By now, everyone has read Stacey Lynn Brown’s “Cautionary Tale” regarding Cider Press Review, a contest to which you should not be submitting your manuscript, for obvious reasons of the editors there not respecting the work of the poet. Not knowing her work at all, still I feel for Ms. Brown and believe no poet should be subjected to such editorial disrespect.
As a general rule, I don’t know how much respect poets and our manuscripts get in the poetry book contest system, first book or otherwise. As I’d previously blogged, it’s great when the contest works out, but Collin Kelley says the following, and I agree with him so wholeheartedly:
Moral of the story — don’t submit to Cider Press Review, and while you’re at it STOP SUBMITTING TO CONTESTS in general. It’s a lottery that less than one percent will ever win. Find open readings periods from good presses or those that allow year-round submissions. If you want to support the press, write them a check, buy their books or subscribe. Hell, start your own press. The contest cycle of abuse must end.
I am wondering why more poets don’t seek publication via other more sensible routes, such as the open reading periods of various publishing houses and small presses to which Collin refers. I’ve also previously blogged about this. My central question remains: Why the contest? I still haven’t heard a sensible response to this question, if it’s mainly publication we seek. If it’s mainly publication that poets seek, then it doesn’t make sense to me for poets to privilege the contest over general manuscript submissions queries and open reading periods. If it’s “prestige,” “respect,” we are after, I am also fairly certain we can gain “prestige” and “respect” in other, less costly, less insane, less humiliating ways.
My last question: How do we subvert this poetry contest system when so many poets (literally) buy into it so completely.
Addendum: Reb Livingston’s got a very good post about book contests, many details revealing the flaws in book contest system, and relationships (more like, lack of) between authors, editors, and publishers within this system.
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Sadly, there is a mindset that has been pounded into the heads of emerging poets via MFA programs and publications like Poets & Writers that if you don’t win a contest, you’re not a “real” poet and you’ll never find a good teaching job and don’t even dream of tenure. I know several accomplished poets who have said out loud that they “must” win a contest or get picked up by a reputable press or their careers are on the line. This jockeying for position and hysteria is why I will never teach or seek an MFA. Despite the fact that many noted poets are self-publishing, working with micro-presses or starting up their own press, the poetry microcosm still hasn’t caught up that a whole new generation of poets is emerging that has nothing to do with academia or contests.
Thanks for your comment Collin. I came from a MFA program that didn’t shove contest or prize down our throats, or at least that’s how it felt to me. In fact, early on in grad school, as Gravities of Center was just coming out, one of my professors, Dan Langton, bless that old man, told me that it really “doesn’t matter” who your publisher is, but that your publisher has good distribution.
As well, I am thinking about Reb’s post re: prizes being created and held in order to raise money for a small press, versus in order to “bestow prestige” upon a poet. To me, it’s starting to look like there are numerous book prizes, but really only a few of them which are really “prestigious.” Oh, this is in response to what you say above re: having to win a prize in order to get a tenure track job.
Then again, I believe there are a couple of book contests/prizes that I hold in higher regard than others, such as the Andres Montoya Prize, and the Chicano Latino Literary Prize, and this is for reasons of addressing the margins and creating from these their own center.
I guess the real question is who is the arbiter of “prestige”?
You’re correct that there are more contests than ever. If you flip through P&W’s contest schedule (and even back in the classifieds), the number continues to grow and grow. If it makes it into P&W does that make it prestigious? Does the Academy set the tone? Or is it a group of “noted” poets and editors who declare the contest prestigious and everyone else falls into line?
Hey Collin, I really don’t know how to answer the question of “prestige.” I am thinking it’s different from “respect,” which I think comes from the work itself. But I could be seriously naive about that part, but I don’t think so.
Unfortunately I think there is no sensible response. We poets enter them because that’s what’s available to us – the ratio of contests:open reading periods is probably something around 1:20 and that might be underestimating. And there are a lot of poets out there right now who want to get published. 99% of them never will. 98% probably shouldn’t get published. The Contest system preys on that 98%.
This is how they make their money. These presses who force fees don’t do their fundraising, don’t manage their revenue streams appropriately, cry that “poetry doesn’t make money” and answer that cry with a $35 contest.
Most of these contest-based manuscript selection presses are founded by poets themselves. Unfortunately, just because you are a poet doesn’t make you good at being an editor/publisher. You also need to be a CEO, fundraiser, business manager, and marketing and branding expert. 99% are not. Ergo, The Contest as main revenue stream.
However, I know that presses can be successful without the paid contest cheat. Ausable’s model works, and the poetry they publish is amazing. So I implore presses to follow that model, do your work, and find good poets to publish.
I agree with Poet With a Day Job about the 1:20 ratio. I imagine most poets who send their manuscript to contests also send it to presses with open reading periods. As many presses now charge a “reading fee” for their non-contest “open” reading, there’s often not much difference between a contest and an “open” reading system. I also agree that Ausable publishes (or published–aren’t they sort of out of business now?) great poetry! I believe they charged a reading fee, though.
When I was regularly sending out fat envelopes of poems to magazines I decided I was spending about a dollar to buy one reader (the editor).
PWADJ, I’ve just read your blog post and it seems your perspective has broadened from “contest are what is available to us,” to including so many various ways of finding a place in the world for our work.
Anyway, thanks for your comment and for your very thoughtful, expansive blog post.
Robert, Ausable’s been acquired by Copper Canyon but they’re keeping their imprint. Also, I don’t think they’ve ever charged a reading fee for the June open reading period…now that CCP has them I don’t know how that will affect the “open reading” situation.
BJR – yes, I have expanded my view on my blog (from the comment above), because the more I thought about it, and read what people had to say about it, the more complex the issue became (becomes) to me. Very little in this world (poetry or otherwise) is as simple as wrong and right anymore.