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Sunday, January 9, 2011

Submission Notes: A Baker's Dozen

28º ~ gray skies hovering close, the promise of 2 - 4 inches of snow has us all thinking Snow Day tomorrow! (with apologies to my northern brothers & sisters who might scoff at the idea of a city shutting down for so little accumulation)

Given that my experiment with doing a smaller number of poetry submissions each Monday didn't really pan out last semester, I'm starting this semester off with a big effort.  Today, I submitted to 13 journals, using three groups of four poems each.   The task was made easier by the work I did last Monday when I went through each poem with a fine-tooth comb and sorted them into groups I thought worked well as mini-manuscripts.  I only did a wee bit of tinkering on two poems today and the rest were 'shovel-ready.' :)

I'm still wishing for the sorting hat (see Monday), as the first part of the day was taken up with going over my spreadsheet, checking guidelines, and making the final decision on which poems might fit where.  I know it's still a subjective game, but I do believe that knowing the journals well helps put the odds in my favor.

Of the 13 journals, eight had online submission capabilities (two required small fees, $1.75 and $3.00) and five were postal only.  Either way is fine with me, although I have to admit to liking the ease of the online submission, and I don't begrudge the small fees at all.


Pick Me!  Pick Me!
This clears the desk for a bit of the more strenuous work this week: revising some more of my fall 2010 poems.  I'm going through a bit of a low concerning these.  For some reason, I'm not feeling confident about very many of them.  I'm guessing this is because the table of contents in the new manuscript has stabilized and I'm spinning my wheels during the transition to whatever's coming next.  I need to remind myself that it's all part of the process, and while I might be slow, I'm steady as she goes.

12 comments:

Jeannine said...

Congrats! 13 subs is pretty amazing!

Sandy Longhorn said...

Thanks, Jeannine! I'm lucky to have an understanding spouse who gives me lots of undisturbed hours on the weekend. :)

Kathleen said...

Sounds good. I love a baker's dozen.

drew said...

Thanks for the insight on your submission process, Sandy. I'm curious about your system: When you say three groups of four poems each, do you mean the same four poems go to each journal? Or that you picked four distinct poems for each journal?

Just curious, and pondering the simultaneous submissions issue.

Bravo for your industry! And thanks for the peek into your pocess.

Sandy Longhorn said...

Thanks, Kathleen...now I'm hungry! :)

Drew, I use simultaneous submissions almost exclusively as I've been bitten too many times when a journal that doesn't accept SS keeps 4-5 poems for 8 months-a year. I read the guidelines very closely and don't submit if a journal doesn't accept SS. So, my 3 by four means three groups of four poems each. Each group went out to 4-5 journals. I also keep meticulous records and withdraw poems immediately if they are accepted elsewhere. I do understand that editors have heavy workloads, but I'd rather not put all of my eggs in one basket.

Karen J. Weyant said...

13! I thought I was doing well with four submission packets out since the start of the new year.

Good luck with the snow day. We got six inches last night; it usually takes two feet before anyone even thinks of closing down!

Sandy Longhorn said...

Thanks, Karen! The reaction to snow in the south is still one that takes some getting used to...however, when you have very few plows/sand trucks and a whole lotta hills, it begins to make sense.

Nancy Devine said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Tawnysha Greene said...

Sounds like you are off to a great start! I hope that you get some good news soon!

Sandy Longhorn said...

Thanks, Nancy!

Tawnysha...you set a high bar so far this year...hope some of your good vibe rubs off on me!

Nancy Devine said...

it's so hard to comment on a blog, half watch tv and plan my tomorrow.
my comment was supposed to say something like this:
impressive, sandy.
thanks for sharing your take on simultaneous submissions.

Sandy Longhorn said...

Ah, Nancy, just Friday I sent an email to my aunt that lacked the key clause for making sense. Happens to the best of us! :)