Monday, September 17, 2012

Pay for Play

Having just finished a boatload of poetry submissions. I ran into one or two journals that require you to purchase a copy of the publication in order to qualify yourself for submission. To which I respond, no thank you. It's taken for granted that I write poetry for free. I am not about to pay for the honor. I will gladly purchase a copy of your journal if you show the good taste to accept one of my poems. And you are displaying a sure sign of amateurism if this is the only way you can support your publication. I also reject any online submissions manager that requires a $2 charge per submission (although I could understand if some poets might not mind that, considering the postage they're saving). This one comes under the heading, lots of fish in the sea.

That said, I also get a kick out of journals who pitch you for subscriptions, using the SASE you sent them, along with their rejection letter. Chutzpah, thy name is poetry editor!

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