send in those poetry submissions- the birth of chance press (1 Viewer)

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jordan

lothario speedwagon
okay, so there have been grumblings and rumblings, but now rubyred and i are organized enough to start taking submissions for one of our first books.

send them to: chance.press.books (at) gmail (dot) com

currently untitled, the book will be a collection of poetry by buk.net members or frequent buk.net readers who don't post very often or at all. i pasted the submission guidelines below, but here are some other things to keep in mind:
1. if you don't post on the buk.net forum PLEASE introduce yourself in your cover letter. also, keep in mind that there is a FAR lower chance of your work being selected, although it is not out of the question.
2. this is not going to be a book of poems about bukowski. we'd prefer poems that AREN'T about bukowski, actually. it's intended to be a collection of work by this unique and really fantastic online community, and it's understood that we are bound by a love for bukowski- it doesn't need to be so obvious in the writing.
3. please don't submit if your being rejected will color your feelings about this forum. MJP IS NOT INVOLVED IN THE PUBLISHING OF THIS BOOK OR THE SELECTION OF THE POEMS.
4. if i have ever been a jerk to you on the forum, don't assume that your submission will be rejected outright... if rubyred likes it, it will probably get in.

okay, and since i love guidelines, here are the general submissions guidelines from the chancepress site:
1. Your submission can be electronic or on paper. If you would like to submit on paper, please email chance.press.books (at) gmail (dot) com first.
2. Your submission must have a cover letter containing, at the very least, your current address and a brief summary of the work you are submitting. If your cover letter mentions Chance Press, there is a significantly higher chance that we will read it.
3. Any subject is fair game... However, please don't submit any poems about writing poetry, poems about poetry, poems about the power of poems, or poems about being a poet. Poems about other poets are okay, though... We just feel pretty strongly that self-referential poems about poems are pretty tired.
4. Simultaneous submissions are ONLY okay IF: you aren't one of those people who send the same 100 poems to 100 different small presses at a time. In other words, we understand that it can be a drag sending a poem to a publisher who holds it hostage for 3 months with no response, but people that abuse simultaneous submissions can expect to have their submissions returned.
5. No literary criticism- thumbs up or thumbs down only. We have had our own poems and stories rejected enough times to know the disappointment and the general "WHY?!!!" that accompanies the rejection of something you thought was genuinely good. There are a lot of reasons we might reject your submission, from us not having the time or resources to publish it at any given time to us just not liking it. Still, we're in the business of making books, not providing literary criticism. There are plenty of great writers' groups you can solicit to get opinions on your work that are probably more useful than whatever we have to say anyway.


maybe this is overkill guideline-wise for our first release, but if you don't like it, start your own small press.
 
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J&J;
Congrats! If only I was able to write a decent poem..... Ahhhh....

You two will do great things, I know.

Bill
 
So my frickin Rules. I need a drink!
maybe this is overkill guideline-wise for our first release, but if you don't like it, start your own small press.


bill,

if you hadn't already published 'five years', we would snap that up and publish it in an instant. so you better submit something!
 
People are currently holding me prisoner and forcing me to write marketing copy, but when I get home I'll send you some poems. I think I have some good ones but I have also learned not to cry too much when rejected.

And by the way, I think "Currently Untitled" is a great name for the collection.:D
 
I'll see if I can rustle up something. let's just say my accepted/rejected ratio isnt so ballanced: 0%/100%. oh well, if you don't like it, throw it away along with all the others.
I'll send an email soon.
 
I hope I've not imposed, just emailed a few poems your way.

thanks for your time, reading my stuff.

good luck with everything...
 
thanks for everything so far everyone!!! we don't have nearly enough for a book yet, so we're both really looking forward to reading more.
 
yeah, thanks everyone for the submissions.

cunningham: it's 'editrix', thank you very much ;)
 
Question re: guideline #4.

Since the only time I have ever submitted anything was when I was in High School-21 years ago, I'm not entirely sure what a simultaneous submission is.

Does it refer to a single piece sent to multiple publishers, or does it mean multiple pieces sent to a single publisher?

Please, excuse my ignorance.
 
Single poem sent to multiple publishers.

