20 December 2007

When you write your bio...

...do you put journal names in alphabetical order?

I always do, after having editors do it for me so many times. But now that I'm proofing, I see that I might be the minority in this.

Anyone? If not alphabetical, then what the heck order do you put them in? Level of coolness? Age of publication? Number of syllables?

14 comments:

Justin Evans said...

I write down my last three credits. That's all. I probably do it in the order they came out in print.

Karen J. Weyant said...

Geez, I never thought about this. I will look at what editors have done with mine, but I usually just write down the last three or four journals.

Kelli Russell Agodon - Book of Kells said...

I never even thought to do it alphabetically.

I tend to use recent journals I've just been published in.

There's is also the excitement factor for me. I notice in my cover letters that I always put the Atlantic Monthly first as it was a big deal for me to get into it (it is also a recent publication). Though alphabetically, it would be first! ;-)

But like Justin, mine are mostly the most recent places someone could see my work if they were interested.

Good question!

Amanda McGuire Rzicznek said...

I normally list 4 of the "biggest" journals I've been published in--that might mean ones that easily recognized or ones that I'm most proud of. It all depends where I'm sending...

This is a good question!

Hope you're having a good break, Mary!

Steven D. Schroeder said...

Descending numerical ranking on Jeff Bahr's or my rating system (mine is the same concept stolen from him, slightly modified), with any sundry places I think will be of interest to the editor (geographically close, someplace they've published, similar work, etc.).

Sara said...

I list them by acceptance--most recent to least. I think I list 5.

Anne Haines said...

I list them in order of relative coolness, weighted by recency. (For example I hardly ever list Prairie Schooner anymore, even though it's high on the coolness list for me, because it's been over ten years now. Actually I usually only list stuff from the past couple years.) I usually list four or five, but I order them so that if they were to leave off the last two or three, the remaining ones would be the coolest from the past year or so.

How do I determine "coolness"? Heh, well, good question. That varies, too -- if I'm submitting to a feminist journal I'll probably list Calyx even though it's been a couple of years, but if I'm submitting to something more mainstream I'll leave off Calyx in favor of something more recent.

Good question. I've always done this kind of instinctively and never really thought to quantify what I'm doing. :)

Adam Deutsch said...

This problem hasn't come up often enough for me to have a system for it. I don't put any previous pubs on cover letters.

marybid said...

So all you non-alphabetizers:

do editors put your journals in alphabetical order when they edit your bio for publication? Or do they leave 'em be?

This is fascinating!

Justin Evans said...

I have honestly never paid attention, except when there are misspelled names. One glaring example was when I was credited with having work appear in the Gray Hills Literary Lantern, which was actually supposed to be the GREEN Hills Literary Lantern.

I am simply thrilled whenever I get some kind of author's note. On the other hand, I am always a little disappointed when no bio is given.

Steven D. Schroeder said...

I've never had editors rearrange the publications in my note. I have had them incorrectly de-capitalize my professional certification in my note, and edit my poems without asking.

P.S. As Anne and others note, I try to only list recent publications (the last 2 years or so) plus forthcoming.

P. J. said...

I don't have any such credits--you could say I'm increditable, which is almost clever--but I'll respond here because I have pics at my journal of possible quintoon adoptees. You should check 'em out.

--Paddy

Diane Lockward said...

Usually I list three of my favorites, no attention to alpha order. The higher I'm shooting the more inclined I am to list three strong credits. More than 3 or 4 strikes me as going on too long. I never list forthcomings as by the time the journal to which I'm submitting comes out chances are the forthcomings will already have appeared. Easy to say this doesn't matter, but I read contributor's notes. I'm disappointed when a journal doesn't run them, eg, Spoon River, one of my favorite journals.

Nin Andrews said...

I write whatever comes into my brain at the moment. I just ate a bran muffin . . .
I hate 4:00 in the afternoon.
I think pink should be banned.
Do you know my cousin, Little Bird?
Or I list whatever journals or . . .

Anyhow. I figure no one cares much what you say there, but I might be wrong.

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