My favorite poems are usually the ones that took me only a few minutes to write. Lately I've been throwing together words and combining them with images and slapping them on instagram, just for fun. It feels really good to put stuff together and put it out there for whoever might enjoy it or not.
My acceptance ratios improved when I took a more systematic approach to submitting short stories. My stories take a long time to write & edit, too long for me to ship them out daily, but I did stick to submitting 2 stories every Monday for several years with positive results. I also produced one piece of flash fiction every week.
This spring, though, I fell off my submission routine when my brother's daughter died in a terrible accident. Grief sucked the point of writing and submitting right out of me. Recovering from that knock to the knees has been slow. The break in submissions has shown me repercussions, though. It really is as simple as you lay out, Noah—your work cannot be accepted for publication unless you submit.
I dedicated November to polishing a collection of longform stories & researching small presses & contests to submit it to. I also polished a collection of flash fiction I'll start sending out in January. The novel I'd planned on writing in 2023 is progressing at a pace that's slower than I'd like, but I'm not giving up!
So, let's hear it for 2024 being your great year everyone!
Enjoyed this post, Noah—and have taken a similar approach since writing full-time from summer 2018 forward. One difference is that I tend to read over and possibly tweak a piece before submission, whether I've discovered a new word, decided to experiment or play in some way I didn't in the last draft, or found a new way to make something clearer.
Why do I submit so frequently and so much? Submission creates hope. It certainly took time and effort to integrate that perspective, but that's what it's about for me. The satisfaction comes from the work; publication is a transient pleasure.
I've gone through phases of submitting my poems a lot, phases of not so much, depending on how much time / energy I have to put into it. One of my favorite things about sending to magazines is developing friendships with editors--I'm pretty isolated from the literary community, so it is nice to have those points of contact.
Thank you! I like the way you think. I can now relax and lean into my 98% percent rejection rate, which is truly the point of poetry. Well, maybe not the point of poetry itself, but definitely the point of trying to get it published.
Btw — I think essay and poetry are close — like very compatible cousins. So all those years of writing an essay a day (!) honed your ability to write poems.
I submit my poems every day, too. Except I never write POEMS per se; I'm usually building two or three themed poetry collections - - and the current poem I am writing belongs to a WIP.
That way, whether or not my individual poems are accepted, my manuscript is growing.
Many book publishers do not want more than 30% - 50% of your content already in print in zines.
Thank you! This is as liberating as promised. I have been so discouraged -- in that icky self-hating way -- and this makes the whole process feel more like a game and also somehow by submitting so much, it shifts the focus to the writing. I've decided to give up on trying to publish a book (it gets to be impossible to find places to submit and also I do treat each rejection as a reason to revise), but I do have a lot of chapters to submit. Here's to more submitting, more writing and getting that writing out the door. What a perfect way to enter the new year. Write on!
Thanks for this. As a poet with an overload of anxiety and perfectionist tendencies, I think my ratio of mindful:mind-full breaths is quite like your acceptance:rejection ratio. But this post felt like a full, deep breath.
I admire your spontaneity and persistence. But let me play the devil's advocate: I love seeing my work in print, but I also want to feel pride in the work. Some poems take months and years to complete. That's okay — Every writer has her own goals and her own pace. My motto is: Write slowly, submit thoughtfully, aim high.
Thank you for this, Noah, from a fellow Chicagoan. Seems to me rejections hurt more when I was younger. Nowadays I just have a deep understanding that the editor I sent the work to is just an idiot and keep going.
To paraphrase the wonderful Jo Bell, you won’t get your poems published if you don’t send the buggars out there! Jo is a wonderful mentor btw - come and check out The Poetic Licence on Patreon for online workshopping and an encouraging community of poets.
This is a really smart strategy. I say that because I've adopted it myself. Send out more! Send out multiple submissions. If you're not sending out, you can't get into the magazine/journal. Send out more! The more the merrier. And don't overthink it. Look at the guidelines, yes, and read a few pieces journal publishes, but then just submit your work. Good things will happen! Your numbers will go up!
Loved this. Noah, you're the perfect motivational writing coach!
My favorite poems are usually the ones that took me only a few minutes to write. Lately I've been throwing together words and combining them with images and slapping them on instagram, just for fun. It feels really good to put stuff together and put it out there for whoever might enjoy it or not.
A fun and informative read—thanks for this!
My acceptance ratios improved when I took a more systematic approach to submitting short stories. My stories take a long time to write & edit, too long for me to ship them out daily, but I did stick to submitting 2 stories every Monday for several years with positive results. I also produced one piece of flash fiction every week.
This spring, though, I fell off my submission routine when my brother's daughter died in a terrible accident. Grief sucked the point of writing and submitting right out of me. Recovering from that knock to the knees has been slow. The break in submissions has shown me repercussions, though. It really is as simple as you lay out, Noah—your work cannot be accepted for publication unless you submit.
I dedicated November to polishing a collection of longform stories & researching small presses & contests to submit it to. I also polished a collection of flash fiction I'll start sending out in January. The novel I'd planned on writing in 2023 is progressing at a pace that's slower than I'd like, but I'm not giving up!
So, let's hear it for 2024 being your great year everyone!
Enjoyed this post, Noah—and have taken a similar approach since writing full-time from summer 2018 forward. One difference is that I tend to read over and possibly tweak a piece before submission, whether I've discovered a new word, decided to experiment or play in some way I didn't in the last draft, or found a new way to make something clearer.
Why do I submit so frequently and so much? Submission creates hope. It certainly took time and effort to integrate that perspective, but that's what it's about for me. The satisfaction comes from the work; publication is a transient pleasure.
I've gone through phases of submitting my poems a lot, phases of not so much, depending on how much time / energy I have to put into it. One of my favorite things about sending to magazines is developing friendships with editors--I'm pretty isolated from the literary community, so it is nice to have those points of contact.
Thank you! I like the way you think. I can now relax and lean into my 98% percent rejection rate, which is truly the point of poetry. Well, maybe not the point of poetry itself, but definitely the point of trying to get it published.
Btw — I think essay and poetry are close — like very compatible cousins. So all those years of writing an essay a day (!) honed your ability to write poems.
I submit my poems every day, too. Except I never write POEMS per se; I'm usually building two or three themed poetry collections - - and the current poem I am writing belongs to a WIP.
That way, whether or not my individual poems are accepted, my manuscript is growing.
Many book publishers do not want more than 30% - 50% of your content already in print in zines.
Thank you! This is as liberating as promised. I have been so discouraged -- in that icky self-hating way -- and this makes the whole process feel more like a game and also somehow by submitting so much, it shifts the focus to the writing. I've decided to give up on trying to publish a book (it gets to be impossible to find places to submit and also I do treat each rejection as a reason to revise), but I do have a lot of chapters to submit. Here's to more submitting, more writing and getting that writing out the door. What a perfect way to enter the new year. Write on!
Thanks for this. As a poet with an overload of anxiety and perfectionist tendencies, I think my ratio of mindful:mind-full breaths is quite like your acceptance:rejection ratio. But this post felt like a full, deep breath.
Inspiring-ing, Noah. Funny too. Best of luck with your rejections in 2024.
I admire your spontaneity and persistence. But let me play the devil's advocate: I love seeing my work in print, but I also want to feel pride in the work. Some poems take months and years to complete. That's okay — Every writer has her own goals and her own pace. My motto is: Write slowly, submit thoughtfully, aim high.
Thank you for this, Noah, from a fellow Chicagoan. Seems to me rejections hurt more when I was younger. Nowadays I just have a deep understanding that the editor I sent the work to is just an idiot and keep going.
Really enjoyed your writing style. I hope you're also submitting some humor pieces!
Ok Noah, so do you have an annual budget for submission costs?
To paraphrase the wonderful Jo Bell, you won’t get your poems published if you don’t send the buggars out there! Jo is a wonderful mentor btw - come and check out The Poetic Licence on Patreon for online workshopping and an encouraging community of poets.
This is a really smart strategy. I say that because I've adopted it myself. Send out more! Send out multiple submissions. If you're not sending out, you can't get into the magazine/journal. Send out more! The more the merrier. And don't overthink it. Look at the guidelines, yes, and read a few pieces journal publishes, but then just submit your work. Good things will happen! Your numbers will go up!