Submission Fees, Disability, and Poverty

According to the 2016 Disability Statistics Annual Report (in the US):

• 39.5% of disabled adults ages 18-65 are employed, while 76.6% of able-bodied, neurotypical people are employed.

• Disabled people earn about a third less than their peers when they do work.

• The percentage of able-bodied, neurotypical people living in poverty is 13.1% compared to 20.9% for us.  

I'm going to be bold and say the percentage of disabled people living in poverty is higher.  Why?  Because the report claims disabled people are only 12.8% of the population, and the CDC disagrees (click for link).  I realize the studies are two (maybe three) years apart, but the gap in time wouldn't account for such a drastic increase. 

We equal about half of the people living in poverty in the United States and the United Kingdom.
~*~
Entry fees are no longer an indication of a literary contest scam, and the average fee is $20.  Yes, fee-free contests still exist, but nearly all "prestigious" ones are pay-to-play.  At least most contests charging fees give entrants a copy of the winning book or a magazine subscription.

Literary magazines charging submission fees are also more common.  While no hard numbers exist, I'd guess around 25% of "top-tier" literary magazines now have a mandatory $3 toll (sometimes more, rarely less) writers must pay in order to traverse the road to publication. Writers receive nothing except a decision for their cash.  The vast majority of writers receive more rejections than acceptances.
~*~
Right now, I have twenty-nine submissions out to literary magazines and presses.  If the pattern of percentage holds across all literary magazines, I would have paid $21.75 just to see my work safely to editors' doors.  I'm also the not-so-proud owner of over fifty rejections for 2018 (so far).  I don't have enough money to waste on someone else's "no".

Disabled people are the world's largest minority group.  In many of the "First World" nations, we are a big chunk of the population in poverty.  Less money means less opportunity to submit our work.  Submission fees are just another way disabled people are kept out of publishing and literary communities.
~*~
A few final notes:

1.  The percentage of literary magazines charging fees might be wildly incorrect.  I took a few lists of top-tier magazines and counted how many required fees.

2.  Poverty also intersects race.  Our non-white siblings are at an even greater disadvantage, though I couldn't find definitive numbers evidence indicates this is truth.

3.  I did look into other countries' statistics, focusing on the "developed" ones.  I used more resources for my figures, but I didn't wish to bore anyone with lists.  For anyone truly curious, I'll provide them if you ask.

Tips for Submitting Work as a Spoonie

1.  Wait for a "good" day.

No energy and brain fog guarantee mistakes and frustration.

2.  Start from a list. 

There are websites that post monthly or even weekly lists of literary magazines and presses open to submissions.  Some post only fee-free opportunities.  These allow you to begin with a manageable pool.

Examples:

Literistic (monthly newsletter)

Erica Verrillo's blog has markets, agents, and more.

Practicing Writer (monthly newsletter/markets every Monday)

Entropy has huge seasonal lists.

3.  Narrow the list and make it yours.

The computer's search function is your friend.  Type in your genre and scroll through the entries.  Look at each for restrictions, fees, etc.  Write down any that seem to fit.  Be aware of any deadlines listed (and only select the ones you think you'll get to in time).

4.  Pick a number of places to check.

Decide how many markets you can research without depleting yourself or having all the information run together.  If you aren't sure, start with two.  Check guidelines and sample work, contributors' biographies and editors' blogs.  Sometimes, editors give interviews which are more helpful than many writers realize.  Take notes.  Cut any places that don't seem like they fit.

This step is going to take a number of days due to spreading out the necessary research.  I use deadlines to dictate which magazines/presses to check first.

5.  Prepare yourself beforehand.
Finished work should always be in a separate folder for easy access.  You should also have different versions of a print-ready biography (different lengths, credits based on genre, etc.) and a cover letter template.  It might take a while to set up, but it's worth it.

6.  Keep a submission log that's easy to track.
Matching pieces to places and sending them will take time... let it.  Then, keep a document with where you sent what when.  Update it the second something is successfully sent, don't wait.  You don't want to forget what you sent.  And you will forget, especially if you send out a lot.

Some writers use Excel, but I use a normal document.  The search/find function helps me here, also.  I can search by literary magazine or story/poem title instantly.

7.  If you have a lot of work, list it.
As a poet, I have a lot of finished work on my computer.  I keep all my poem (and story) titles in a master document with the name of any magazines that have them.  Why?  Because I simultaneously submit and want to know how many places are considering a piece at any time.  Plus, if I want to send something to a press that doesn't allow "sim subs", I know which poems are available.  My submission log can't tell me what isn't sent.

8. Don't set impossible goals.
Want to know a secret?  I haven't submitted my poetry or fiction anywhere in a month.  I try to, but life keeps making other demands.  It bugs me a little, but I'm mostly okay with it.  I'm still a writer if no one is reading my stuff.  So are you.

