Terrapin Books
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  • Forthcoming
    • Peter E. Murphy
    • Clare Banks
  • Our Titles
    • Redux Series
    • Poetry Books >
      • NEW—Michael Hettich
      • NEW—Kiyoko Reidy
      • NEW—Jin Cordaro
      • NEW—Annette Sisson
      • NEW—Timothy Geiger
      • NEW—Jacqueline Berger
      • NEW—Hayden Saunier
      • NEW—J.L. Conrad
      • Tom C. Hunley
      • Heather Swan
      • Saba Husain
      • Helena Mesa
      • Kathy Nelson
      • Andrea Hollander
      • The Animals of My Earth School, by Mildred Barya
      • Flatback Sally Country, by Rachel Custer
      • This Strange Garment, by Nicole Callihan
      • Paradise Is Jagged, by Ann Fisher-Wirth
      • The Mayapple Forest, by Kim Ports Parsons
      • Leave Me a Little Want, by Beverly Burch
      • Notes from the Column of Memory, by Wendy Drexler
      • The Night Divers, by Melanie McCabe
      • light waves, by Kirsten Shu-ying Chen
      • Horse Not Zebra, by Eric Nelson
      • Design, by Theresa Burns
      • House Bird, by Robb Fillman
      • Years Beyond the River, by David Axelrod
      • The Poet & The Architect, by Christine Stewart-Nunez
      • Wind Apples, by Jeff Ewing
      • The Feast Delayed, by Diane LeBlanc
      • These Few Seeds, by Meghan Sterling
      • The Curator's Notes, by Robin Rosen Chang
      • A Cartography of Home, by Hayden Saunier
      • Tell Me How You Got Here, by Emily Franklin
      • Self-Portrait with a Million Dollars, by Patricia Clark
      • Ghost Dogs, by Dion O'Reilly
      • A Kinship with Ash, by Heather Swan
      • Kissing the Long Face of the Greyhound, by Yvonne Zipter
      • Somatic, by Ann Keniston
      • The Honey of Earth, by David Graham
      • Sugar Fix, by Kory Wells
      • The Davids Inside David, by Sarah Wetzel
      • The Bones of Winter Birds, by Ann Fisher-Wirth
      • Strange What Rises, by Gary Whitehead
      • Suspension, by Paige Riehl
      • The Northway, by Lisa Bellamy
      • The Infinite Doctrine of Water, by Michael T. Young
      • Aileron, by Geraldine Connolly
      • No Such Thing As Distance, by Karen Paul Holmes
      • Leaves Surface Like Skin, by Michelle Menting
      • How to Wear This Body, by Hayden Saunier
      • Travel Notes from the River Styx, by Susanna Lang
      • Route 66 and Its Sorrows, by Carolyn Miller
      • Bluewords Greening, by Christine Stewart-Nunez
      • The Canopy, by Patricia Clark
      • Cutting Room, by Jessica de Koninck
      • The Persistence of Longing, by Lynne Knight
      • Confessions of a Captured Angel, by Neil Carpathios
    • Craft Books >
      • The Strategic Poet
      • The Practicing Poet: Writing Beyond the Basics
      • The Crafty Poet II: A Portable Workshop
      • The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop
    • Anthologies >
      • What the House Knows
      • A Constellation of Kisses
      • The Book of Donuts, edited by Jason Lee Brown and Shanie Latham
      • The Doll Collection
  • Submissions
    • Submissions--Color Wheel Poems
    • Guidelines manuscript submission
    • FAQs
  • Titles for Review
  • Poetry Salon
  • Store
    • Poetry Books
    • Craft Books
    • Anthologies

Frequently Asked Questions

Q 1: May I submit more than one manuscript?
    Yes, but each submission must be accompanied by the submission fee.

Q 2: May I include poems from my published chapbooks?
    Yes, but a maximum of 6 in total. Regardless of the number of chapbooks, it’s no more than 6 poems. Poems previously published in    
    a chapbook should be indicated as such on the Acknowledgments page. Include title of poem and title of chapbook.

Q 3: May I include poems from a previously published book?
    Absolutely not.

Q 4: Are there any topics you’re not interested in?
    Religious poetry, single form collection (e.g., all sonnets, all prose poems), a collection that is all ekphrastic poetry (we like ekphrastic,
    but we also like variety). We have grown very tired of  poems about poems. Also, we do not do translations, collaborative collections, reprints,            
    new and selecteds, or posthumous collections.

Q 5: Why do you suggest that at least 25-50% of the poems in my manuscript have been previously published?
    Remember, that’s a suggestion. But we think it’s a good one. A history of publication lets us know that you’ve been out in the poetry world  
    doing the legwork of being a poet and building a readership. A list of journals that have published your work might become a list of journals
    that might review your book.

Q 6: Why do you think that social media matters?
    Absolutely yes, it matters. We feel so strongly about this that we now require our poets to belong to Facebook
    at a minimum. It’s a great way to let “friends” know about your book. Plus, it’s free. Also, we promote our books
    on Facebook. Your presence there extends our reach. 

Q 7: Why do you require that each poet have a website?
    We give each poet a page on our website, but we also require that each poet have a dedicated website. Again,
    this shows a willingness on the part of the poet to work on behalf of his/her own book. We expect each poet’s
​    website to include readings and to be kept up to date.

Q 8: What if I don’t want to give readings?
    If you are a  poet who won’t do readings, please don’t submit to Terrapin Books. Readings are one of the main
    opportunities for your book to sell. We expect our poets to actively seek out readings.

