Within an hour of submitting, I received this response:
Dear [Owl Who Laughs]
Hope this finds you quite well. You have sent your poem Sunset Walk for publication in June 2011 issue of Taj Mahal Review. Our Editor Dr. Santosh Kumar has approved it for publication in Taj Mahal Review to be released in June 2011. Proudly published by Cyberwit from the finest paper and composing including beautiful cover and design, Taj Mahal Review gives you the finest that the Publishing has to offer. A global feel with authors around the world. We are small press publisher so cannot afford international shipping and handling charges to send the book of more than 200 pages from India to your country. Will it be possible for you to subscribe the Journal in just $25 per copy only, after it is released in June 2011?
A kind reply will much oblige with your short bio.
Cordially,
Karunesh Kumar Agrawal
Managing Editor (TMR)
http://www.cyberwit.net/
HIG 45 KAUSHAMBI KUNJ,
KALINDIPURAM
ALLAHABAD - 211011 (U.P.)
India
I then did some research and found that Duotrope Digest had blocked Taj Mahal from its own journal list. The reason was as follows:
We received many complaints that they seem to require purchases from accepted writers. When we wrote them with questions regarding this policy, they did not respond.
http://www.duotrope.com/market_2443.aspx
Sadly, my experience backed up Duotrope. When I responded to Managing Editor Kumar that I could not pay the $25--and also did not include the requested bio--I never heard back. I've never received any response.
The good news is that I've spruced up the poems and re-submitted them elsewhere. The journey of submitting is an adventure in itself.
Every journal and editor has a different personality. It's part of what makes the journey meaningful and often fun.
Owl
Posts
Owl, basically the same thing happened to me when I sent a poem to a church magazine which shall remain nameless - the vicar quickly wrote back that he would be delighted to consider my poem if I took out a subscription - although there was no mention of this condition of publications in the magazine's guidelines. