"Your Work is Being Thought About and Thought About." A Chat With Robert Stapleton, Editor of Booth

Booth Editor gives a behind-the-scenes look at his journal's editorial process

Hello friends,

I’m thrilled to present to you today’s video, an interview with Robert Stapleton, Editor of Booth Journal. Booth publishes a variety of content on their site every month, as well as two print issues yearly. They showcase fiction, nonfiction, poetry and comics. Robert revealed that he, like many editors I’ve spoken to, really craves more powerful nonfiction pieces. So if you’re a nonfiction writer, be sure to check out this market!

Robert also let us know what goes into the decision process for pieces. The screening of submissions is done by MFA students at Butler University. Once a strong batch of submissions is selected, the editors meet for a roundtable discussion of the work. These sound like a lot of fun, with emotions and opinions flying among people sincerely committed to finding, as Robert put it, “voices reaching up from the darkness.”

One of the criteria for pieces selected is whether or not the piece is “Boothy.” What does that mean exactly? And what is meant by “concept, execution and gravity,” which are more criteria Robert described for the pieces that make it into Booth?

You’ll have to watch the video to find out!

As always, thank you to everyone who came out to participate. And thank you to Robert, for taking the time to share this glimpse behind the scenes of his magazine.

Happy viewing!

Reminder: Next Wednesday, August 18th at 2pm, I will be doing another Submissions Q & A session. Here we will have a fun, informal but informative chat about all your submissions concerns. If you have been watching these videos and/or reading these newsletters and still feel in the dark about how and where to submit, come on out!

This event will not be recorded. It is for paying subscribers only, so be sure to sign up. The zoom link for the event will be sent out next week.

Got a question, idea, fleeting glimpse, darting glance, strange memory, uncomfortable truth, exciting news? Please:

Know some people who need this newsletter and these editor interviews right this very minute? Please: