Because we all need a laugh on Monday.

The submission process can be grueling, especially since almost every publisher, magazine and journal has different guidelines. Some only take snail mail, others only accept email (attachtment only versus only in the body of the email), and then there are the ones who require the author to submit via an online form.

Even when the guidelines are followed exactly and you’ve sent in your best work, there is still the likelihood of being rejected. Whether it’s a handwritten note extolling the virtues of the manuscript and ending with “but unfortunately, this just isn’t right for us,” or a terse form letter, all writers get a few. Some have learned to have a sense of humor about it while others need a bit more help.

Now, if you need a little help learning to laugh at the trials of submissions, check out the Futility Review. (Thanks to Bookslut and my fellow Writer's Market editors at Poetic Asides for the link.) They have a detailed submission form for poets looking to get rejected by a journal of such notoriety, and several fabulous blurbs and other resources. Futility Review editor Jeffery Bahr tried to get listed in Poet’s Market, but Nancy Breen had to decline giving him a listing.

Unfortunately, they only have a submission form for poets. I would love to see what Bahr would come up with for prose submissions. (That’s a hint, by the way.) Oh, and I really hope the t-shirts happen sometime soon.

Bahr’s submission form got me thinking, what’s the most detailed, convoluted submission process you’ve ever been through/seen?