Editor Interview: The Avalon Literary Review Go to the listing List all editor interviews Edit answers (editors only) Describe what you publish in 25 characters or less.Slice of Life FictionValerie Rubino, Editor on 08 August 2015What other current publications (or publishers) do you admire most?The Cold Mountain Review, The Comstock Review, Vine Leaves, New Verse News, The Pinch JournalValerie Rubino, Editor on 08 August 2015If you publish writing, who are your favorite writers? If you publish art, who are your favorite artists?Margaret Atwood, Anne Tyler, Nora Ephron, Ruth Ozeki, M.L. Stedman, Kate AtkinsonValerie Rubino, Editor on 08 August 2015What sets your publication apart from others that publish similar material?We still publish hard copy editions where many magazine have moved to being exclusively digital. We try to assemble a collection of pieces in each edition which work both independently and as a part of the whole.Valerie Rubino, Editor on 08 August 2015What is the best advice you can give people who are considering submitting work to your publication?Read our submission guidelines carefully. We also encourage people to order a sample copy of the magazine to give the best sense of the type of work we select.Valerie Rubino, Editor on 08 August 2015Describe the ideal submission.Poetry with clear imagery, short stories with strong dialogue and a touch of humor, personal essays that are poignant but not depressing. We also like to include 1-2 pieces with each edition that are seasonal in nature.Valerie Rubino, Editor on 08 August 2015What do submitters most often get wrong about your submissions process?The most common error is submission of too many poems or short fiction pieces that are too long.Valerie Rubino, Editor on 08 August 2015How much do you want to know about the person submitting to you?We like to know if the writer has been published before and what part of the country they come from.Valerie Rubino, Editor on 08 August 2015If you publish writing, how much of a piece do you read before making the decision to reject it?It varies, if the subject matter is completely off-topic (i.e. science fiction) we will only read a paragraph or two. If there are a lot of typos very early in the piece it will also be declined quickly. The majority of work, though, that is in the right ballpark, will be read completely. If a poem has rhyming verse it will be declined immediately otherwise, typically, we will read the entire poem before making a decision. Flash fiction and personal essays, unless there are glaring problems, are read in their entirety before a decision is made.Valerie Rubino, Editor on 08 August 2015What additional evaluations, if any, does a piece go through before it is accepted?Length is a factor. We try to include 20-25 pieces with each edition. If we select too many long pieces it means we can not include as many different works as we'd like. Works that have a seasonal element may be moved up or down the publication schedule to an edition that best suits them. For example, we wouldn't include a story about a blizzard in our Summer edition.Valerie Rubino, Editor on 08 August 2015What is a day in the life of an editor like for you?Each piece goes through three stages before publication. First we determine if the work falls within our guidelines, then it is sent to one of our editorial assistants. If the assistant thinks it might be a good fit for our magazine it is moved up to the editor for evaluation. The editor makes all the final decisions for publication.Valerie Rubino, Editor on 08 August 2015 Cookie Consent: This site uses secure first-party cookies for essential, preference-setting, and statistical purposes. We do not use any marketing, advertising, or third-party cookies. Read our full cookie policy. Accept All Cookies Allow Essential Cookies Only