Since my first full collection, The
Knives of Villalejo, back in 2017, I’ve had perhaps my most fruitful period
ever in terms of placing new poems in high-quality journals. In fact, I’ve
published a total of 44 pieces in outlets such as The Spectator, The New
European, Stand, Acumen, Poetry Birmingham, Wild Court, etc, etc.
However, in that same period,
absolutely everything I’ve submitted via Submittable has been rejected – a total
of 31 batches of poems, all declined. Why? What might the reasons be?
Of course, one immediate reason may be
that more people submit to journals via Submittable than via other means, while
another suggestion might be that many of the most prestigious mags use
Submittable. Oh, and an additional option is that younger editors tend to work
with the platform, and my poems are less to their taste. Nevertheless, I do believe
that I’ve accumulated a pretty decent and broad list of credits elsewhere (see
above) during that same period.
What’s my point? What potential
conclusions could be drawn? Well, I’d argue that the use of Submittable is
extremely detrimental to the type of poetry I write. It favours work that
catches a superficial eye rather than poems that layer their effects with
subtlety. This isn’t to knock editors’ decisions, just a reflection on the way
Submittable potentially skews their choices. Do you agree? If so, is the use of
Submittable changing the poetry some people write and subsequently read? Is this
a change for the better…?
