take all the paper sent me and toss it out the window - not because of the prisoners, but because of the "professionals" in a widely known and respected organization who sent me the wrong ones, didn't tell me the right standards or rules, and on and on and on. I had piles of submissions all over my living room and every time I thought I picked my five "likes" and submitted them to the organizers, I was told I didn't do it right - again.

I gave up. It reminded me of some corporate jobs I had, where the boss was so out of it but blamed the subordinates for not doing their job correctly with no guidance as to what that job was.

Whew- okay - I'm done.

best,
nanette

Hi again,

I want to add something that occurred today. Seems that emails from editors can be lost or end up in spam and deleted unknowingly.

I took a chance of writing again to the publisher who I thought was ignoring me, and this person wrote back a very nice letter. Seems she/he had sent an email to me after my first request for an answer and that email suggested another press who could possibly be interested in my book. I never would have known that if I hadn't written again after a year and a half.


Of course, now I feel a little bad about saying what I said in my recent email to them. A "little" bad, because a year the first time is a long time for a query letter to be answered.


just an update~~~

best,
nanette

Hi Ruth,

Thanks for the nod.

The publishing house still sends me emails asking me to enter contests, telling me how they have published more books, and yet, where is my rejection? Tacky to say the least.

Nanette

Hi Tim,

this is succulent:

Sometimes she’d stand in broad daylight, naked
before an open window, flesh so pale
and round and full it seemed about to pull
a tide of ruttish men up from the street.

I'd like to know, why we give these journals so much power. Without us, they'd be and have nothing. The other day I received an email from a journal I'd forgotten I'd even submitted to - 2 & 1/2 years later - they said they found the email just now. Oh, sure.

If I don't hear from a journal within four months now, I just write them off - who has time to sit and pine? One journal wrote to me and told me to learn to write - the poem went on to be nominated for a Pushcart. And I could go on and on.

But the worst is the well-known publishing house - independent - edgy - I won't say the name, but they are very much considered "hip", is the worst and most vile culprit. I sent them a query letter for my memoir a year and a half ago. At the year mark, I sent a note asking if they even had the query. They responded - and again, the excuses ran on for half a page about misplacement, restructuring, contests, this and that and how sorry they were. They said they would get back to me in a week or so. Here it is 6 months later. And to top it off, in the interim, I had tried to help them with something. Never again.

Hi Ruth,

Congratulations and the money is great too!

nanette

Jen,

hello. love your poem.

nanette

Congratulations Paul.

nanette

Mary,

Congratulations and very pretty cover..

nanette

Hi Juliet,

nice poetry!

nanette

Hi Nina,

Thanks!

Nanette

Sarah,

Very lovely review.

best,
nanette

Ruth,

I just added another link - I believe the paperback is out now.

I would love for you to read it.

all the best,
nanette

Congratulations, Pamela

Nanette

Hi CA,

Congratulations on your book.

nanette

Hi Ruth and Jan,

Thank you! The paperback should be out in a week, I beieve.

Jan - thank you and I see you lived in Boston. I am originally from Boston.

Your interest is so appreciated--

best,
nanette

Hello all. I have a new poetry book out from Scattered Light Productions.

It is called shana linda - pretty pretty

Right now it is electronic, but paperback edition is soon to follow.

http://scatteredlightpublications.books....

http://www.scribd.com/doc/17696937/Shana...

https://www.createspace.com/Customer/ESt...

thank you,
Nanette Rayman Rivera

Thanks, John.

I just sent you my submission.

Nanette