Since there seem to be some editors of print journals on this list, I'm using
the Submissions thread as an opportunity to make a couple serious suggestions
which I think would make things easier for everyone.
When editors specify that they want only unpublished pieces, I wish they
would also indicate whether they consider the inclusion of a piece only in an
on line journal as publication. The answer isn't at all obvious: I've asked
three different editors about this, and their answers were "Yes," "No," and
"Maybe."
The stipulation to include an envelope with sufficient postage for return of
manuscripts has been made obsolete by technology. Few authors laboriously
type up manuscripts any more: they write them on a computer and then either
print off copies themselves or make them at a copy center, either of which is
almost always cheaper than buying envelopes and returm postage. (I'm talking
here about poetry manuscripts; manuscripts of books and long articles may have
enough work sunk into them to justify the writer's wanting them back, but for
a handful of poems, it's almost always easier and cheaper just to print or
copy them off each time you need new copies.) The standard procedure should
be that poetry manuscripts aren't returned whatever the decision is on
accepting them. This would save a lot of time and effort for both editors and
writers, who would no longer have to deal with envelopes and stamps and
international coupons.
Even if a journal doesn't accept email submissions, I wish it would state in
the submission guidelines that acceptance/rejection notices will be sent by
email if the author includes an email address in the cover letter. Again,
this would mean less fiddling with envelopes and stamps for everyone, and it
would make it easier for editors to keep track of who they've sent the notices
to, since they could keep copies in their sent mail file.
Chris Hamilton-Emery wrote, "Perhaps the most frustrating thing for
publishers is receiving manuscripts which clearly don’t fit their lists,
addressed 'To whom it may concern,' or 'Dear Editor.' Sending the wrong
material to someone you cannot be bothered to discover the name of and
expecting some response other than the bin would be testing providence in the
best of circumstances." I have seen this eminently sensible advice also
given by other editors; it's puzzling and irritating, then, that so many
journals in their submission guidelines advise contributors to send their work
to "Editor ...", and that the information in both the print copies and in any
associated web sites of most print poetry journals makes it difficult, and
sometimes impossible, to figure out exactly who that editor is. I wish
editors would take their own advice and put clearly and prominently in their
printed and on-line submission guidelines the name of the person to whom
submissions should be addressed.
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Jon Corelis [log in to unmask]
www.geocities.com/joncpoetics
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