Yes, when you send out work you might get the “Sorry to say No” rejection–and that isn’t fun. But don’t let it stop you.

A friend asked me about submitting poems, saying that it seemed like I was a prolific submitter.

In the past, I’ve submitted a lot of poems. Lately, not so much. I currently have 11 submissions out, including two that have been out for more than a year (so not much hope there). Partly this is because I’ve gotten a lot pickier about what I’ll send out. I have abandoned, or shelved, many poems. This is a good thing. Quality over quantity is a good thing.

But if I want my poems to reach the light of day, I need to keep submitting steadily–because my submission : acceptance ratio is very low. I tried to track it one year, and it was depressing. So I send, send, send out work, and it comes back like winter. Then every once in a while, an editor says yes.

Now you might be thinking, “If your acceptance rate is so low, why are you writing about submitting?” Good point! I can’t promise you success, but maybe I can inspire you to get those poems out the (virtual) door by offering a few tips. Think of them as mini pep talks.

1. Find journals by reading–read the poems on Poetry Daily or Verse Daily or The Poetry Foundation or Linebreak. What other sites do you love?
   Read the books of poets whose poems you love, and check out their acknowledgements pages. Where were they published?
   Read the classifieds section of Poets & Writers. Check out Poet’s Market (which also has some helpful essays on submitting poems). These last two offer a lot of listings, but without the context of the poems–see the next tip.
2. Read some of the poems that are in the journal. Now that most journals publish at least a portion of their content online, this is pretty easy. Do their poems sound like the kind of poems you write? Are you in the same genre? (Bonus: Reading poems can get you in a writing mood.)
3. Follow the guidelines–also probably available online. As an editor, I can’t stress this enough. Sure, we all goof it up once in a while. But editors who are volunteering their time appreciate submissions that follow the guidelines. Otherwise, that omission or neglect jumps out and obscures the poems.
4. Track your submissions so you know what’s where–and if you’re simultaneously submitting, notify editors right away if another journal takes your work. We’ll be happy for you. But it’s really disappointing to accept a poem only to learn that someone else picked it up a week ago. (Even though I’ve tracked my submissions since the 1990s, I don’t feel organized enough to simultaneously submit–so I don’t.)
5. Use submitting as a procrastination tool. Instead of thinking of submitting as a chore, think of it as a way to avoid other chores. Send out poems instead of cleaning the house. Send out poems when you feel stuck writing. Writing trumps submitting–but if you’re really stuck, submit instead.
6. Believe in your poems. If you don’t, give them a little more of your time. You want to feel good about these poems you’re sending into the world, and this is not a race.
7. If/when/however a rejection comes, don’t despair. Well, despair for a little bit–but just a little bit. Each submission is a kind of hope, and each rejection is the death of that hope, so you get to mourn. But then you get to brush it off, focus on the poems, and give them another chance.

Now I need to go work on my next submission.

P.S. For more thoughts on submitting, visit Kelli Russell Agodon’s blog and search for submit.

Wetlands!

A highlight of the three-day weekend was a Monday walk with my daughter out to Foster Island. One heron flying, and a long spell of time to sit on the rocks, watch the water and the boats and the small boys ripping up the ferns and throwing pebbles, and talk. It was blissful.

Now I’ve been wading into the work week–and ever closer to June. That means two more days to submit poems to The Smoking Poet. Submissions for the next issue are accepted through May 31, EDT. Six poems maximum in the body of the email message, no attachments. For all the details, see the guidelines. (Insert the brief rant here about submissions that don’t follow the guidelines. You can imagine it, right?)

In other submission news, Off the Coast and Hunger Mountain (themed issue) have sent out submission calls.

I spent some time this weekend wading into more book promotion (does that sound better than “marketing”?). On a small scale. I finally made a Facebook page for Into the Rumored Spring. Then I felt reluctant to invite people to it, because I didn’t want to bother them–and I wanted to be sure I didn’t accidentally invite anyone twice. Some days, I don’t trust the user interface. If I missed you and you’re interested, let me know and I’ll gladly add you. If nothing else, it can be a fun experiment in “I don’t really know what I’m doing.” And now that I have this page, I need to line up some Into the Rumored Spring readings to post on it. Hmm…

The roses taking over

In the meantime, the roses are busting out all over and the calendar’s blooming–Fault Lines readings in June and July, and a class at Hugo House. Plus book launch parties to attend and art shows and…I need to get my summer game on. I need to wade into these next long days (and splash around a little). And write.