General Submission Guidelines

General Submission Guidelines for poetry contributions to WA Poets Inc Digital Publications, Anthologies, Events and Contests

The following conditions apply to all poetry submissions:

  1. WA Poets will only read submissions received during the official submission periods for Creatrix and contests.
  2. Simultaneous submissions to other publishers/contests are discouraged but please inform WA Poets or withdraw if the work is accepted elsewhere as soon as possible.
  3. Place up to two (2) poems (or up to eight (8) haiku) in one (1) Word or RTF document for Creatrix, and the number specifically noted for contests, with no identifying details in the document itself.
  4. WA Poets are unable to offer feedback on individual poems.
  5. Submissions will only be accepted via Submittable
  6. Submissions should adhere to the Guide for Indigenous Editing and Writing. and WA Poets Publishing Style Sheet

GENERAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

WA Poets and WA Poets Publishing seeks first publication rights (print and electronic) for all works submitted. See our copyright statement below for more details. Authors retain copyright of their work.

WA Poets accepts submissions primarily from members only for Creatrix and from any poet, worldwide, for haiku and contests. Our funding parameters do not allow us to offer payments for submitted work.

COPYRIGHT

Except for the purposes of transmittal via the internet, fair dealing and research, no part of WA Poets publications may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the author and the publisher.

Works may be republished in other internet collections with permission only and on condition of acknowledgement of WA Poets (or WA Poets Publishing) first publisher status. Publication rights for works in media other than internet websites revert to the creator upon publication however as a courtesy WA Poets ask that any subsequent publication include an acknowledgement of WA Poets‘ (or WA Poets Publishing) first publisher status.

DISCLAIMER

Reviews and articles published in Creatrix are accepted for publication on the understanding that they do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or the publisher unless otherwise stated, and on the understanding that they represent and promote fair discussion and commentary on Australian poetry.

SUBMISSIONS.

  • Please do NOT print your name or contact details on your submission document for Contests.
  • WA Poets and WA Poets Publishing only accepts unpublished work.
  • Simultaneous submissions to other publishers/contests are discouraged but please inform WA Poets or withdraw if the work is accepted elsewhere as soon as possible.
  • Please send a maximum of two (2) poems (or up to eight (8) haiku) in your submission for Creatrix. For contests submit the number specifically noted.
  • Please send all of your works in one (1) document.  Submit only one time. 2nd and 3rd submissions, even if 1 poem apiece, will be rejected.
  • Submissions will only be accepted via Submittable.
  • Please keep in mind that the guest poetry editor(s) will not commence reading the submissions until after the submissions window closes. Allow 5-6 weeks thereafter for notification.
  • Authors whose poems are accepted for publication will be included on our email list (which can be opted out of).

Unsolicited Poetry Manuscript Submission Guidelines

WA Poets Publishing is accepting unsolicited poetry manuscripts from single-author poets of Western Australian origin or whose main place of residence is Western Australia (see conditions below).

Submission Method:

  • Electronic submissions can be made through our Submittable portal

Eligibility:

  • Poets must be of Western Australian origin or whose main place of residence is Western Australia.
  • The primary language of the manuscript must be English. Please include translations to any words, phrases, lines, or sections in other languages. We presently do not have the capacity to review work in languages other than English.

Manuscript Format:

The manuscript should be a minimum of 60 pages and a maximum of 80 pages of poetry. The text should be in 11 pt. font with the title at 14pt (preferably Times New Roman). Include your name, address, email address and telephone number on the title or cover page. Include artwork and photographs essential to the publication. The manuscript should be paginated and include a table of contents. If there are any publication acknowledgments, please include them. Please ensure your Manuscript adheres to the WA Poets Publishing Style Sheet

Other Submission Guidelines:

Please allow a turnaround time of 60 days for us to review your Manuscript and provide our response or feedback.

All correspondence will be sent to your personal email only.

Disclaimer: WA Poets assumes no responsibility for the loss of Manuscripts.

Contact Information: For more information on submitting your Manuscript, please visit the Submittable page or the WA Poets website. If you have any additional questions, please email info@wapoets.org.

Guide for Indigenous Editing and Writing—WA Poets Inc

When should you apply this guide?

This guide responds to standards of practice in the Australian and international writing, editing and publishing industries regarding Indigenous cultural material and heritage. As a publisher, we adhere to the Ethical Publishing Guidelines developed by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS).

Contributors of creative works such as poems, artwork and multimedia texts, are expected to take individual responsibility for the management of Indigenous cultural material in their texts. We encourage creative contributors to use the Australia Council for the Arts’s Protocols for Working with Indigenous Artists as the industry’s guide to best practice.