9.  Back up your writing.
Not a spoonie thing, just do it.

What We Want in Submissions

Off with the blogger's hat and on with the editor's!  Today, we're giving you details about the kinds of things we love (and hate) in submissions.

Maybe send us something after you read this (and our guidelines).

What we love:

1. Lists!  Do you have a list of favorite disabled protagonists?  Do you use apps that help you as a visually-impaired poet?
2. Book reviews. (Books must be written by a disabled/neurodivergent person or have disabled/neurodivergent characters.)
3. Interviews with disabled/neurodivergent writers, editors, artists, dancers, film makers, etc.  Interview subjects don't receive payment, but interviewers do.
4. Tips for different aspects of writing/submitting/publishing/marketing as a disabled/neurodivergent person.  Do you have strategies for people with anxiety at a conference?  Is there a marketing plan for spoonies?
5. Destruction of tropes and clichès.
6. Alternative paths for success,
7. News and happenings in disabled/neurodivergent literary culture, film, music, or art scenes.  Is there a new literary magazine for cripples? A book fair exclusively for autistic people?  A new album by a blind singer?
8. Posts by multiply-marginalized writers.
9. Anything that falls under the intersection of disability/neurodivergence and books, writing, promotion, art, etc.

Things we won't accept:  

1. Bigotry.  Yes, that includes fatphobia.  
2. Book reviews of your own books/friends' books.
3. Posts about disability that have nothing to do with literature/writing or other arts.  (There are markets out there for those essays, but we aren't one of them.)
4. Using your own website as a resource in your post without us clearing it.  (Having it in your biography is fine.)
5. Posts by nondisabled and neurotypical people.
6. References to heavy trauma without appropriate trigger warnings.
7. Excessive ableist language (that the author has no claim to).

Cover Letter Templates (Literary Magazines)

Submitting to literary magazines can take serious time.  For writers with certain disabilities/diseases/neurodivergences, it can take even longer and sap what little energy they have.

One trick for faster submissions is the use of a cover letter template.  A great thing about them is that only the first paragraph and salutation need to have blanks.

Example:

Dear editor (Last name),

Thank you for taking the time to review my short story (title here), which is (word count here) in length.  It is (exclusive or a simultaneous submission).  I really enjoyed (name of piece read in their magazine).

The rest of the letter will stay fairly static between submissions unless you move, change your name, publish somewhere new, or get a new job.  

Example:  

I received my MFA from Middle-Fiddle College in 2014 and am now an adjunct professor.  My work has appeared in Prestigious Magazine, Well-known Literary, and Fairly Impressive Review.  I live in the middle of Middle Earth with my cat, Precious.

Sincerely,

Oblib Baggins

3 One Ring Road

Middle of Middle Earth

GandalfLuvr@Grey.com

Create a clean copy of your template, and save it on your computer.  Some literary magazines request different things in a cover letter, but having this document to work from will save you some time... especially if you submit a lot.

Writers, Always Read What You're Getting Into!

I began a series of tweets yesterday to talk about copyrights and publishing.  As I started going through the terms of one particular essay contest, I realized just how difficult explaining everything in tweets might be.  So, here we are...

Most writers who write in the short-form genres (poetry, short stories, flash nonfiction) don't think much about rights.  The vast majority of them are never going to be showering in cash.  But rights-grabbing happens... a lot!  And you don't even have to sign a contract.
******************
A popular magazine is having an essay contest.  It's been annually occurring for the better part of a decade and has a fairly normal set of rules.  Until, that is, you get further down the page.

It starts:   "In addition, by entering, Entrant grants to Sponsor and its affiliates..."
First, the following applies to anyone entering the contest, not just the winners.  So, just by submitting your essay, you agree to grant the magazine whatever comes next.  And, how many "affiliates" does this magazine have?  Two?  Two hundred?  How many people now have access to utilize what they're asking?

"...nonexclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to edit, publish, promote, and republish at any time in the future and otherwise use Entrant’s submitted essay..."
Nonexclusive is fairly harmless.  You're free to publish your piece elsewhere.
And they're free to publish your essay, too!  Without compensating you at all... ever.

They also have the right to edit your essay in any way they want.  If your story was about the love you had for your pet goldfish, they can change it to say you ate said goldfish.  On the plus side though, your name is still on it!  So your neighbors (if said magazine publishes your piece a year from now) will know what a nasty elephant-eater you are!  I know I said goldfish, but, welcome to the world of editing!
***I know the above example is basically libel.  But they can change the whole tone of the piece and add tremendous amounts of typos legally.  They can wreck your reputation as a professional.  Plus, most of us don't have the cash to sue a huge company that can just print a microscopic "correction/retraction" months later.***

Oh, that "anytime in the future" part can mean a year from now.  Or two, decades, that is.  It's a surprise!
Don't forget that "and otherwise use" part, either.  Who knows what uses they could think up?  Could your essay become an article?  An expert quote on those who suffer from polar-bear-snuggling addiction?  An inspirational calendar sold in their online store for $19.99?  You don't know.  You might not even have the right to know.

