Well, it’s about that time, Folks! Well, that time for me at least. I usually send my bulk submissions out around mid-September and wait to hear back from the editors within a week or a month or a few months or…never. Yes, never has happened before, but luckily it hasn’t happened too often.
This “season”, I decided to submit more of my light verse poetry (I’m sure from what you can discern about me, you may be thinking that most, if not all of my work is light verse and to a point that is true), but with more humor. WHO shall I submit to??? It wasn’t as easy as you would expect. Thinking of the right journal to submit to is a very intricate process. It not only allows for you to find the best fit for your work, it also may allow for the most acceptances to come your way as well because certain journals are looking for certain pieces.
My first stop is always Duotrope.com. They have a vast list of journals with information such as percentage of rejection, acceptances, genre, pay, etc. It’s a great resources for all writers be it fiction, non-fiction, or poetry (and it’s FREE!). So, I did a series of quirky “Annoyance Haikus” and I found a journal entitled…Modern Haiku. I thought they would be an okay fit! So I went to their website and clicked around a bit, found some past pieces that were published, thought mine would certainly fit that bill (of course) and decided to submit my series of haiku. Ummm, well. Here is the e-mail that I received exactly 12 hours later directly from the editor:
Dear Ms. Hill,
Thanks for sending your work to our journal. None of these, however, is exactly what we’re looking for.
It would be good if you would familiarize yourself with our Submission Guidelines and Policies—including our definition of haiku— on our Website (
www.modernhaiku.org) if you are planning to submit again.
Best,
[Editor]
ACTUALLY, I did read the Submission Guidelines and Policies and your definition of haiku and I read the rest of what was published on the site so I figured mine would be suitable…instead I replied:
[Editor]
Thank you for your swift response. I did read your definition on haiku as well as past work that your journal has published and some seemed to be rather “different” so to speak, such as myself. In any case, thank you again for personally responding. Not a fit. Understood. Thanks again.
Will I submit to that journal again, probably not because they are not my style. I figured they would be more open to my light sense of humor so-to-speak. If I ever decide to write serious haiku, then perhaps. It’s just not me so…probably not.
Yet! I do have one acceptance so far as well from
WestWard Quarterly. They focus on light verse, humor, contemporary and metrical poetry which is a perfect fit for me.
Submitting season is not over yet! So get those pieces e-mailed… or stamped and SASE’d with the proper postage and return postage (or else they won’t read them and I’m pretty sure they’re serious about that) and wait for those acceptances to start rolling in. I’m sure there will be some rejections in there. More rejections than acceptances, really, but that’s what makes the acceptances even more special. I know it doesn’t help much, but everyone gets them-our favorite writers have gotten probably hundreds of them- and it helps to develop a thick skin* early.
*Mine is made of
Kevlar, by the way.
CosmopolitanMuse 