Tag Archives: submitting your work

Running the Numbers 2010

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In all my reorganizing, I almost took this off the list prematurely! As of 6-16, I had enough rejections/acceptances etc in that I could finally report on how I did for 2010.

  • My 2nd full length book: sent it out about 8 times in various formats and then I head it back to continue to work on it. It is still out to a few places with no permanent home..yet
  • At the close of 2010, I had only sent out a few photographs. I sent out four sets with one accepted so that was actually quite good.
  • Chapbooks I have previously reported on because the upcoming Fat Girl finally found a home! I’m sending out a fiction chapbook this year.
  • In non-fiction I submitted essays 34 times (many went out more than once of course!) with 5 accepted for a rate of 15% acceptance. I like that number. Although, I have very few essays that need to be submitted anymore and I haven’t really been writing any new ones . . .
  • In the fiction category I had 38 submissions (again, many were sent out more than once) with 8 accepted for a really nice return of 21%. As with non-fiction, I haven’t been writing much creative prose so not sure how much will go out in 2011.
  • On the poetry end I submitted 98 different sets of poems. I always record my poetry submissions in sets versus individual poems which makes running the numbers an interesting problem. I’m actually down on the number I sent out to below what I sent in 2008 and 2009, but I was more selective in a good way. I had 27 sets of poems (some “sets” in this sense were only one accepted) accepted for publication which gives me a 28% acceptance rate! I am THRILLED to see that number because my 2009 percentage was 12%. I’ve managed to inch up each year but I’m really amazed by this new number. I’m not sure how 2011 will pan out because I seem to be well below that amount this year (which is half over!)

I won’t be reported in on a regular basis about numbers of rejections etc (like I used to per week), but I’m still keeping records so I’ll let you know how it goes. It can be really eyeopening to keep these kinds of numbers so you see where you have been and where, perhaps. you are going.

As I finish up 2011, I want to continue working to find a final home for the second book. I’ve missed a few weeks but I want to keep as close as possible to sending out at least one submission a week in some genre. Then this time in 2012 (can you believe that!) I’ll report in again :)

Speaking of publications:  I have a short essay in the new 234 Journal

Friday Wrap-Up

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It feels good to be at the computer at 3:30 on a hot afternoon with time to actually update my blog and to report that I actually had time to submit work this week!

  • Submit: 5 sets of poems (lots of recently rejected poems and a few were new!) and sent my 2nd full length manuscript to another open reading period
  • Accept: Had one poem accepted for a print journal and one essay for an online journal
  • Reject: 2 sets of photos rejected (one assumed after 6 months of no response) 3 sets of poems (1 assumed and one with comments), no on 1 essay and no on a grant I applied for (although when I saw who got the grant I’m not surprised!) I also had to pull an essay that was accepted last year but the publication is not continuing to, well, publish.

I have been writing some these week. A few poem drafts have appeared in my notebook and I did quite a lot of revising, but no prose (except the few blogs) is bubbling up.  I do have poems up in Scythe Literary Journal (which I LOVE!). Most of these poems are going to be in the upcoming chapbook from Finishing Line (anticipate 2012 release, pre-orders end of year or first of next?) which I am collecting snail mail addresses for. This is just so I can send out a promo post card letting you know when pre-orders are being taken. If you want to be on that list email me your snail mail address to (jessie.carty(at)gmail.com). Sorry US only for the post cards :(   . . . (Debbie, Helen, Elizabeth I already have your addresses!)

I also had enough time (in my evenings…..) to finally finish some books I had in progress including: an issue of moonShine review where my first print fiction publication appeared (gorgeous journal inside and out), Selected Poems by Fanny Howe (not a highly recommended one but she does occasionally blow you away with openers like “when mirth sways like a mast” and The Best American Nonrequired Reading edited by Dave Eggers 2010 edition. Some AMAZING selections in this anthology which is edited, in part, by teens.

I’ve taken a lot of different professional development classes during this Summer Institute at my college, but the Quality Matters ones this week really have me thinking about design. These courses are to help you with course design (especially online courses) but I find it funneling down to my blog, my writing, the way I mow the lawn: a straight and steady path.  :)

Thank you for everyone who keeps coming by to support this blog, my work and the work of the others who post here from time to time. You guys keep me blogging!

Have a great weekend!

FYI – busy week next week but I’ll try to be here!

Friday Wrap-Up

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By the time I get to Friday, I often can’t remember what I have told you during the week! Especially since I tweet and regularly update my Facebook status. I start to confuse myself ;)

I did get my official full-time employment letter so that journey I started almost exactly four years ago (when I left my last full-time job) is having it’s full circle moment!

My first online teaching (formal) experience began this week and my students are already digging in to play with discussion boards, emails, journals, blogs and wikis that are built into our Blackboard system. I have to spend at least an hour to an hour and a half every day (probably weekends to) working on it so in some ways it’ll be more than if I was in a classroom setting, but I’m loving it.

On my own submitting front, let’s run the numbers:

  • Submitted: 2. Sent one story and 1 copy of my 2nd full length manuscript. I know, quiet week. I’m actually having trouble finding places to send my flash fiction. I might need to get a new Writer’s Market for 2012.
  • Accepted: 4 poems were accepted by 1 journal! Woot!
  • Rejected: 3 sets of poems. 2 with some comments from journals I like quite a lot that I sent some of, what I feel is, my strongest work. Le sigh.

Have you guys been submitting work this week? Working on everything? I’ve worked through a few more poems but no essays in quite a while and all is quiet on the story front as well. But, as I always say, reading and watching a lot so I can fuel back up.

I also learned some neat tips in training courses I’ve been taking this week for developing better online courses on how to make a Table of Contents “appear” in your Word document. IF I can find a simple way to explain it I’ll definitely have to share that with you!