"...along with Entrant’s name, likeness, statements, biographical information, and any other information provided by Entrant, in any and all media for possible editorial, promotional, or advertising purposes, without further permission, notice, or compensation (except where prohibited by law)."
They can use your name to advertise.  They can use your picture in an editorial (it doesn't say the editorial has to be on the topic of the essays).  They don't have to even tell you what they're up to because you submitted.  Legally, as I said, they're not allowed to commit libel, but... they have plenty of other things they can do.
******************
Will they do anything unethical with those essays?  Probably not, to be honest.  But it's not a guarantee they won't use them somehow.  Without paying the writers, though they can afford it.  Without even letting them know.

Is it still worth it to enter said contest?  The decision is up to each writer.
Always read everything.  Ask about what you don't understand.
You can give away a lot in these modern times, with just one click.

Writing Rejected Because of Disability/Neurodivergence

A lot of minority writers (LBGT+, PoC, disabled, etc.) experience discrimination in the Literary Community.  We don't have our panels accepted for conferences, are turned down for residencies, aren't found on many literary magazine mastheads, and are even absent from the pages of said magazines.

"But, how do you know you were discriminated against if they can't see what you look like?" people often ask, referring mainly to submitting.

That's the hard part.  We are discriminated against, but discrimination is extremely difficult (if not impossible) to prove.  When someone is reading your work, they can't see you.  So, according to a healthy slice of the majority, it isn't possible (especially without identifying information on a manuscript like some places require) for them to know.

So, the naysayers conclude, we have minority paranoia.  How can we even suspect that is, indeed, what's happening and we're not just, say, cruddy writers?
Well, let's go search for clues.

Subject matter:  Is the poem about a person's Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis?  Is a creative nonfiction (reality) about the Autistic writer's struggle for acceptance?

The VIDA count:  You mean WXYZ Publication hasn't ever, at least in the last year, accepted a piece by a certain minority group?

Veiled language in rejections:  "This essay would be better suited to a specialty publication for people like yourself."

Asking outright about minority status:  "Loved this piece!  Are you disabled?"  Writer answers affirmatively and gets a response like, "Even though I enjoyed this piece, I can't quite fit it in.".  (This has happened to me.)

Read the author's biography:  Many publishers don't want information stripped from a writer's work.  They want to know from the beginning who you are.  More and more ask for a photograph up front, as well.  So the editors do know who you are, at that point.

The editor holds specific views:  Some editors are just blatantly sexist, transphobic, racist, etc.  And they don't care who knows.  Or it's the most poorly kept secret in literary circles.  How likely is a bigot to accept someone in a group they despise?

The magazine wants your experiences not by you:  Essays on race written by white people without a single contributor of color to be found.  A poem about being a caretaker to a disabled daughter without any disabled people speaking their truths, in any recent issue.

"But, just because someone doesn't accept your poem about your wheelchair, doesn't mean they're ableist."  "And, just because an editor asked for your disability status, doesn't mean they rejected you because of it."  "Maybe your disability poem wasn't as well-written as the woman who wrote about being a caretaker,"  "And... and... and..."

I stated beforehand:  Unless an editor said outright that they didn't accept someone because of their minority status, it's difficult to tell.
But, when the numbers show disabled people just aren't published in a specific place (even if they publish disability-themed writing) and/or everything else listed... it becomes a distinct possibility.

Have you thought your work was rejected because of your disability/neurodivergence? What made you think it was?

Do You Disclose?

The majority of publishers in the world today ask for a potential contributor's biography to accompany their submission.  A lot of writers, especially those starting out, have to decide which details about themselves to include.  For disabled and/or neurodivergent writers, the question of whether or not to disclose their differences is a weighted one.

Some disabled and/or neurodivergent writers proudly list their status on everything (submissions/their blog/social media), not caring what anyone could potentially say.  Others, list it on their personal blog or social accounts without mentioning it on submitted work.  And the rest keep their status as hidden as possible.

If an editor knows you are disabled/neurodivergent, they may see your work differently.  And, most of the time, they will not take the most positive view.

As a disabled person, I like to see other people with my differences in media.  I know I'm not the only one who feels this way.  But, the potential prejudice from editors and the public make the desire to have minority anonymity paramount for certain individuals.

So, what do you do?  Is it more important to you to represent yourself as accurately as possible, or to have a safer online environment for yourself?