{"id":84,"date":"2014-07-03T03:20:19","date_gmt":"2014-07-03T07:20:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/casit.bgsu.edu\/marblog\/?p=84"},"modified":"2014-07-03T17:19:00","modified_gmt":"2014-07-03T21:19:00","slug":"one-mar-editors-take-on-the-submission-process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/casit.bgsu.edu\/marblog\/one-mar-editors-take-on-the-submission-process\/","title":{"rendered":"One MAR Editor\u2019s Take on the Submission Process"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IMG_1577\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This entry is a repost from Fiction Editor Laura Maylene Walter\u2019s personal blog<\/a>. Laura discusses her first year working for <\/em>Mid-American Review as Assistant Fiction Editor, how <\/em>MAR submissions defied her expectations, and general tips for writers interested in submitting to <\/em>MAR. The opinions expressed here are Laura\u2019s and do not necessarily reflect the views of the rest of the editorial staff. Now that we\u2019ve gotten through that disclaimer, let\u2019s dive into Laura’s take on <\/em>MAR\u2019s reading process:<\/em><\/p>\n

We really do read everything.<\/strong> Like many writers, I\u2019ve had my suspicions that certain journals don\u2019t really read all their submissions \u2013 that they fill their magazine pages with solicited material and\/or send huge chunks of submissions into the trash bin unread \u2013 but I\u2019m happy to say this is definitely not the case at MAR. Not only do we read everything, but we approach each story in good faith, with good intentions, and with the hope that this one might be a \u201cyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The quality of writing is stronger than I expected<\/strong>. Over the years, I\u2019ve heard plenty of horror stories about the draining and hopeless process of reviewing submissions. Thankfully, I haven\u2019t experienced that. Not every story is for MAR, and not every story we receive feels ready yet, but the quality of the average submission is higher than I anticipated. Reading submissions is also a reminder of just how many people out there are writing and maintaining the hope that someone will say \u201cyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

That infuriating \u201cSorry, this isn\u2019t for me\u201d line is true.<\/strong> I might recognize a story has many admirable qualities and is strong, but it either doesn\u2019t float my boat or just wouldn\u2019t fit with the aesthetic of the magazine. When I come across a story like this \u2013 one that\u2019s strong but isn\u2019t to my personal taste \u2013 I still forward it to staff members to see if anyone else feels differently.<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t always agree.<\/strong> Reading for MAR reminds me many times over how subjective this business is. Sometimes the differences are subtle \u2013 I might love with the voice of a piece while another reader is only vaguely interested \u2013 while other times it\u2019s a dramatic difference in opinion. For example, I might be an emphatic \u201cno\u201d on a particular story that another editor is willing to fight for, or vice versa. To make it even more interesting, this same editor and I might generally have a similar aesthetic, so there\u2019s no predicting how we will each react to an individual story.<\/p>\n

A connection is by no means a golden ticket.<\/strong> Very rarely, someone on staff might personally know one of the writers we\u2019re discussing, or perhaps stories from past MAR contributors or other writers with some sort of \u201cconnection\u201d enter our reading pile. Believe it or not, these relationships don\u2019t make the journey to publication in MAR easier. Not even close. We discuss everything based on its own merits and how it might fit in with our publication.<\/p>\n

Cover letters don\u2019t matter much.<\/strong> I view cover letters as unnecessary but sometimes helpful tools that might satisfy my curiosity about a writer. A long list of impressive credentials is all fine and good, but it doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019ll love the story that writer submitted. On the flip side, if a writer has no previous publications, I\u2019ll hold out hope that this story could be her first winner. And if a writer leaves the cover letter section blank in our online Submissions Manager, I couldn\u2019t care less. It\u2019s the story that counts.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t like sending rejections<\/strong>. I\u2019ve received enough rejections in my writing career to cringe at the thought of a writer opening an email from me that includes a rejection. It\u2019s not fun, and I don\u2019t think any literary editor enjoys it. But it\u2019s part of the job.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re doing our best.<\/strong> I know what it\u2019s like to be stuck waiting eight months or longer for a response from a journal, but now, I also know what it\u2019s like to face thousands and thousands of pending submission in the Submissions Manager. We don\u2019t like to be behind, but because we actually read everything, get second or third or fourth opinions on work, and are open to free submissions year-round, it happens. Please be patient with us.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve heard it before from other journals and editors, but it\u2019s true: We really, really want to find stuff we love in the slush.<\/strong> It\u2019s such a treat to stumble across a compelling story or strong voice while reading submissions.<\/p>\n

Actually, we don\u2019t use the word \u201cslush.\u201d <\/strong>Slush is the word I use to mentally refer to the huge pile of submissions sent through our Submission Manager because that\u2019s what I\u2019m used to. In reality, however, I haven\u2019t heard that term thrown around by other readers at MAR. We view our submissions as simply that: submissions sent by hardworking writers.<\/p>\n

Laura Maylene Walter, Fiction Editor<\/em><\/p>\n

Original post: Submit to Me: Inside the Mid-American Review<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This entry is a repost from Fiction Editor Laura Maylene Walter\u2019s personal blog. Laura discusses her first year working for… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-submission-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/casit.bgsu.edu\/marblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/casit.bgsu.edu\/marblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/casit.bgsu.edu\/marblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casit.bgsu.edu\/marblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casit.bgsu.edu\/marblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/casit.bgsu.edu\/marblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87,"href":"https:\/\/casit.bgsu.edu\/marblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84\/revisions\/87"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/casit.bgsu.edu\/marblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casit.bgsu.edu\/marblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casit.bgsu.edu\/marblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}