Below is part of what's on the California Writers Club website, with a few modifications.
For the steps to submit, go to the CalWriters.org submission page, to the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section.
If any of this is a problem, or if you want to have your submission checked before sending it, email [email protected].
For the steps to submit, go to the CalWriters.org submission page, to the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section.
If any of this is a problem, or if you want to have your submission checked before sending it, email [email protected].
California Writers Club
2022 Literary Review Submission Guidelines
The submission window for 2022 is open from November 15, 2021 to January 31, 2022
2022 Literary Review Submission Guidelines
The submission window for 2022 is open from November 15, 2021 to January 31, 2022
Welcome to the 2022 California Writers Club Literary Review, an annual collection of the best poetry and prose submitted by our members. It is meant to represent our best writing as a club. This year, we will limit submissions to two poems or one short piece of prose (fiction or nonfiction.) The work must be original and unpublished. To be considered, the piece has to be free of spelling and grammar errors and in the prescribed format. In some years, more than half the submission did not meet this requirement. Historically, as few as 10% of the submissions were published. We want to publish as many excellent pieces as possible, but that depends on you.
The best stories and poems go through several drafts. They are edited, read, and edited again. Please remember, even a great story will be rejected if the submission does not follow the guidelines. Read and follow the submission guidelines. Have someone in your branch (a published writer, an editor, or a writing teacher) read it to make sure the writing is the quality required for publication and that you are following our guidelines for format and proofreading. The FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) pages have helpful information. See the FAQ on the CalWriters.org website or as a PDF that can be printed.
This year submissions will open November 15, 2021, and close January 31, 2022. Our aim is to see the Literary Review in members’ hands by the end of June. Five months might seem like a long time, but the Review will go through a formal process that is time intense.
First, the Literary Review managers will screen for format, and they will do a quick review of each submission to determine if the writing appears ready to be judged, meaning the writing is strong and there are no substantial spelling or grammatical errors. Pieces considered not ready for publication will be marked so and returned. The Editor-in-Chief may give an author the option to resubmit if there is time before the deadline. Submissions which do not comply with the guidelines will be returned.
Submissions that pass the screening will be sent to multiple people to be read, scored, and judged in a blind review. Poetry will be judged by poets. These readers do not know the author’s name or the branch the piece comes from.
Pieces will be accepted or rejected based on the judges’ scoring. (See the FAQ.) Accepted pieces go to a pool of editors for minor corrections or suggested edits. The edited pieces, then go to a designer of book interiors. Separately, a cover is designed. The designs will be approved before galley copies are printed for a team of proof readers to review. Final copies will be printed and mailed in June.
The FAQ sheets show the rubrics or expectations and grading guidelines judges will use so authors can see how that process works. Remember, this is not a checklist of how to write and acceptance is not guaranteed even when in format and error free. The quality of the writing, use of language, and the poem or story’s impact on a reader all have a bearing.
Our goal is to create an annual collection of excellent poems and short pieces of fiction or nonfiction. We want pieces that are entertaining, funny, emotional, changeling, and thought provoking. Most of all, we want examples of great writing. Remember, write, edit, have others review, finalize, format, and proof. When the piece is ready, send us your best work. The only limit for this year’s publication is the quality of the pieces submitted by our members.
Enjoy the journey,
—Roger Lubeck, State President
--Elisabeth Tuck, Literary Review Managing Editor for Prose
— Anita Holmes, Literary Review Managing Editor for Poetry
The best stories and poems go through several drafts. They are edited, read, and edited again. Please remember, even a great story will be rejected if the submission does not follow the guidelines. Read and follow the submission guidelines. Have someone in your branch (a published writer, an editor, or a writing teacher) read it to make sure the writing is the quality required for publication and that you are following our guidelines for format and proofreading. The FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) pages have helpful information. See the FAQ on the CalWriters.org website or as a PDF that can be printed.
This year submissions will open November 15, 2021, and close January 31, 2022. Our aim is to see the Literary Review in members’ hands by the end of June. Five months might seem like a long time, but the Review will go through a formal process that is time intense.
First, the Literary Review managers will screen for format, and they will do a quick review of each submission to determine if the writing appears ready to be judged, meaning the writing is strong and there are no substantial spelling or grammatical errors. Pieces considered not ready for publication will be marked so and returned. The Editor-in-Chief may give an author the option to resubmit if there is time before the deadline. Submissions which do not comply with the guidelines will be returned.
Submissions that pass the screening will be sent to multiple people to be read, scored, and judged in a blind review. Poetry will be judged by poets. These readers do not know the author’s name or the branch the piece comes from.
Pieces will be accepted or rejected based on the judges’ scoring. (See the FAQ.) Accepted pieces go to a pool of editors for minor corrections or suggested edits. The edited pieces, then go to a designer of book interiors. Separately, a cover is designed. The designs will be approved before galley copies are printed for a team of proof readers to review. Final copies will be printed and mailed in June.
The FAQ sheets show the rubrics or expectations and grading guidelines judges will use so authors can see how that process works. Remember, this is not a checklist of how to write and acceptance is not guaranteed even when in format and error free. The quality of the writing, use of language, and the poem or story’s impact on a reader all have a bearing.
Our goal is to create an annual collection of excellent poems and short pieces of fiction or nonfiction. We want pieces that are entertaining, funny, emotional, changeling, and thought provoking. Most of all, we want examples of great writing. Remember, write, edit, have others review, finalize, format, and proof. When the piece is ready, send us your best work. The only limit for this year’s publication is the quality of the pieces submitted by our members.
Enjoy the journey,
—Roger Lubeck, State President
--Elisabeth Tuck, Literary Review Managing Editor for Prose
— Anita Holmes, Literary Review Managing Editor for Poetry
