Do you want to publish your poetry manuscript?


I know it was almost a  decade of hard work from the time I first committed myself to poetry to the publication of my first book, The Cartographer's Tongue / Poems of the World. There was so much about book publishing that I didn't know and no one I could ask.

How times have changed --- and for the better on this one. Now there are books, websites, conferences, consultants, and even blogs that provide first rate information.

This morning I discovered this blog post from one of the editors of CavanKerry. Not only does Florenz Eisman offer good information, she does so with bucket loads of kindness and grace. How I wish I had read her twelve years ago.



Here are the first two paragraphs:


I was asked by a CavanKerry colleague a while ago to blog about submissions. My reaction? Give me a break. Is there anything less necessary to write about?  After all, CKP’s website has a submissions page with guidelines. Won’t newbies find everything they need on the screen?


My colleague reminded me that when she sat on a panel for soon-to-graduate MFAs, several asked her how to submit a manuscript. They didn’t have a clue how to go about it. Nada. Nothing. That gave me pause.  MFA students who don’t know how to maneuver through the submission process? 


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Comments

  1. I like the article. She would be a fun person to hang out with and talk about life and words.

    I have a MS in GIS and work as a cartographer. I love your book The Cartographer's Tongue. Many of the poems are my favorites, short narratives from around the world.

    I like this line in The Mapparium

    A wave
    hitting stone is the sound my voice leaves
    as a pledge of return on the glass.

    I also like In the Language of Maps.

    I am writing an epic about scientists. I am currently working on my story of Anaximandros, who made the first world map for the Greeks.

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  2. Hi Surazeaus, You're a cartographer --- it seems so magical to me. Thanks for writing and for your kind words about The Cartographer's Tongue. I agree; she sounds very cool --- and so does your manuscript! You've made me want to research Anaximandros. It's been a long time since I've written about maps -- maybe it's time to revisit that obsession. All best with your manuscript, hope this helped out.

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  3. This is an excellent article/blog post. Seems like good advice, not just for manuscript submissions, but for all writers wanting to improve their work. Thanks for sharing this, Susan.

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  4. Thanks, Drew! Maybe you'll come up to Nye Beach while we're there for Poets on the Coast? Sept 7 -9. Hope all is well!

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  5. That would be fun! And this time, no interruptions, distractions, nor sickness or slack. : )

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