It bothers editors because, should the piece be accepted by 2 people, the poet then "better-deals" one of the editors--so the losing editor not only loses an accepted poem, but feels like his/her mag/journal was "2nd best."
 
thanks for all the subs coming in; if we haven't responded with a thank-you email to anyone yet, it's just because we had a busy weekend.

if you're thinking about submitting, but haven't yet - DO IT!
 
Single poem sent to multiple publishers.

It bothers editors because, should the piece be accepted by 2 people, the poet then "better-deals" one of the editors--so the losing editor not only loses an accepted poem, but feels like his/her mag/journal was "2nd best."

...and it could create legal problems in that some publishers copyright their contents. In other words, the publisher owns the right to the poem, not the poet (I do not do this and frankly, very, very few in the small press do it), so the person that then unknowingly prints the poem in their journal could be sued. Of course, this would not usually happen, but the point is that they have unknowingly violated copyright.

But as Hosh mentioned it usually becomes an issue with one publisher getting the poem and the other being told that they can have another, which in many cases would create animosity and the publisher would normally back out of publishing the poet altogether.

This has happened with me before and it is usually an honest mistake. If I have a relationship with the poet, it is not a big deal, but it would probably be a deal breaker if that is the first time that I have worked with a poet. Kinda like showing up late to an interview, i guess...

Bill
 
you have a translator German->English at hand?
a good one that is...

i'm thinking about sending some of my older poems in both languages, German as they were written, plus my mediocre translation into English. So maybe you/we can make up a proper English version, IF the poems are of any interest to you anyways.

i've tried this procedure before and failed. but hope dies last as they say ...
 
go ahead and submit, roni- if we liked a poem, we wouldn't have any reservations about printing it side-by-side in english/german.
 
Re: "better-deals" the editor or publisher

The above is exactly what a fine literary agent is supposed to do for an author. It's a long established and accepted practice between authors, agents and publishers. The agent can deal with several publishers simultaneously for the same literary work and ideally set up bidding wars between publishers to maximize gain for the author. There is no reason why the author as an individual cannot do the same for his or her own monetary gain. Of course, the reality is most neophyte writers are happy to get published under almost any terms. That is why so many writers disadvantage themselves in the early stages of their literary careers.

Also, just because a publisher accepts an authors work for publication there is no automatic transfer of copyright possession and ownership. Woe to the publisher who doesn't get a signed agreement/contract for copyright transfer and ownership from the author. The author could one day end up owning that publishing company or at the very least getting a handsome monetary settlement from the publisher. These are matters that need careful scrutiny by knowledgeable professionals in the area if solid publishing business practices are to be followed. Otherwise, proceed at your own peril. It's a shame we live in such a litigious society, but that is unfortunately today's real world.

I wonder how many aspiring writers realize when they sell the copyright to their intellectual property, they give up their right to title that work. That right transfers to the publisher along with the copyright. Most publishers do wish to have happy authors so they usually defer or at least consult with the author before titling a work. In addition, titles to intellectual property are not copyrightable. So if you wish to title your next novel Ham On Rye and your publisher agrees, have at it.

...rules, rules everywhere rules !!! ;-)



Addendum to below:
Permissions and rights are not the same thing.
 
some great stuff has been coming in... but we would like to see MORE! go on, SUBMIT, you know you want to! what's the worst thing that can happen? - we say 'no thanks'. no big deal.
 
some great stuff has been coming in... but we would like to see MORE! go on, SUBMIT, you know you want to! what's the worst thing that can happen? - we say 'no thanks'. no big deal.

Jordan! Rubyred! Please! What I got? Thanks? No thanks?

Please,
please,
I can't wait!




:o Errr...
 
sorry pichon, should have replied sooner but if you check your email you'll find something waiting for you.
 
Rubyred: I'm the one that is sorry. I'm such an impatient lame... Now I got my new prescription, thanks...
 
i'm not going to say which poem or by whom, but i read a submission tonight that was so good, i felt like a dick reading it while listening to duran duran. keep 'em coming!
 
1464038287_l.jpg


are you trying to say these guys are not artistes?
 
just to add to the mystery... someone really took us by surprise with the quality of their work... he is quite the hidden gem amongst buk.net members!
 
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