driftwood

Driftwood Press is excited to announce that we are accepting full-length book submissions for our Editors’ Pick Poetry Prize. One or more full-length poetry collections will be chosen by our Managing Poetry Editor. See below for guidelines, timeline, and award information. We cannot wait to read your phenomenal poems!

 

 

We’re Looking For…

• Fresh voices full of artistic merit. We want books that push against tradition, that wow and dazzle with their attention to craft. Experimental poetry, hybrid work, poetry with a visual element, prose poetry, and any avant-garde poetry are welcomed! We love work that thoughtfully pushes poetry into new realms and realities.

• We welcome all poets but would love to see works from marginalized voices. That said, submissions are read anonymously.

• Cohesive collections: We want to see that a writer has thought about overall theme and poem placement. The collection should be as powerful whole as the poems are individually.

• We encourage you to read our anthologies and previously published collections to learn more about what we love! We are always fans of work centered in place, language, and ekphrasis.

• We stray away from strict rhyme and cliché that shows no awareness of either.

 

Timeline

• Submissions are open year-round, but may close temporarily if our editors need to catch up or if our book catalogue fills.

• Submissions will be accepted and rejected on a rolling basis. We aim for a three to six months response time.

 

 

Guidelines

• Poetry only. Though we do consider hybrid works, the bulk of the manuscript should be poetry.

• 45 – 100 pages of poetry. If you are a few pages under or over, no problem.

• Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please update your submission to "withdrawn" within Submittable if your work is accepted elsewhere.

• Submissions should be primarily in English, but collections with a moderate bilingual component will of course be considered.

• A standard, 12-point font is preferred.

• Please submit your manuscript in a .doc, .docx, or PDF format.

• We read submissions blind, so please do not include your name, email, or any identifying characteristics on the manuscript itself.

• Please include a Table of Contents page.

• Individual poems from your manuscript may have been previously published in magazines, journals, anthologies, or chapbooks, but the collection as a whole must be unpublished.

• You must include an Acknowledgements page, citing prior individual poem & chapbook publications of poems within this collection.

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Awards

• 1 – 3 collections will be chosen for publication per year.

• Poets will work closely with the managing poetry editor to polish their collection and complete a multi-round craft-centric interview, to be included in the final publication.

• Each accepted collection will receive: $500 USD, 20 copies of their collection, and a 20% royalties package.

• Winning collections will be sold online, in bookstores, at events, and distributed through Ingram & Asterism.

• Winning collections receive a moderate publicity push by our in-house team. We’ll try our best to get you a few reviews, podcast appearances, in-person readings, or features around the web. Depending upon scheduling and availability, winners may also have the opportunity to take part in an author signing & reading at a future AWP convention.

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Previous Winners

• Stop by our digital storefront to purchase our poetry collections and peruse past publications.

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In-House Publicity

For authors who are unable to afford a traditional publicist, Driftwood Press is proud to offer our authors an in-house publicity option, something that not every small press is able to do.

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You can reach our Publicist, Olivia, at publicity@driftwoodpress.net if you have any questions or if you are an outlet and would like to query us regarding features, interviews, author contact requests, or collaborations. We look forward to hearing from you!

 

What We Offer Our Authors

• Driftwood’s newsletter reaches 20,000+ writers & readers; we’ll share cover announcements, excerpts, and blurbs a few times before release within these newsletters. 

• We prepare Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) for Asterism’s ARC Boxes which are sent nationally to U.S. book stores. 

• Driftwood will email Digital ARCs to our list of 200+ freelance reviewers.

• Driftwood will email Digital ARCs to review outlets, podcasts, influencers, and radio stations; this usually amounts to well over 70 contacts for your book. This includes submission for review consideration from Publishers Weekly, Shelf Awareness, Foreword Reviews, Bookforum, ALA Booklist, Library Journal, and Book Page just to name a few! 

• Social media posts featuring your title pre-release and post-release to our 40k+ followers across all of our social media platforms.

• Assistance in scheduling 1-4 in-person readings, signings, open mics, or other author events.

• Driftwood will submit your book to a variety of book awards post-publication. 

• Provide the opportunity for you to create companion pieces to pitch to magazines, blogs, and other outlets to feature your work. 

 

Pine State Publicity Partnership

Driftwood Press is proud to partner with Pine State Publicity as an option for our authors who would like to seek more comprehensive publicity outside of our in-house offering! Authors who query Pine State Publicity and are accepted will receive a 10% discount on the cost of publicity representation; please note that not all authors who apply will be chosen to work with Pine State Publicity but if chosen, the 10% discount will apply to their publicity services. We recommend that you reach out to Cassie (Cassie@pinestatepublicity.com) as soon as you have signed a book contract with us if interested to see if your work is a good fit.