Editor Interview: Eggtooth Editions Chapbook Contest

Chapbooks in any genre

As far as other chapbook publishers go, we admire New Michigan Press, Black Lawrence, One Story, Omnidawn, Brooklyn Arts Press, Four Way, Bull City, Kore, Gertrude, Two Sylvias, BatCat Press, Big Lucks, Red Bird Chapbooks, Mayapple, THRUSH, Tupelo, Wick Poetry Center, YesYes, Forklift OH, Ugly Duckling Presse, Timeless Infinite Light, and many others. However, that list probably skews toward poetry; we are equally interested in fiction, nonfiction, one-act plays, visually-inspired work, hybrid and/or multi-genre work. We want to expand the idea of what a chapbook can be!

We have a multi-tier selection process; no single person's predilections or preferences dominate. Each of our editors has different tastes, but all of them are cognizant of a broad range of contemporary writing. Some might lean more traditional while others tend toward the avant-garde; part of the fun is seeing the range of quality work that comes in, then debating the merits of various pieces.

We accept chapbooks in any genre, not only poetry but also short novellas, collections of short stories, flash fiction, prose poems, one-act plays or collections of short plays, nonfiction in its many guises, hybrid and cross-genre work, and anything else you want to throw our way. The first chapbook we chose was a visually-inspired, genre-breaking work of erasures and experiments. But we'd be just as happy to choose a kitchen-sink drama or a book of traditional sonnets.

Besides the obvious advice of adhering to the guidelines and revising your work, what often separates the semi-finalists and finalists from the winner is whether the chapbook works as a coherent manuscript. That doesn't mean we need a rigorous formal consistency or that all the pieces need to fit an obvious theme. But we want a work that has thought through how the whole chapbook hangs together: this often becomes the deciding point when dealing with so many different genres and aesthetics.

There's probably no "ideal" submission. We like work that is thoughtful, energetic, and aware of itself. We want to be riveted, changed, moved. We want to remember the piece long after we've read it--and to be eager to read it again.

You cannot submit if you have already published (or self-published) a full-length book in any genre, defined as a work over 50 pages in length.

We don't need cover letters--please don't try to "explain" your work or impress us with credentials and publications. However, you can include an acknowledgments page and your name with a brief bio if you want; this information helps us with tracking manuscripts and getting an accurate sense of a manuscript's page count.

All pieces are read in their entirety; most manuscripts are read several times and/or by multiple judges.

Each manuscript is given to the editor in a particular genre (or genres) where it fits: poetry, fiction, nonfiction, drama, and hybrid/cross-genre. The genre editors review their manuscripts and compile a list with notes for the next round, then send these back to the editors. The editors cut the selection down to a manageable number. These manuscripts are then debated to decide a winner.

I work for an Honors College where I get to teach creative writing classes in each genre on a rotating basis as well as other interdisciplinary classes. I'm also busy with my own writing. I'm sending out my work and receiving rejections all the time, too. So, as with most people who run a small press, the process of editing is squeezed in between lots of jobs, hobbies, dreams, and chores. Editing involves so many little things: emailing judges, creating spreadsheets, posting on the website, going to AWP, coordinating with our non-profit (Northern Arizona Book Festival), organizing readings, calling our printer, and lots of constant communication between all these moving parts. And that's to say nothing of actually reading all the manuscripts!

We try to select a winning piece that is ready for publication as much as possible. That said, we do copy edit and proofread a manuscript, sometimes suggesting a line change or two, then send these to the author for discussion. Ultimately, we want the manuscript to reflect the author's vision.