Here at The Poetry Box, we are very excited to offer a new publishing paradigm for well-established poets (who already have at least one published chapbook or book or have been published widely in a variety of journals). Over the past four years, we’ve had the pleasure of publishing great poetry in various anthologies, a few individual collections and our flagship journal, The Poeming Pigeon. We are expanding our operation to offer publishing contracts (with no design fees or upfront production costs) and plan on releasing several single-author, full-length poetry books each year. And to get the ball rolling, we will be accepting submissions year-round. So if you’ve been admiring the quality and design of our books these past few years, now is your chance to have your work published under The Poetry Box Select imprint.
(Please note: we are only accepting submissions from U.S. based authors/poets at this time)
We enjoy poems of all styles: formal, free-verse, metered, non-rhyming, experimental, nostalgic, political, erotic, abstract, lyrical, etc. We don’t censor or shy away from ‘tough topics’, however we do draw the line at poetry that discriminates against our fellow humans. Please keep in mind that the poetry manuscript should have some unifying theme or topic, and yet each poem should be strong enough to stand on its own merit. We also discourage poets from submitting a manuscript of all end-rhyming poems with the same sing-song a-b-a-b syntax throughout the collection.
Karla Linn MerrifieldAuthor, Psyche's Scroll, 2018Amid the chaos of the modern publishing industry, it’s comforting to work with a publisher that does business the old-fashioned way: with meticulous care and consummate professionalism. But that doesn’t mean that The Poetry Box® isn’t on the leading edge of design, production and marketing capabilities. They are! And, perhaps most remarkable, is the unalloyed enthusiasm Shawn and her staff bring to each book-to-be.
Features Included in The Poetry Box Select Contract
- Copyediting & Proofreading the manuscript during various stages of production to ensure accuracy.
- Procurement & Assignment of ISBN Numbers with The Poetry Box Select imprint as publisher.
- Formatted EAN/ISBN Barcode with retail price embedded.
- Inclusion in Books in Print through Bowker.
- Library of Congress Registration including pre-control number assignment and sending a final published copy of book to Library of Congress on author’s behalf.
- Professional Interior Book Layout & Design following standard publishing guidelines.
- Professional Cover Design by award-winning photographer/designer.
- Gloss or Matte finish for book cover, dependent on design and what will work best for the book’s aesthetic.
- Most of our titles are 6 x 9 (inches) perfect bound, standard trade paperback book. (We also offer other standard sizes and can discuss options if applicable to your manuscript.)
- Choice of white or cream interior pages, dependent on what will work best for the book’s aesthetic.
- Digital Author’s Proofs (PDF) before finalizing print-ready files.(Printed book proofs can be sent to author for $10 each)
- Digital Advance Review Copies (ARCs) – PDF copies can be sent free of charge to author’s choice of up to ten reviewers and colleagues.
- Five (5) Complimentary Copies for the author, with additional copies available at below wholesale.
- Dedicated Web Page on ThePoetryBox.com online bookstore.
- Worldwide Distribution available through Ingram to 39,000 bookstores and online retailers
- Social Media/Email Newsletters promotion.
- For our local Portland authors, assistance in setting up and hosting a book launch/reading at a local bookstore or other venue.
Submission Details
Manuscript Checklist:
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- Cover Letter containing:
- Proposed Book Title
- Legal Name of Poet
- Name as it should appear on the cover (Plume de Nom if using one)
- Brief synopsis/description of the collection (approx 100-150 words)
- Contact Information including:
- Email Address
- Shipping Address
- Phone Number
- Social Media links, if applicable (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Author Website, YouTube Channel, etc).
- Why you’re interested in having The Poetry Box publish your work.
- Whether or not this is a simultaneous submission.
- Cover Letter containing:
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- List of Poems in order (NOT all caps and no underlines).
- 70 or more poems gathered in one document, in order, with each poem beginning on a new page. This number may vary, especially for those who write longer poems. Our aim is to have the final book (including all front & back matter) to be 80-150 pages.
- Acknowledgments for previously published poems.
- Author Bio written in 3rd person, noting any literary awards, publications, and anything you’d like to share with the readers as it related to the topic of your book, etc. (approx 200-250 words)
Guidelines:
- Accepted file formats: WORD (.doc or docx) or RTF (rich text format). Do not send as PDF.
- Please use a standard readable font such as Times New Roman in 12pt. Do not embed your poems in graphics or imagery.
- Do NOT put your poem titles in ALL CAPS.
- Do NOT underline your titles.
- Start each poem on a new page.
- Individual poems of the manuscript may have been previously published in magazines, journals, or anthologies, but the work as a whole must be unpublished.
- Simultaneous submissions are permissible; please notify The Poetry Box via email (shawn@thepoetrybox.com) immediately if a manuscript becomes accepted/committed elsewhere.
- The reading fee of $30.00 is payable through Submittable (our submission manager system).
- We prefer manuscript submissions made via Submittable.
Need help with using the Submittable submissions manager? Visit https://submittable.help/submitters
If you have any questions, you can contact the editor, Shawn Aveningo Sanders via Shawn@thePoetryBox.com.
We look forward to reading your work!
