I'm not experiencing anything as devastating as the above, but let's just say that it's been a while since I was on the other side of sending manuscripts out, and I'm wondering where folks like to find information about book contests these days. So far I've used a highlighter on a recent issue of Poets & Writers. Am I doing it right?The editor side of me would also like to know, so that we can properly shout from the rooftops that Martín Espada is judging this year's Akron Poetry Prize.
Thanks for advance for any sources, print, online, or magically derived out of the ether.
9 comments:
I like New Pages info. It seems to "all" be there.
http://www.newpages.com/literary/contests.htm
And Mary, have you seen the newest issue of Oranges & Sardines? Your quote is in my column. Page 45.
I've just looked up what presses have published my favorite books. I'll let you know how that works out when all the answers are in. :)
Talia, I just checked it out. It is GORGEOUS! Thank you so much for quoting from my little essay.
Melissa Fondakowski keeps a great source of contests, open readings, etc. at her Poet With A Day Job blog:
www.poetwithadayjob.wordpress.com
www.poetryresourcepage.com is a pretty helpful site.
I haven't entered a book contest since the early 1970's. (Back then I entered one two or three times, sponsored by a well-known university press, that didn't charge an entry fee. Haven't entered any since then.)
As it happens, the publishers of all of my books are people I already knew as friends (or at least friendly acquaintances) for a while before they published me. Each of them asked me to send them manuscripts. Needless to say, that reduced the need for research...
A different way of answering the question is that I've made a point of seeking out poets whose work I like, which has led me to meeting other people through them, and then other people through them, etc.
When I'm looking for poetry magazines to send poems to, I look all over the place: Poets & Writers magazine, Small Press Review, a couple of local lit newsletters in Minneapolis (one of which recently stopped publishing), an online newsletter from Main Street Rag magazine, random items in blogs, etc. I also, always, check out the book tables at literary events.
Sometimes a poet friend will send me a magazine they've been published in, and I'll send something to the magazine myself.
In maybe two-thirds or three-quarters of the instances I've been published in magazines, I either had known the editors previously (as friends or acquaintances) or we had at least corresponded, they were friends of friends, etc.
I think P&W and New Pages are the best places, I also like to check the websites of book publishers that I enjoy, because they often include information on open reading periods that is not widely circulated.
Hope this helps, best wishes with your new book. As I think we discussed, I'm glad to take a look at titles :)
Live from Freezing Minnesota,
Peter
Wow, a 3-eyed smiley! Who's been reading Transmetropolitan in your house? Who's the Spider Jerusalem fan?
I glean info here & there from people's blogs and from P&W, but I probably get the most from Allison Joseph's CRWROPPS list. I have a spreadsheet where I try to track the details of various contests/publishers as I come across them, in hopes that it will keep me from missing deadlines. Though I've already missed a few due to my own finely honed procrastinatory skills.
Post a Comment