Submission guidelines

Spring 2010 - Please note, Cherry Pie is not currently accepting submissions or queries.  I am putting editing temporarily on hold while I explore some alternate publishing formats and a web redesign.  Please watch here for notification when submissions will be again open.

Cherry Pie Press
P.O. Box 155
Glen Carbon, IL 62034-2905
618.288.1846  
cherrypiepress@yahoo.com

        "...to fortify and delight"
Rebecca Ellis, Editor

Cherry Pie Press produces an independent series of poetry chapbooks, the Midwest Women Poets Series. The press is committed to the women writers who place their geographic or poetic roots in the central heartlands of the Midwest. The series publishes 1 to 3 chapbooks annually.


Cherry Pie Press originated from a project by a long-standing St. Louis women’s writing collective, Loosely Identified, to publish an anthology of their best work. The press provided business support for the anthology Breathing Out: Poems by Loosely Identified. Shortly afterwards, Cherry Pie began producing chapbooks by women writers whose work deserves a wider audience. With a small, affordable format for poetry and a door that is open to new as well as established writers, the press explores the innovative possibilities of a voice that is female, central and pivotal.

 Submissions

Please query first, including a sample of poems (6-10 pages) and a brief statement on how the poet or poetry is tied to the Midwest. Queries may be submitted via e-mail or snail mail. (If snail mail, enclose SASE.) Response time is usually under 3 months. If the work is found to be of interest, the author will be invited to submit a complete manuscript.


For full manuscript submissions, please follow these guidelines.

1. Manuscripts should be from 20 – 48 pages. Each poem should begin on a new page. Font should be a standard such as Courier, Times Roman, Garamond. If the manuscript is selected for publication, the author will be requested to submit an electronic copy of the manuscript (formatted as .doc, .rtf or .txt only).

2. The author and editor will collaborate on editing and formatting of the manuscript. Once the manuscript is finalized, the author will be provided a galley proof of the cover, front and back matter, and contents; only critical corrections may be made at this point.

3. Copyright reverts to the author upon publication. Please credit Cherry Pie Press on any republication of individual poems.

4. Cherry Pie Press retains the right to publish and reproduce any of the poems in the chapbook in print or electronic format or on a website, in a future anthology or for publicity.


Format

Typically, chapbooks will be 8.5 X 5.5 inches, and may be saddle-stitched (stapled) or perfect bound. Paper is acid-free, high-quality stock. Covers are individually designed or may be designed by the author.


Marketing and Distribution

Chapbooks will be provided an ISBN and listing in Books in Print.

Cherry Pie Press will request reviews and mentions through a variety of outlets including traditional print poetry journals, online poetry publications, and listing in the independent bookstore database Booksource. Primary marketing is up to the individual author. Cherry Pie will provide distribution through local (St. Louis area) independent bookstores, and mail order via the Cherry Pie blog site and through mailed or emailed publicity.

However, for poetry chapbooks, most sales are generated through the author, at poetry readings or other poetry events. The author will be expected to promote sale of the chapbook through contacts and readings. The author should expect to use her personal mailing list to send out publicity, with a postcard or flyer designed and provided by Cherry Pie Press. Cherry Pie Press will provide initial venue for reviews and announcements and basic marketing as outlined above, and ongoing support through marketing of subsequent chapbooks in the series.

As the Cherry Pie series grows, earlier chapbooks will be marketed along with the newest chapbooks in the series, often with incentives for purchasing multiple books. In this way, authors will be marketed collectively, with the strength of each author's work augmenting other works.

The author will not contribute publishing costs. The author will receive 10 copies of the chapbook on publication and may purchase additional copies at a 20% discount (standard bookstore discount) from the retail price. Standard print run is 100 copies. Reprints or additional copies can be negotiated.