SUBMIT TO WRITE BLOODY PUBLISHING

SUBMIT TO WRITE BLOODY PUBLISHING :
HOW TO TURN IN A GREAT SUBMISSION. 15 Tips.

February 27th, 2013

The rejection letter is a lingering nightmare that can either crush you or push you. I get them all the time and it still hurts like someone dogging you in your youtube comments.

The only people I know that succeed in this writing business drink away the burn and laugh it off, saying ‘not my time.’ I used to get a lot of emails from folks when we first started this submission process, just a lot of venom that they weren’t chosen, that the rules weren’t clear, that we were racist/sexist/elitist for not choosing them, that we were short sighted about what true talent was, that we are egoists for forcing these poor souls to make a video of themselves reading a poem out loud if they make it to the final round, that they demand to see a list of the 12 editors so they could tell the world what a bunch of insipid, blind jellyfish they were. I used to just print up my friends cause I liked their style.

It died down a bit last year, I have no idea why. Maybe because we only could afford to choose 4 authors. That’s always been our model, since submission years, 3 years ago. If we don’t get a lot of returns and book sales are jamming, we can do 12 one season and 6 to 8 titles in the fall. It is crazy work but exciting to do that many. We did better than okay so this year we are doing 8 books in the spring and 5 books in the fall. Most folks would tell you that its still a lot for a press with one employee and some dedicated interns working a few hrs a week.

Things to remember:
1. Our press is a small press. It’s wonderful that we finally got international distribution, a pr agency, physical bookstore, street sales team and have a sweet list of places to book readings, but the book deal is always going to go to the author who can not only write well, read well out loud (that only means not awkward-not everyone has to be the real anis mojgani.) but can also get their shit together and work as a team to promote the book. The days of having an agent do all the nasty icky work of social media and bookings are over. Be nice. No one is getting rich. This is a passion and is often only fueled by that.

2. Show diversity in your manuscript. No need to have 3 poems about family or trauma in a row. Remember that the editors usually read about 10-20 submissions a night. Be the one that stands out with beauty.

3. If you have a shorter poem that is strong, make that one first. Editors eyes get tired just like the rest of us. Hook them.

4. Show that you understand the difference between prose and poetry, or prose laid out like a poem.

5. Don’t get caught with your pants down, meaning if you make it to the final round, but only have 12 decent poems, the editors will smell it when reading your 40 poem manuscript. It is hard to sustain skill for 40 poems. Most of my books dont and it kills me to read the ‘junkers’ in some of my books.

6.Every year we have to make a catalog and a sales team person goes around the country (30 of them) and each one sits in a room with that catalog and book buyer and has 30 seconds to pitch why that bookstore should carry your book. ‘Because its so fucking tasty’ isnt enough. You don’t have to be a minority or have some crazy adventure that you identify with only, but what is it about your writing that makes it one of the 700 books I will read before I die?

7. If you never have money and can never save money, wait and submit when you do. If you get brought on to a small press, you will need a good press photo, a great website for booking shows and book stock to buy and sell on the road. That is the fastest way to make money as an author and to build a fanbase. Touring is a mandate at write bloody, but its not too crazy. 20 dates your first year out.

8. Read. Read the authors on our press. See what makes their poems work. But be careful. Do not write 3 andrea gibson poems. We have andrea gibson. We want the real you. Feel free to look at authors we admire outside of the press like Jeffrey McDaniel, James Tate, Kevin Young, Anne Sexton, Mark Doty, Bob Hicok, Natasha Trethewey, and Tomas Transtromer.

9. If you don’t get this, there are other presses. If you don’t get the book deal, what a great chance to do what Cristin Okeefe Aptowicz does and submit to a buttload of journals to get their name out there in the Lit world.

10.No poem submitted in the first round should be longer than 2 pages.

11.Title your poems. Set the scene or mood with the title.

12. All lower case poems look lazy, I wouldn’t recommend it for your first three poems but you can experiment when submitting the full 40 poem manuscript if you make it to the final.

13. Cover letters can be pasted in the cover letter box. Do not attach it to the manuscript. Some editors like to read the manuscript without dwelling on the name or info. I like to read it for all 20 finalists to get a feel of the authors region and taste.

14. What’s the twist? It’s always possible to write ‘this bad thing happened to me’ or ‘Let me count how beautiful you are’ poems. Beware of the grandstanding we have often seen where someone does “To the person that said I was a bad bowler” and the poem ends with triumph- “well guess what, I may be a bad bowler… but I am one. hell. of. a. stepdad.” Show us a unique view of the problems you address. Can you put yourself in the shoes of Laura Bush while she watches her husband sleep deeply? (Size 7) It’s much more interesting than being mad at George Bush and ranting. Can you address gun violence from the perpective of a bullet maker, or a dog and not make the poem too precious? We are a press that loves the tweak, the surprise, the nuance.

15. We are not a slam press but it is true that the slams can be a wonderful family and a great place to feature. I dont think I even know what a slam poem is. It’s like me asking you if you’re a farmer cause there’s an apple core on the floorboard of your car (Anis!) You put on roller skates once and said something beautiful when you ate shit. What is it like to be a roller derby poet? (I think I’m onto something great.)