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Tarpaulin Sky Press Fall/Winter 07 Open Reading Period
Update 14 January 2008:
Final thoughts and figures: 1. Lists Out of almost 500 manuscripts, we received over 150 that were definitely ready to be published, whether by TSky or a press "like" us. This is an astounding figure: 30%. Our literary journal usually publishes about 5% of what it receives. Apparently, when sending a book manuscript, we writers step up with our A-game. Around sixty manuscripts remained on our list after December 15th, when we began sending out notifications. Shortly, only a couple dozen remained. Then, a dozen. Then a handful. Etc.... We made a list of the aforementioned 150 authors / titles and intended to post it to this page—and have since decided against it, for two conflicting reasons: 1) an alphabetized list wouldn't do justice to the manuscripts that we re-read until the end; and 2) conversely, a hierarchical list would speak only to the editors' current predilections, while appearing to indicate some sort of judgment of quality—and that just wouldn't be accurate or fair.
2. The Bestest of the Bestest Bests When faced with a "given" such as the stunning reality that there are A HECK OF A LOT OF GREAT WRITERS OUT THERE, EVEN IN THE SMALL CIRCLES THAT SURROUND TSKY PRESS AND OTHER PRESSES LIKE IT, the process of selecting a manuscript then becomes something personal and idiosyncratic. What this process does not include, for us, is selecting the "best" manuscript that we receive. Huh? Are we insane? What could we possibly mean? Just that we're sick of reductive superlatives. The way see it, there are already plenty of other editors who claim to publish only the best manuscripts they receive—to which we say: bully for them, that they possess such a skill. Then again, maybe they don't have much of a pool to choose from. Or maybe they publish what they think are their best potential sellers. Or their best friends. Or maybe they are not being honest about their process. So, given that at least 150 manuscripts were all the best manuscripts, we eventually chose the ones that, for whatever reasons—peculiar personal variables, surely—stuck in our heads long after the first time we read them. Would they stick in other editors' heads? Who knows. Will they stick in yours? We think so.
3. Taking Chances Some of the manuscripts we have chosen to publish are manuscripts that might never have be published elsewhere. Or at least not in the near future. Some of these authors have published only a few pieces in journals, ever. Journals we've never even heard of, for what that's worth. Would other editors take such a chance? Is that why we picked some of these manuscripts? Partly. Which is to say, when it came down to it, looking at two manuscripts of "equal quality"—one by an "unknown" and one by an author with multiple books—we leaned toward the former. When forced to choose between a manuscript that might never get published, if not for us, and a manuscript that is almost certain to be picked up & soon, we chose the former. And hearing as much probably pisses off a lot of really good "already established" writers who will never send their manuscripts to us again. (Please don't be like that.) Besides, for all our patting ourselves on the back for taking chances, most of the people we're publishing are already known & loved within the immediate circles of writers and publications surrounding Tarpaulin Sky. Moreover, we were obligated to add a few completely new names to the mix for 2008-2009, because in 2006-2007, well, anyone can tell you, we really did publish some of the best work by the best writers. (Wink.) It's their books, after all, that are financing the next lot.
4. Stats Regarding what we received:
Regarding what we've chosen to publish:
Miscellaneous stats:
5. If You Have Not Received a Response from TSky Press It is likely that your notification is in the mail. If you still have not received a response from us by January 21st, please feel free to send us an email (press[at]tarpaulinsky[dot]com).
6. Titles & Authors These are the majority of the books that we have chosen to publish in 2008 and early 2009, along with Mark Cunningham's & Gordon Massman's books (chosen last year). We say the "majority" of the books, because we are hoping that we will be able to squeeze in another one or two, by some miracle (or sizable donation to the press): Full-length titles: Echo, Robin, by Anne Heide Recipes for Endangered Species, by Traci O Connor Where I Stay, by Andrew Zornoza Chapbooks: Angola, by Adrian Lurssen The Exotic Moods of Les Baxter, by Paul McCormick Forever No Lo, by Teresa K. Miller That Crossing Is Not Automatic: A Field of Fragments, by Jeanne Morel The Inland Sea, by Brandon Shimoda One Way No Exit, by G.C. Waldrep
Update 29 December 2007:
With the help of our brand new Pitney Bowes postage meter, we have sent out notices & books to the authors of all but 53 manuscripts. This last batch is causing us a great deal of heartache—evidenced by the mess that has become the TSky Press office:
On Monday the 31st, we will send our regrets to the authors of at least 37 of the remaining manuscripts (lower right pile)—as we have 16 left, today, that we just keep shuffling around, with no clue how to pick 1 or 2 more to go with the 3 full-length titles and 5 chapbooks (upper right pile) that we have already accepted.
Manuscripts that we cannot publish are, in accordance with authors' wishes, recycled indeed. Here they are being sledded down to the workshop where they will be pulped and turned into handmade paper for future limited edition books.
Update 19 December 2007: We have begun sending out notifications. Please understand that mailing hundreds of notices will take some time. Books requested are also on their way but will likely take even longer, given the seasonal mail situation. We are shooting for the end of Thank you for your patience, folks. And thank you for sending great work.
Update 04 December 2007:
Your manuscripts are safe and sound (if you do not see yours here, please do not email us—it's probably buried, or not in this photo, which represents just a little more than 1/2 of all the manuscripts we've received)..
But they are in this little shack. And it is cold out there. Notice there are no footprints to the door. No worries, though: it just snowed. We were going out there before, daily.
Closer inspection of these manuscripts reveals that we have closed up six boxes of manuscripts. A couple of these boxes are labeled "No/Wrong," but most are labeled "Probably Not." The latter, however, might as well be labeled "Amazing work that we would publish if we had the money to publish more than a handful of books every year." After five years of reading submissions to the journal, most of which are not right for TSky, we did not expect it would be so difficult to cull these manuscripts. Instead, and in all sincerity, we are overwhelmed by the number of stunning manuscripts we've received, overwhelmed by the thought that we will have to say "no" to all but a handful of these. Our "yes" box (not pictured) isn't even a box of true yesses: it contains 12 manuscripts that we love equally. 12 manuscripts that we already want to publish, having read only about half of the manuscripts. We are unsure how we'll figure this out, what we'll do about all the other manuscripts. We have ideas, but they include more staff, more money, and possibly a few other presses. If nothing else, we tell ourselves, we'll make a handful of folks happy. |
