SUBMISSIONS

SUBMISSIONS

Bloodaxe now publishes over 300 poets, and we need to keep up with their collective output. This won't be possible if we take on too many new authors, so we are only able to pursue publication in very few cases. If we aren't able to publish your poetry this may have nothing to do with the quality of your work; it's more to do with the restrictions of poetry publishing. However, Bloodaxe is continuing to introduce new poets, and we're still bringing out first collections every year as well as editions introducing major poets from overseas and anthologies aimed at broadening the readership of contemporary poetry. We publish around 30 new books of poetry a year, and it's not possible for us to do more than that. We will not usually be in a position to publish more than one or two first collections per year.

Although we have a policy of publishing new authors, these are invariably poets whose work has appeared in magazines or pamphlets and who have built up a publishable book-length collection over a period of time. If you have not yet published poems in reputable literary magazines, please do not send in your manuscript. We receive up to 100 manuscripts or offers of publication each week, and most authors submitting to us will have a track record of previous publication in magazines.

If you wish to submit your work, please send a sample of up to a dozen poems from a book-length collection with return postage. But there¹s no point in sending a handful of poems if that's all your have.

You must enclose return postage, a stamped addressed envelope or International Reply Coupons if you want a response (see address for submissions). We will not accept submissions by e-mail (or on disks) and we cannot respond to posted submissions by e-mail. Manuscripts sent without return postage go into the recycling bin (without being read).

For hints on how to get published and how to submit work, please read this page.

Anyone sending submissions should send a sample of up to a dozen poems with return postage.

N.B. No e-mails accepted!

You must enclose return postage or International Reply Coupons if you want your manuscript returned. (See Address for submissions)

For hints on how to get published and how to submit work, please read this page.

CRITICAL RESPONSE:
We regret that we aren't able to offer detailed criticism of poetry submitted for publication.

That's not the publisher's "job". But there are specialist organisations offering critical services (e.g. the Poetry Society ) and others which organise writers' courses and workshops (e.g. The Arvon Foundation),

see GETTING INTO POETRY(in the panel, right) for details.

POETRY PUBLICATION:
SOME POINTERS

READING:
If you do not read much contemporary poetry, or if you write poetry 'as a hobby', we're unlikely to be interested in your work. You may disagree, but we believe that no one can write poetry of quality unless they read other poets and are in touch with the literary culture.

MAGAZINES:
It is usually advisable to submit poems to magazines before thinking about putting a book together. Such a "track record" is not used by publishers as a guarantee of quality, but as an indication that the writer has spent time building up a publishable collection. Poets under 30 can apply for a Gregory Award from the Society of Authors. This can be a good stepping-stone to publication.

MARKET:
Don't submit to publishers unless you've read their books, or to magazines unless you're familiar with the kind of work they publish. Every imprint is different, and you will not be able to publish much unless you research the field and send to the publishers or magazines whose output you like and respect.

OVERSEAS AUTHORS:
Unless your work has already been published in book form in your own country or the country where you have lived for some years, there is no point in seeking book publication elsewhere.
All the poets we publish from North America, Europe and elsewhere have already published
books and established a critical reputation as well as a readership in their own countries. If you've only been published in American magazines or chapbooks, it would be premature to seek book publication in Britain.

If you'd like to gain a greater understanding of the editorial process, we recommend this article by Chase Twichell, a leading American poet (published in Britain by Bloodaxe) who is also the editor of Asuable Press in the States: 'First Book Manuscripts: Free Advice from the Editor'
http://www.ausablepress.org/b_advice.html