Some poetry submission tips from Wendy Jenkins and Georgia Richter

(Notes from Fremantle Press)

Are you considering submitting poetry to Fremantle Press?

A good place to begin is by visiting our submissions guidelines page on the Fremantle Press website:

http://www.fremantlepress.com.au/resources/submitting

Here we call for poetry submissions to be accompanied by a covering letter including a brief description of the work and an author bio with publication history and awards. If performance is an important element of the work, the letter should also list recent performances and readings.

Manuscripts should be a minimum of 60 pages of poems (one poem to a page). Spacing is best at 1.5 with a font size of around 10–12 pt, and with generous margins: go for whatever is comfortable to the eye.

Fremantle Press publishes two or three volumes of poetry a year. Every other year, we will publish a themed composite volume which will be our main vehicle for introducing new poets – 2010 for example was New Poets; 2012 will be Performance Poets. Calls for submissions to these volumes are broadcast widely through writing networks.

The remaining spaces on the list are hotly contested. There are always more poets than places. We must consider how best to support established poets while providing space for new voices coming through.

Successful manuscripts will be arresting in their language use, and the submitted volume will generally have a sense of unity or cohesion. Successful new or emerging poets who submit their work have often already taken the MS through an editorial process with a trusted mentor or editor or with writing peers. To this end, we encourage poets to be involved in a poetry community as much as possible: read and listen to the work of other poets, and, where possible, work with others (individuals, community writing groups) who themselves have experience of reading, writing and editing poetry. Gain as much publishing experience as possible via submissions to journals, or making your own zines or posting individual poems online. There are many ways to find an audience for poetry.


Wendy Jenkins, Manuscript Assessor & Poetry Editor,

Georgia Richter, Poetry Publisher