From: "Jon Corelis"
Subject: Guidelines for editors
When editors specify that they want only unpublished pieces, I wish they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."
This will depend on the publisher being a Magazine or Book Publisher.
Most Magazines want new unpublished work for their subscribers that has not been seen before, whereas Books collect the published pieces (mostly) into a body of work.
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.
Hmm. I'll double-check my website.
Roger Collett
Managing Editor (Usually "Passive" Stephen)
Arrowhead Press
P.S. Joanna Boulter is our Poetry Editor ("Active")
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