Top 5 Surprisingly Common Submission Mishaps and How to Avoid Them

Former Poetry Editor at Fourteen Hills shares advice

Welcome to our weekly column offering perspectives on lit mag publishing, with contributions from readers, writers and editors all over the world.

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Back in the good old MFA days, I was part of the poetry editorial staff for Fourteen Hills: The SFSU Review. This literary journal is exclusively run by graduate students of the Creative Writing MFA Program at San Francisco State University.

Part of my duties as a staff member was going through the “slush pile” — poetry submissions — and picking out potential pieces for the upcoming issue of the journal. Because there were so many submissions (roughly 60-80 pages of poetry per semester), the amount we’d have to read was divided by 20-30 pages per week. Additionally, because there were so many submissions, it was often difficult in having to choose amongst the selection of strong pieces.

At the same time, we also had our share of other pieces that, well, let’s put it this way —- didn’t make the “final cut” at all. It wasn’t so much of the typical oh my gosh, did they even proofread? scenario but more so on the oh god, why are they even writing about this? scale. To help explain, I will break them down into a list for your entertainment, and for educational purposes. 

1. Repeat Submission “Offenders” 

There’s the age-old wisdom for writers to consistently keep submitting your work until you get accepted. I mean, look at Stephanie Meyer. Her Twilight series is, in my humble opinion, complete crap. But she’s the last one laughing since she submitted that first manuscript 15 times until it was finally accepted somewhere, leading herself to a successful franchise. At the same time, when doing that, you have to be smart about it.

That is, DON’T just keep submitting to the same press or literary journal/magazine repeatedly with the same, unedited piece(s). Otherwise, the moment the head editor of the staff sees your name and title of your submission, it immediately will get put into the “rejection” pile.

A mysterious man, without fail, would submit every semester to Fourteen Hills, with the same poem. And every time, it would get rejected. I don’t think me or anyone else on the poetry staff even got to read this poem, since it was never put into the slush pile. We could only vicariously live through the submission tales told from the then-head editors at the time.

I guess if I were to try to understand this mysterious writer’s perspective, perhaps he was aware that every year the staff at Fourteen Hills changes, especially once students graduate. However, when you gain a reputation as a “repeat offender,” your luck will definitely wear thin….

2. Using offensive slurs

A number of writings often depict the dark side of life, which includes ugly words. However, especially when it comes to poetry, it gets tricky in how you do it. If it’s painfully obvious that one is attempting to be offensive, and you’re submitting it to a journal located in San Francisco, chances are that your piece will definitely be rejected.

For instance, I came across a poem that used a derogatory term, more obscure, since that it wasn’t the ‘M’ word, when referring to little people. Imp being the word. I recalled hearing it from the television adaptation of the George R.R. Martin’s fantasy novel series Game of Thrones. When seeing that word again on page via a Fourteen Hills submission, out of the blue I decided to look that word up. Upon my discovery, I realized that it was an offensive slur. I alerted the head poetry editors to which they responded with “oh yeah, bad. Reject it!” 

3. Too many trees

From Emily Dickinson to Maya Angelou, so many of the greats have written all types of poems that have focused on nature, especially trees. In fact, all kinds of poems and fiction pieces that are heavy in descriptive imagery of flowers, grass, trees, and skies have all been accepted for publications

However, when it’s done so in a redundant, unoriginal way, with no clear meaning, seeing stanzas that just aimlessly talk of trees — that becomes a problem. And when it becomes a problem, it goes into the “rejection” pile.

4. Misogyny

I don’t have to explain any further. If you’re going to submit any misogynistic poem,
especially to a literary journal run by graduate students at a school located in the San Francisco Bay Area —- don’t even think about it!

5. Not Researching the Places You’re Submitting To

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve been there where, even with the editor strongly suggesting writers first read through their past journal issues prior to submitting anything, I still went for it by submitting my manuscript blindly. More often than not, I wound up having my submission rejected, especially since I had zero clue what exactly the staff was looking for during that round of open submissions.

Of course, you can’t buy all the journals that exist in this world. Otherwise, you will become a very starving artist. So, if you’re on a budget, the best thing you can do is look for journals that provide free selections of readings on what they expect. For instance, the literary journal Foglifter provides a direct link of the types of writing they usually accept in order to give writers an idea on what to submit.

Also, some journals and magazines provide free access to the online versions of their issues. Some journals or magazines will even post a few excerpts of a contributor’s work via Facebook or Instagram. You can research past contributors as well, as some will feature some of their works on their website or other online publications with open access. That way, you are not only researching but you’re also learning more craft from another writer as well.

Please note: With regards to researching literary journals and magazines, it is especially important to be aware of ones that are exclusively student-run, such as Fourteen Hills.

For instance, Fourteen Hills, ever since it began back in 1994, has remained an ongoing presence for the literary community in the Bay Area, particularly focusing on publishing progressive and experimental work. However, every year, or semester even, staff members come and go. Since you merely earn class credit and have a choice on whether to continue enrolling for Fourteen, you’re not necessarily obligated to commit for the long-term. Because of that, there is a wide-range of writers with different perspectives and opinions on what they define as “submission-ready.”

In fact, the year I was on staff of Fourteen Hills, most of the Fiction and Poetry staff members, including myself, were drawn to experimental or post-modern contemporary pieces. A few of our submissions were even explicit in their language and imagery, containing writing content exploring both erotica and human sexuality. 

However, a year after I left Fourteen Hills, the new Poetry staff members, from what I’ve heard, were less keen on publishing content containing sexual themes that were overtly explicit.

Fourteen Hills has continuously remained focused on publishing progressive and experimental work. Most magazines are aesthetically consistent, even as staff rotates. Still, if you’re able to, it can be especially helpful to do some research prior to submitting to a student-run literary journal.

And lastly *cue drumroll*…

6. Grammar errors. Lots and lots of grammar errors

A typo here and there can be forgiven and a simple so we see this word and did you mean to spell it this way email check from editors can quickly resolve any grammar errors. Yet, if the entire submission manuscript is filled with grammar and spelling errors AND we know it’s not one of those “experimental” pieces, it will unfortunately wind up on the rejection pile. Hence why, and I cannot stress this enough, it is very, very, very, very important to proofread and/or ask someone you trust to read through your draft to catch any error(s).

Overall, such errors can be difficult to avoid. After all, as it is commonly known, we are all human and we are prone to committing errors, especially when it comes to submitting our work. Nevertheless, what I hope you can get take away from what I’ve advised in this piece, is to be still mindful and wise about how and what you submit anywhere, whether it be a literary journal or magazine. That way, it can save you some heartbreak or extreme disappointment before you click Submit or Confirm.