Indigenous people and their cultures have been depicted widely in Australian literature. Some of what has been written about Indigenous people has served to develop stereotypes that do not adequately reflect the diversity of Indigenous people and their culture. Writers need to be aware of these issues about the use of Indigenous cultural and intellectual property within their works. Attention must be paid to the cultural accuracy of using Indigenous knowledge, cultural information and stories. Questions of authenticity and appropriate cultural protocols require thought when writing down Indigenous cultural information. – Protocols for Working with Indigenous Artists

The guide is intended for use by WA Poets Publishing (WAPP, publishing arm of WA Poets Inc) editors and journal and book authors, specifically, non-Indigenous contributors whose submissions engage substantially with Indigenous writing and culture. We can’t claim to be experts in the articulations of Indigenous cultural life. As such, WAPP practices the policy of having all writing on Indigenous literature adjudicated and commented upon by a senior Indigenous scholar in the required area. WAPP practices the policy of having all writing on Indigenous literature adjudicated and commented upon by an Indigenous writer. This is to assure that historical accuracy, cultural practices, law and lore are respected and treated as sovereign, assuring that those that write for WAPP gain and hopefully share a developing knowledge with our readership. Typical instances are reviews of Indigenous authored titles by non-Indigenous authors; and scholarly or feature essays engaged with Indigenous writing or culture. In other words, this guide applies mainly to critical content that is editorially commissioned.

We also value the opportunity for WAPP to be a site of development for Indigenous editing and editorial culture. The editorial / advisory role may contribute to commissioning decisions and to the editing of critical submissions by Indigenous authors.

For editors

As of 2023, WA Poets Inc will put all commissioned critical work engaged with Indigenous cultural material and heritage through a consultative peer-review process. This adds an extra layer to the usual editorial process.

  1. Writing is commissioned by a WA Poets editor. The editor confirms the availability of a member of WA Poets’ Indigenous Advisory Board.
  2. Content is submitted to the editor, and the editor forwards submissions to the appropriate Indigenous advisor.
  3. The Indigenous advisor reads and responds to the submission as relevant, and returns markups or a report to the editor.
  4. The editor forwards these to author for revisions along with a deadline.
  5. The author submits revised content to the editor. The editor makes their structural and copy edit markups and suggestions, and returns these to the author.
  6. The author reviews editorial suggestions, and returns final draft to the editor.
  7. The submission is ready for publication as deemed by the editor and/or the managing editor.

It is the editor’s responsibility to liaise with the Indigenous advisor on behalf of the author. It is the editor’s responsibility to ensure that the author responds adequately to the advisor’s recommendations, including seeking clarification of any points if required.

The Indigenous advisor is not expected to produce editorial markups or suggestions on the submission’s structure or copy; this is the task of the commissioning editor and should be produced following the consultative revisions.

We recommend the editor adds a short statement at the start of the final draft, acknowledging that the content has been reviewed by WA Poets’ Indigenous Advisory Board, e.g: ‘This review has been subject to consultative review by a member of WA Poets Inc.’s Indigenous Editorial Advisory Board.’ Alternatively, the author may wish to acknowledge the advice in the body of the text.

For authors

We encourage creative contributors to use the Australia Council for the Arts’s Protocols for Working with Indigenous Artists and Anita M Heiss’s Dhuuluu-Yala: To Talk Straight as the industry’s guides to best practice. Using these materials will help to minimise the work required of the Indigenous advisor, editor and author.

Types of advice that authors receive on their submissions may include:

  • respect for how Indigenous people and cultural material is represented and acknowledged in its diversity and specificity;
  • ensuring that Indigenous control has been exercised over relevant intellectual property or collaborative contribution, including attribution of sources and consent;
  • respect for confidentiality or secrecy; and
  • understanding the continuing nature of Indigenous cultures in the way they are described or referenced.

Authors may seek their own informal peer readers during the writing process. If Indigenous consultation has been sought at this stage, this should be clearly noted to the editor (and therefore the advisor) early on. This helps everyone negotiate differing advice and responsibility for it. After all, Indigenous cultures and communities are not homogenous: ‘Consultation is an ongoing process. Cultures are dynamic and evolving, and the protocols within each group and community will also change.’

Authors should expect to be challenged; this is the value of the consultative process. They may also wish to raise questions for the advisory editor, however, it is the author’s task to work with the commissioning editor on finding their own way to revise or strengthen their work in response to feedback.

Ultimately, the author has the final say on the content of their work, but the decision to publish and responsibility for the public representation of the content is held by the journal.