I write many poems, some about children. Important writers like Robert Louis Stevenson and Jane Yolen have published excellent books of poetry for young people. However, I find that poems about kids are now very hard to publish. Why is this so difficult?
My theory is that many editors, especially men, believe that poems about children are overly sentimental and thus unworthy of publication. (more…)
As a former editor of Primavera, a literary journal, I understand how time-consuming it is to correspond with authors who submit manuscripts. I spent a lot of time writing detailed personal letters to authors before e-mail was widespread. I even got thank-you letters for my rejection notes because writers are eager to get specific feedback.
Recently, many book publishers have told authors that writers will receive a response within six months only if the editors are interested in publishing a manuscript or seeing some work from the author. I find this new policy confusing. (more…)