Sometimes I Feel like Kurtz in The Heart of Darkness
Written by John Erianne on August 14, 2001 – 12:49 am -“The horror! The horror!” - Mr. Kurtz
“I don’t know how you bear up so well under the pressures of incoming idiocy. I’d be ducking and have a bad back, lol.” Janet Buck, author of Calamity’s Quilt, in a message to ‘the mad editor.
You can start publishing the work of others with the best of intentions, but sooner or later, the submissions will close-in on you. The parade of egos, wannabes and idiots is endless. Sometimes, I can identify with Mr. Kurtz, the good company man who went mad in the congo in Joseph Conrad’s classic novella. And you may ask, “Why would anyone put up with this if it aggravates him so much?” The answer is simple: Unsolicited submissions are the life’s blood of any publication, whether big or small, online or offline. It is worth the aggravation of reading through thousands of bad submissions in order to find that one good piece of writing you want to publish.
Of course, you might think, “Why put yourself through that when it is easier to solicit work from a select group of writers whose work you like?”
Several reasons:
1. Even good writers aren’t immune to writing garbage. Therefore, one cannot guarantee that the material solicited will prove usable.
2. An open submission policy guarantees a steady influx of new material. You can afford to be more selective.
3. Experienced writers like to be published alongside their contemporaries and the talented beginner likes to be published alongside the known, experienced writer. Therefore, a closed submission policy is the kiss of death for any publication. It is the editor’s responsibility to find the right mix of the fresh and familiar to hold the reader’s attention and keep them coming back for more.
4. The writers themselves can prove to be your best, most loyal audience. However, they will ignore a publication if they are unable to submit to it. They recommend publications they admire.
So, if you want to publish a literary magazine or e-zine, you’d do well to open your door to unsolicited submissions. And if you are a writer — keep submitting, even if you aren’t very, because you can’t win if you don’t play and you can’t grow without taking your lumps.
