Submissions Policy for Poets based in the UK and Ireland

PLEASE NOTE

If you are writing in English but live outside the UK and Ireland you need to send work to the International Editor James Byrne: international‑editor [at] arcpublications.co.uk

If have a work of translation please address any enquiry to info [at] arcpublications.co.uk

Submissions for UK & Ireland should be sent to Tony Ward, info [at] arcpublications.co.uk

The UK & Ireland list for Arc Publications now operates ONE reading window for unsolicited manuscripts. Manuscripts may be submitted between 1-15 June.

For Poets based in the UK and Ireland

First, read this article.

Given the number and quality of submissions we receive and the fact that we only publish four collections a year, it is very unlikely that we will be able to publish your collection. If you want to ensure that we read your work you must do the following:

1. Send us between 16-24 pages of poems by email, as a Word / PDF attachment, with no more than one poem per page. We do not accept work on CD and any hard copy submissions will be discarded.

2. Include a short covering letter (no more than one side of A4) with your submission stating which poetry magazines, periodicals and journals have published your work. You must give a very brief idea of how you would describe your proposed book. If you have not already made it into print in these formats then we are unlikely to consider your work. We insist on this both as a threshold test of the quality of your work and, more importantly, as a sign that you are diligent and active in your desire to reach an audience. For guidance and a comprehensive list of journals see www.poetrymagazines.org.uk.

3. In your covering letter provide us with a 200 word (maximum) biography giving us a brief sense of who you are and the contemporary poets you like to read. If you have no interest in contemporary poetry or in reading poetry then we are unlikely to be interested in your work.

4. Let us know where you perform your work, if at all, and about any activities you undertake, or are prepared to undertake, to promote both your poetry and the poetry of others.

5. We do not publish poetry by children, poetry for children, comic verse, prose, play scripts, libretti or religious poetry. This submission policy only applies to poetry by poets based in UK and Ireland.

6. Bear in mind before submitting to Arc that, if we do accept your collection, we will expect world rights to publish your work.

7. Make sure you familiarise yourself with the work of Arc's UK and Ireland list. While our list embraces a wide variety of approaches to making poems, we advise you to get a feel for the work that we currently publish which illustrates the type of poetry which we find of interest. If you demonstrate no knowledge of our list or work we are unlikely to have much interest in your work.

8. We aim to respond to all submissions within three months. However, sometimes it may take longer to read your manuscript and if this is the case please do not contact us. Be assured, we will respond to all submissions that meet the criteria above. If you have not heard from us after three months, drop us a short email telling us the date of your original submission.

9. Do not submit your manuscript to other publishers while we are considering it.

10. Our editorial decision is absolute and final and we will not enter into correspondence or necessarily give reasons for our rejection of manuscripts - we just don't have the time. There are advisory services you can pay to assess your work, or you might like to join a writers' group.

11. If you are still unsure of the "way forward" for your work consult the Writers Handbook, Writers aned Artists Yearbook or view the Poetry Society website.