Saturday, June 30, 2007

Submission

Recently I did a quick, inaccurate survey of poems I’d submitted to magazines over the past three years, and found I’d submitted 94 poems and had 7 accepted (one was long). I was prompted by a friend who’d checked his numbers and had about 10 times as many poems accepted as I had and also submitted about 10 times as many as I had. I am very interested in what other people’s experiences are—not acceptance rates but just submission numbers. Some people send out 10 poems a year and others (who amaze me!) send out 1,000.

6 comments:

Anne Haines said...

In 2006 I sent out 97; in 2005, 121. (That's counting poems more than once if I send them out more than once, so it's not like I sent out that many different poems!)

So far this year I am way behind. Should do something about that, I reckon.

Robert said...

Yeah, I counted mine more than once if I sent them out more than once. By the way, your cat is a dead ringer for our cat Henry!

Julie Carter said...

I sent out under 20, but I can't remember the exact number.

I'm so not good at getting organized enough to submit.

Kate Evans said...

I'm just impressed that you keep track!

Unknown said...

I sent out this year 9 submissions so far (not poems but # of publications I have sent anywhere from 1 to three poems). I have been rejected by two. Accepted by three. Had to withdraw one that would have been accpeted and have not heard yet from the rest.

Thanks for your question -
Didi Menendez

Anonymous said...

Okay, here's the embarrassing tally. I sent out one set of poems and one of them was accepted. Aside from that, and trying to market my novel (of which I am now very weary) all I did this year was blog. But I did start writing a column for my local community magazine, and it's as if that little outlet has satisfied my recognition needs. Still, I feel guilty. It's so easy to fall into NOT submitting; blogging feels like publishing, without the postage, without the long waits, without the rejection.