Trio House Presser: What Are Poetry Editors Looking For in a Manuscript?
How to Increase Your Chances of Getting Published by a Small Press
One of the questions I am often asked as an editor is, “what do editors look for in a manuscript?” or, conversely, “what AREN’T they looking for in a manuscript?”
Of course, the answer to that question cannot be absolute - each editor has their own criteria and focus for their list and their press. However, with a little research and analysis, authors can improve their chances for having a manuscript accepted by a press.
As a poet myself, I struggled to get my first book published. I sent it out to multiple contests and presses, and met with rejection after rejection for years until it was picked up by NYQ Books. Now that I’m on the other side of the fence, I have insights both about what I could have done differently as a poet submitting my work AND what editors are generally looking for.
Tip #1: Find Your Presses/Your People. I used to get this advice from professors in my MFA program, but often felt I didn’t have the resources or time to do it in the (ahem) pre-internet age. Now, however, it’s fairly easy to get a feel for a press’ aesthetic. One effective way to do this is to go to their website, and read their mission and value statements; look at what authors they publish. Read several books from the press’ current list. Do you like the work? Would you enjoy being “press-mates” with them?
Another great way to find what I call “aesthetic circles” is to look on DuoTrope. For example, when I got my first poetry published in the New York Quarterly, I went to their DuoTrope page and saw that people who had their work accepted by the New York Quarterly also had their work accepted by several other magazines and presses. I would then check out their websites and submit work to those places, with a higher success rate.
A third way to find a press that’s a good fit for your work is to check out places your friends and authors you admire have published, and then look at their social media pages. Who are they following? Who is following them, in terms of publishers? Do they seem like a good fit for your book?
Tip #2: Analyze Your Favorite Press’ Front and Back List. Take a look at what kinds of books they have published lately, and try to objectively see your list in comparison/contrast to those books. If your book is too close in subject matter or approach, it’s likely even if it’s fantastic they might not want to publish it, especially right away. If your book addresses similar themes but is written in a different way, or takes a new direction, it may be a good fit for the press.
Also, find some new “favorite presses” and support them by telling others about them, buying their books, and lifting them up to your friends. A great place to explore the landscape of small presses is the CLMP website.
Tip #3: Be a Good Literary Citizen. It seems weird to say “be nice” (especially because we’re here in Minnesota) but it’s actually really good advice. What does that mean? It means uplifting other authors you admire more than you promote yourself. It means being genuine and making friends with other authors at all stages of their careers, both online and in person. You can do that by posting and re-posting when they publish in literary magazines; writing reviews and sending them out for publication or posting them on Powell’s, Bookshop, or Amazon; attending in-person or Zoom readings of their work; and inviting them to read with you in person or on Zoom.
Cultivating connections in the literary community can also be a source of strength and support, a way for you to find more submission opportunities, and a way to find workshop partners.
Most poetry books are sold to the friends and family of poets, and the more friends and family you have, the more books you will sell, the more readings you will score, and the more positive attention your book will receive. Much has been made about presses requiring authors to have social media followings, but that’s not really the issue. Much like grades don’t always reflect learning, social media followers don’t always reflect possible book sales. What matters is an author’s willingness to be a contributing member of the literary community.
Another hard truth about poetry books is this: most don’t even sell enough copies so that the press breaks even. Small presses don’t usually pay their editors and staff very much, because they are operating on a shoestring. Fees from contests all go towards paying the winners, paying for printing and distribution, and paying the editors. Many poets complain about paying contest fees. Truth be told, if more people bought more poetry books, contest fees would be unnecessary. Setting aside money each month to buy poetry books from presses you admire is not only a great way to get a better handle on where to send your work, it’s a great way to support the poetry ecosystem - and it gives you something to talk about/post about with your friends in the literary community.
Tip #4: Submit Carefully. Read the guidelines. As an editor, I’ve seen writers ignore the guidelines and submit an entirely wrong genre. I’ve seen writers forget to attach their manuscript, submit manuscripts full of typos and mistakes, or submit wrong documents instead of their manuscript. I’ve seen writers submit long diatribes as cover letters. Every press has different guidelines, and it often means changing around your manuscript, or writing a new cover letter. Not waiting until the last minute, submitting manuscripts when you are fresh and awake, and double-checking your work before hitting “submit” can all be good practices to avoid these problems. However, everyone makes mistakes - so if you notice later that you made a mistake, most editors will be fine with a query on your part about how you can make it right.
Tip #5: Find Your Editors. If you’ve sent out your work and it keeps getting rejected, it might be a good idea to have an editor look it over and give you feedback. This could be a friend with whom you exchange the favor, or you can hire an editorial consultant to do a manuscript review. Be open to suggestions, but also be open to the possibility that the work is fine - you just haven’t found the right publisher yet.
Tip #6: Be Persistent. When I began submitting my manuscript, I viewed each rejection as evidence that the manuscript was not good, or unworthy of publication. It took years of telling myself that it wasn’t the manuscript, it was that I wasn’t sending it to the right place at the right time. As an editor, I now know that this is absolutely true. We receive many, many more amazing manuscripts than we have the resources to publish, and sometimes we receive jaw-dropping manuscripts that are just too similar to something we recently published. I can truthfully say that most rejections are not judgements of the value of the work - they are indications of the needs and limitations of the press.
Tip #7: Believe in Yourself. Corny, I know, but true. I remember at one point, when I had sent my book out for the twentieth time, I had a beer with a former professor in my MFA program. He said, “When you publish your book..” and I interrupted him and said, “If! If I publish my book!” and he scoffed. “Of course you will publish your book. Just be patient. When you publish your book.” That meant a lot to me - their ultimate faith in my work. I started using the phrase “When I publish my book..” and it was like a promise to myself that kept me going.
Do you have a manuscript you’d like to submit to Trio House Press? Our Open Reading period is from June 1 - June 30. Writers who make less than $50K do not have to pay a reading fee; those who make over $50K are asked to pay the $25 reading fee. Check out the details and our titles at our website: http://www.triohousepress.org