Good places to submit stuff? (1 Viewer)

Ok I know even suggesting the idea of me, a lowly Bukowski fan, submitting my writings somewhere suggests a degree of hubris. I'm sorry about that. I know you'll say 'come on man, there's options everywhere!'

I know that too. Too many options. I was hoping you guys could help me narrow the field a little.

I tried submitting all last year but I didn't research enough/wasn't good enough and I was rejected by all of them. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas for a publisher that puts out stuff with a beat/bukowski influence by newer writers.

I know there's a lot of US out there and I'm trying to go my own way with it but I can't help but want to write to some degree like the writers I enjoy reading.

I have a lot of short stories and a lot of poetry.

If anyone has any ideas of places that worked for them please let me know.

Thanks,

Ewok
 
"...places that worked for them ?" You're referring to poetry/lit sites that actually published the work of members of this particular forum ?

Screw you. No free passes to anybody !
Get on the Google and find an appropriate publisher for your own stuff - don't worry about other poets.

Sorry, but either someone likes your stuff and wants to pass it on.... or they don't. Or they ridicule it in a public forum. And that is essentially the story of seeking publication.

(I'll only charge you 200 bitcoin for this advice - You're Welcome)
 
I didn't research enough...
And you're still not.

If you send work out blindly you should expect a lot of rejection. And someone here - or anywhere - who doesn't know you or your writing giving you a recommendation is still you sending out work blindly.

You need to find places that publish what you like and what you write. You find those by reading and buying and being involved in the scene, if a scene still exists. Once you hit on a few of those, others will start to appear.
 
This is good advice. Thank you. I guess I get kinda stressed out by the writing and sending but that middle step of blindly reading journals I think could suit what I'm doing is something I haven't figured out even a system to approach. I get overwhelmed on the internet in general.
 
The reality is that there are too many writers and not enough people buying (or even reading) what comes out. There are some writers who are genuinely interested in the small press scene, but there are far more who just want the kudos of saying "I'm a published writer!" Until recently I still accepted unsolicited submissions, but I got fed up with people questioning my rejection when they hadn't even bought a book from my press or even taken the trouble to at least feign interest. Trust me when I say, if you buy a book from a publisher and mention something about it in your submission they are far more likely to take you seriously, and even if they still end up rejecting your submission they may actually give you some feedback.

On the other hand, there is an online publisher who is now accepting poems that have to of been rejected elsewhere (great concept eh!) I must admit though, I haven't read any of the poems :)
 
Thanks for that information. Well we're in a generation of twitter and facebook where you get immediate feedback for just saying anything. And people increasingly believe everything they say and do is of importance - I think that translates to this online submission world. I have to admitt I can't escape fully from the trappings of this attention craving generation I'm a part of...I mean I'm posting on an internet forum asking for submission advice...but at least I'm aware I guess.
 
In an age when everyone's eyes are glued to the screen, I'm not sure what the point of paper-based publishing is any more.
 
Well firstly print publishers usually pay

And it feels more 'real'

and there's something about having the physical copy.

I think more than anything else it's important to reach an audience though. Typing or writing into the ether are both kinda depressing, yet necessary.
 
You seem sincere so I'm going to give you a sincere answer, because you really don't seem to know what's going on.
Well firstly print publishers usually pay
I've had a lot of poems published over the past 20 years, and the only time I was paid actual money was when they appeared in a book with my name on the cover. In every other case I was "paid" in copies of magazines. That's how it is and that's how it's always been, with very, very few exceptions. A slightly larger percentage of magazines will pay for prose, but the competition for getting into one that pays is stiff.

If you want to see your name in lights - or in a magazine that three dozen people will read - there aren't really any shortcuts. It's a long slog that never ends for most writers. The Internet has only made it worse, so good luck. You're going to need a thick skin.

If you can't be dissuaded and want to throw darts at a map, you can always try the 2014 Writer's Market.
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I found a joint in there that ended up publishing my first book. But that was more than 20 years ago. The submissions I made using that book also got me a file cabinet full of rejections. It wasn't until I got to know the landscape that the acceptances began to outnumber the rejections.

But you don't get to know the landscape through a book or a guide. You get to know it through, as I mentioned, reading, buying and connecting with people.
 
I've been writing and submitting for a long time and I've been paid for 3 pieces; two short stories and a poem. Less than $100 total. Everything else has been contributors copies.

Most print lit mags have websites and those sites have examples of the work they like to print. Read those, find something you like, maybe buy a copy and submit.

Most of all, don't take rejection personally.
 
What is it that you want to accomplish? You want to be published? You want to be published a lot? You want to be paid? What's success, for you? Figure that out, and you'll be able to narrow your focus some.

My goal has always been to publish in places I truly admire, and with people I admire. Like everyone else, I have stacks of rejects...and, honestly, that kind of dogged commitment, and belief in what you're doing is the only way to break in.

Find the writers you like; find the presses that have published them; support the books and magazines the presses put out -- it's the only way to see what the editor(s) like; and be professional.

Your writing is probably a personal thing for you, but when you send it out, you cannot take anything personally -- not accolades and not rejection. Write what you want to write, as well as you can write it, and then work your ass off to get it published. That's the blueprint. Everything else is a pointless distraction.
 
Great advice everyone. I, more than anything else, suffer from tunnel vision in all areas of my life. I think 'well I'll just send here and wait' and when I get rejected think 'well that's that, guess I wasn't good enough' and even stop writing after that. It's fucking pathetic!

Yet I DO it repeatedly

which is a sign of idiocy

I KNOW kinda what you have to do - keep trying, research, make connections, reading, writing

Yet I get disorganised scatterbrained avoidant filled with panic and then years go by and you think what happened man?

Nothing happened.
 
I used to use duotrope, which was a good way of narrowing down the field as they have search fields which allow you to search for example paid markets, genres, printed v electronic, acceptance rate, etc. I think they may charge a subscription fee now, but I think it's only something like $10 a year. If you're serious then it may be worth a go.

I only submit my work to one person now.

Thank you Jesus.
 

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