Sub Ops Ten

Ten Things About Submission Opportunities

The 10th Annual Gival Press Oscar Wilde Award for best previously unpublished poem (any form, style or length) in English that best relates GLBT life is is on. Prize: "$100 and publication on Web site." Note: They do charge a reading fee of $5 per poem, (but since their award honors Oscar Wilde I'm going to forgive them.) Deadline: June 27, 2011. For complete details, e-mail givalpress@yahoo.com or visit their web site for the contest page.

The American Journal of Nursing (AJN), the oldest and largest circulating journal of nursing in the world, is looking for "poems and visual art related to health or health care for its Art of Nursing department. Authors need not be health care professionals. Original perspectives and clear, unsentimental writing are preferred." No specifics on length, Payment: "$150 honorarium paid upon publication." Query Art of Nursing coordinator at: sylvia.foley@wolterskluwer.com.

Arktoi Books, an imprint of Red Hen Press that specializes in the work of lesbian authors, publishes one title per year, and is looking for poetry manuscripts. No fee, submit between August 1 and November 30; looks like they accept hard copy and electronic subs (but confirm that before you hit send.) For more info see submission guidelines page or contact Eloise Klein Healy at eloisekleinhealy@mac.com.

The Backwaters Press has extended the deadline for their Letters From Grass Country antho to June 2011. They're looking for "essays on poets, poetry, or the influence of the Great Plains poets; related subjects." I'm not seeing any payment mentioned in their submission guidelines so you're probably looking at bragging rights and a contributor's copy, but you can e-mail them at thebackwaterspress@gmail.com with subject “Letters From Grass Country.” for more info.

Bloodroot Literary Magazine reads submissions from April to September 1st, and is looking for "high-quality submissions of unpublished poetry, short stories, and creative nonfiction." From their web site: "We consider free verse and sonnets only. We do not accept translations. We accept only literary prose, no genre fiction such as sci-fi, gothic, juvenile fiction, or sexually explicit fiction." Length: "Submit 3–5 poems: 10 lines to two pages. Prose: 5,000-word limit." Payment: contributor copies. No electronic submissions, no reprints, see guidelines page for more details.

This one has a March 15th deadline, which is tomorrow, but just in case someone has a piece that fits: It’s All in Her Head: Women Making Peace with Troubled Minds blog has an open call for "first-person, literary non-fiction essays (please, no poetry) from established writers and talented emerging voices detailing your experience with a mental health issue, and how you’ve learned to make peace with it. Although your essay may (and should) reveal the truth about what it is/was like to live with your particular challenge, I’m looking for contributions that have a positive and/or hopeful tone (humor is more than welcome), with concrete examples of how you’ve managed to be productive, successful, satisfied, and yes, happy–or at least content." Length: 2-4K, Payment: "commensurate with publishing history." See guidelines page for more details.

Founded in 2006 by breast cancer survivor Debra LaChance, LaChance Publishing aspires to be "an oasis of information, inspiration and support for those affected by chronic or life-threatening illnesses through the publication of the acclaimed Voices Of book series. From that labor of love grew a company whose ever-expanding list of the highest-quality books on health, fitness, psychology, wellness and medical science continues to garner critical acclaim and worldwide distribution." They do accept queries and proposals for book-length projects, too, "in the categories of non-fiction adult, young adult and juvenile health and fitness. We are pleased to accept proposals from professionals in the health/science fields. We prefer agented projects but will consider projects of merit from qualified individuals without agent representation." See their book submission guidelines page for more details.

Mutabilis Press has an open call for poets "who have a connection with the states of Texas or Louisiana, by birth, residency and/or employment" to submit for an as yet untitled poetry anthology which will explore the theme "Given our noisy marketplace of beliefs, how or where can the sacred be found?" No specifics on length, and I don't see payment mentioned, but they're non-profit so it's probably for the glory and a contributor copy. See web site for more details.

Main Street Rag publishes books as well as their magazine, and is venturing into novellas: "seeking novellas between 25k-50k words and short fiction for themed anthologies up to 10k words." Looks like their reading period is May-September 1st, but everything else is questionable (I'm a bit confused by the multiple pages on submissions on their web site.) I strongly suggest you read them carefully and query the publisher if you have any questions. They also state on one page that they waived their $10 reading fee for 2010; I'd see if that is going to stay the same for 2011.

Switchgrass Books, a fiction imprint of Northern Illinois University Press, publishes exclusively "literary novels that evoke the Midwestern experience, whether it be urban, suburban, or rural" and notes: "Switchgrass authors must be from the Midwest, current residents of the region, or have significant ties to it. We publish only full-length novels set in or about the Midwest. We will not consider memoirs, short stories, novellas, graphic novels, poetry, or juvenile/YA literature. Agented manuscripts will not be considered." Length: web site only specifies "Full-length novels." No info on payment, no electronic submissions; mail hard copy manuscripts to Northern Illinois University Press, Switchgrass Books, 2280 Bethany Road, DeKalb, IL 60115.

All of the above sub ops were found over at P&W's classifieds pages.