Hope you all had a great week and here is to a terrific weekend. I’ve been sitting here in this Starbucks too long, need to stretch. That was quite a workout this morning!

Friday Wrap-Up

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I’m up early for an early morning exam, but I’m also able to report early because I was able to work on submission packets early this week!

  • Submitted: 3
  • Accepted: 0
  • Rejected: 3

Nothing earth shattering to report this week (oh what a terrible cliche!) but in updates from previous annoucements Folded Word now has details about the book award Paper House received and they are running some specials.

I did draft another piece of my mosaic novel yesterday and I have an idea for another potential exceprt which meant I dug out my Dream Dictionary and brought it with me. I also tried to draft a poem in what I thought might be a new series, but I just wasn’t feeling it. Still in kind of a poetry lull right now.

For such a busy week, I know this sounds like a kind of boring wrap-up, but I think I’d welcome back just a little bit of boring after all the craziness of interviewing, finalizing grades etc etc.

And today I had a pear and some fresh brewed herbal iced tea.

I also took the stairs.

I think that is a good way to end the week :)

Friday Wrap-Up

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For some reason I feel if I say “whew! what a week!” I’ll be repeating myself . .. but, that’s how I feel today!

This was the last full week of classes. We’ll be back on Monday and Tuesday for final “stuff” then exams will start, but I – of course – will be doing my best to focus on my teaching demo for Wednesday. I have lots of ideas for it, but I need to take my normal weekend class prep time to prep the demo.

I managed to work on submission packets today after one class this morning, a good walk and then an even better (but oh so filling!) lunch with a fellow poet and teacher friend.

  • Submissions:  6 sets of things between non-fiction, fiction and poetry. No fiction chapbook out today (no where to send) and I was too lazy to do special formatting so no pictures went out. I also didn’t have a publisher or contest that was due this week for my manuscript so that is waiting for more things to open in May.
  • Accepted: more details soon but my 4th chapbook was accepted for publication! Waiting on contract before it is all official, official
  • Rejected: 5 although one of these confused me and was one I had already pulled from 2009!. The rest all had comments which was really great, including a note from the wonderful Beloit Poetry Journal!!

On a side note on the publication path, my first full length Paper House now has the option to buy a signed copy and receive a free digital copy. I’ve updated my Paper House page on this site but that link takes you through to my publisher. Neat! Paper House has been out for a year now. Can you believe it? I can’t! It has also been three years since my first chapbook was accepted for pub and almost two since the first two came out. Time flies!

So exhausting, yet amazing, week. Time to unpack my school bags and crack open a root beer I think.

Did you guys submit your work this week? Any news on the items you did send out?

You know I’d love to hear from you :)

Have a great weekend.

Thursday Poem Share

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For some reason, wordpress turned off comments on my post yesterday? I fixed that in case you guys had any questions on that. But, on to today.

I can report in that I have a poem in the new issue of Georgetown Review. Lovely looking journal that I can’t wait to read. Print so think about support a college lit mag?

Last night I read through the last 12 pages of The ECCO Anthology of International Poetry which is the last book I had from my trip to Boston and the wonderful Poetry Only Bookstore Grolier’s.  I found a lot of new international poets to admire with one of my favorites being the Japanese poet Kazuko Shiraishi. This will be a great book to go back to but perhaps too many poets to admire for me to add everyone to my Goodreads list just now!

What to post for you today? Let’s go to the pending list!

–and now I’ll go translate that poem :)  

and when I say this poem is from Salman Rushdie I mean I randomly pulled words from a short story of his I was reading for my World Literature 2 class. I’m not even sure what words I pulled now!

As always, feel free to comment on my poem and/or to comment on the poems that others post (or link to) in comments. I will remove any poems next Thursday so you don’t have to worry if you are sending them out for submissions.

For those of you finishing up NaPoWriMo (and Poem a Day Challenge) stick with it! We are almost there.

And, for everyone else, why not finish poetry month with reading a poem a day?

I’ll be hearing some poetry tonight at the Concord Writers Night Out starring Helen Losse!

Friday Wrap-Up

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Here we are again! After a department meeting this morning (my first at the school where I adjunct), I wasn’t sure I’d even have time to work on submissions this week. But, in between doing some grading, I have knocked out some! Yay! Now that grading is gonna be hanging over my head the rest of the weekend since I didn’t do it this afternoon but ah well at least I got some of the pending revisions done by working on the submissions. Sometimes you just have to pick which battle you are gonna fight on a given day.

  • Submissions: 7!  A nice variety including copies of my chapbooks, full length manuscript and everything excetp fiction.
  • Accepted: 2! Both poems.
  • Rejected: 4 and maybe a 5th since my book wasn’t picked as a finalist for the SIBA award. It was such a thrill to be nominated though!

In other news: Robert Lee Brewer of Poetics Aside nominated me for the Poet Laureate of the Blogosphere! Neat! If you guys get a chance to check out the rules and vote, I’d appreciate it :)

I have a new photo up in the fantastic The Northville Review <

And, I'm a little nervous about posting this other recent publication: a story titled 4 to Go in Wilderness House Literary Review. Let’s just say: some stories are hard to tell, but are still important. Or, at least this story made me write it!

It has been a busy, busy week (as always) but I have kept up with NaPoWriMo. Although, to be fair, I did miss one day but then a lovely fellow poet gave me some words and I ended up writing two last night at the Jackson’s Java open mike so now I am back on track.

Yay for poets getting together! Challenging their introverted tendencies :)

And for discussion as I had this on Facebook. What would you think if posed with this scenario:

  • Person  1 – And XYZ has a poetry book out!
  • Person 2 – (to XYZ) so did you self-publish that?
  • XYZ – (how do they answer?)

What have you guys been writing? Any submission news? I always love to hear from you!