As my time as poetry editor for Mikrokosmos comes to end, I've started reflecting on how much amazing work I've read over the past four years. I got the immense privilege of reading hundreds of poems from all over the world, and I wish I could have published so many of them. Rejecting poems was definitely the hardest part of the job. World Poetry Month is coming to a close, so I thought I would pass along some of what I've learned so you can have the best chance possible at getting accepted!
Psssst... read to the end for a list of free places to submit ;)
Before You Start, Please Know:
Writing is so extremely subjective: Every single issue, I would read (usually more than 100) poems and try really hard to narrow the pool down to about 10 poems. My coordinating editor would do the same thing, and every single year we both came up with a completely different list. Every editor has their own story, likes different things, and values different elements of writing.
Magazines have a lot of limits: Physical editions have budget and page space limitations. Both print and digital magazines have time and energy constrictions. These limitations definitely factor into our decisions.
Humanity: Editors are humans too! I promise, none of us are judging your writing or making fun of you (at least at any respectable magazine...). We hate sending rejections as much as you hate receiving them, and we are always rooting for you. Many of us are also writers, and have been or still are exactly where you are.
What Mags Look For:
(Note: these are general observations and might not apply to every magazine)
A great first line: Editors want their readers to be pulled in to the magazine, so we want to pulled into each submission! The most work on your piece should be on the first line (unless you just magically create an absolute banger, in which case everyone is jealous). Make the reader NEED to read more.
Weird shit: Like seriously. No publication wants to publish a piece that feels like the same stuff everyone else has published. Get rid of the cliches. Send the stuff you think is too weird! This magazine requests work that is "blongy" and has a whole webpage dedicated to a mood board of sorts to explain what they want. I promise, editors and writers are equal amounts of weird.
Relatability: Okay this might seem to undermine what I just said, but hear me out! People love connecting to stories. Editors want a story that their readers will love (and promote) and go, "Oh, that's me!" Representation in literature is so important. How can you present a relatable topic in a completely new, unique way? What's a fresh way you can express an emotion? (Especially one that can be difficult to understand)
Imagery: A lot of people (including editors) love being pulled into a scene, a moment. Sensory language is one of the easiest ways to pull your readers in. Are they "bleeding" or is "blood dripping" ? Have someone else read your piece. Did they picture the scene the same way you did?
Professionalism: Being completely honest here, editors get a little annoyed when writers don't follow directions and it adds work for us to do. Make sure you send everything the publication asks for, in the format they ask for it in. If we know we'll have to try to get a bio or other contact information from you later, we're less likely to pick up your piece.
Error-free work: Like point five, editors don't usually accept work that is going to cause them more work. PLEASE have someone else's eyes on your piece before you submit. I know it can be scary to ask someone to read it, but their "fresh" eyes are way more likely to catch a word that isn't misspelled ~ironically for the sake of art~ since they haven't been staring at it for weeks on end.
Adherence to a theme: Many magazines want a new theme for each issue, or even their publication as a whole. For example, The Kenyon Review's 2024 themes are Extinction, Writing from Rural Spaces, and Literary Curiosities. Find mags with themes that are relevant to your work, and you'll have a better chance at being accepted!
Bonus tip: Keep track of where you submit, so when you finally get the acceptance you deserve you can pull your piece from the other mags. It will also help you know when you might need to check in with the editors about your piece (some mags give a timeframe of when they want you to reach out if you haven't heard anything).
Looking for free places to submit? Here's a list of 15!
You never know when your next acceptance will show up in your inbox, but that is only a possibility if you take the leap of faith and submit. Take a deep breath, take a break if you need it, but don't quit completely. The world needs your story.
Happy writing everyone!