Q 9: Do your books have printed spines?
    Yes.

Q 10: Why do you charge a reading fee?
    We realize that some poets find such fees anathema, but we find the fee a financial necessity. However, our fee
    is minimal and we plan to keep it that way. The fee helps cover the cost of our website, membership on
    Submittable (a convenience for us and our poets), office supplies, some advertising, etc.

Q 11: Do you advertise your books?
    We use social media to publicize books and we do an occasional ads. Our advertising budget is small, 
    but we are always on the lookout for opportunities to promote your book. We don’t just publish your book
    and then forget about it.

Q 12: What’s the most common mistake poets make in submitting to Terrapin?
    There’s the usual failure to read and follow the guidelines, but the most serious of the common mistakes
    is poor organization of the poems. We find too many manuscripts that cluster similar poems together. That
    often results in a predictable, tedious collection. We are seeing too many poems that reference the "poem."
    This is so frequently done that it has become a cliche. Poems about poems do not interest us. Similarly, we 
    don't care for the word "poem" in the title of a poem.

Q 13: Why do you ask for a 4-6 sentence description of my manuscript?
    We want to know if you know what your collection is about. If the statement is wildly disorganized,
    your manuscript may lack focus. This gives us a starting point for any feedback we might want to
    offer. If you can’t do the statement, it’s possible that your collection is not yet ready for submission.

Q 14: Do you provide feedback?
    Sometimes but not always. If a manuscript came close, it’s likely we’ll have a few words to say.
    But it’s not possible for us to offer at-length critiques.

Q 15: I don't want to revise. Do I have to?
     If you are unwilling to accept editorial input, this is probably not the press for you. All accepted manuscripts are edited. 
www.terrapinbooks.com
​​
t[email protected]
Terrapin Books is proud to publish beautiful books by both emerging and established poets. Our selections are based on merit.
Terrapin Books
4 Midvale Ave.
West Caldwell,
New Jersey 07006

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  • Home
  • About
  • Awards
  • Contact
  • Forthcoming
    • Peter E. Murphy
    • Clare Banks
  • Our Titles
    • Redux Series
    • Poetry Books >
      • NEW—Michael Hettich
      • NEW—Kiyoko Reidy
      • NEW—Jin Cordaro
      • NEW—Annette Sisson
      • NEW—Timothy Geiger
      • NEW—Jacqueline Berger
      • NEW—Hayden Saunier
      • NEW—J.L. Conrad
      • Tom C. Hunley
      • Heather Swan
      • Saba Husain
      • Helena Mesa
      • Kathy Nelson
      • Andrea Hollander
      • The Animals of My Earth School, by Mildred Barya
      • Flatback Sally Country, by Rachel Custer
      • This Strange Garment, by Nicole Callihan
      • Paradise Is Jagged, by Ann Fisher-Wirth
      • The Mayapple Forest, by Kim Ports Parsons
      • Leave Me a Little Want, by Beverly Burch
      • Notes from the Column of Memory, by Wendy Drexler
      • The Night Divers, by Melanie McCabe
      • light waves, by Kirsten Shu-ying Chen
      • Horse Not Zebra, by Eric Nelson
      • Design, by Theresa Burns
      • House Bird, by Robb Fillman
      • Years Beyond the River, by David Axelrod
      • The Poet & The Architect, by Christine Stewart-Nunez
      • Wind Apples, by Jeff Ewing
      • The Feast Delayed, by Diane LeBlanc
      • These Few Seeds, by Meghan Sterling
      • The Curator's Notes, by Robin Rosen Chang
      • A Cartography of Home, by Hayden Saunier
      • Tell Me How You Got Here, by Emily Franklin
      • Self-Portrait with a Million Dollars, by Patricia Clark
      • Ghost Dogs, by Dion O'Reilly
      • A Kinship with Ash, by Heather Swan
      • Kissing the Long Face of the Greyhound, by Yvonne Zipter
      • Somatic, by Ann Keniston
      • The Honey of Earth, by David Graham
      • Sugar Fix, by Kory Wells
      • The Davids Inside David, by Sarah Wetzel
      • The Bones of Winter Birds, by Ann Fisher-Wirth
      • Strange What Rises, by Gary Whitehead
      • Suspension, by Paige Riehl
      • The Northway, by Lisa Bellamy
      • The Infinite Doctrine of Water, by Michael T. Young
      • Aileron, by Geraldine Connolly
      • No Such Thing As Distance, by Karen Paul Holmes
      • Leaves Surface Like Skin, by Michelle Menting
      • How to Wear This Body, by Hayden Saunier
      • Travel Notes from the River Styx, by Susanna Lang
      • Route 66 and Its Sorrows, by Carolyn Miller
      • Bluewords Greening, by Christine Stewart-Nunez
      • The Canopy, by Patricia Clark
      • Cutting Room, by Jessica de Koninck
      • The Persistence of Longing, by Lynne Knight
      • Confessions of a Captured Angel, by Neil Carpathios
    • Craft Books >
      • The Strategic Poet
      • The Practicing Poet: Writing Beyond the Basics
      • The Crafty Poet II: A Portable Workshop
      • The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop
    • Anthologies >
      • What the House Knows
      • A Constellation of Kisses
      • The Book of Donuts, edited by Jason Lee Brown and Shanie Latham
      • The Doll Collection
  • Submissions
    • Submissions--Color Wheel Poems
    • Guidelines manuscript submission
    • FAQs
  • Titles for Review
  • Poetry Salon
  • Store
    • Poetry Books
    • Craft Books
    • Anthologies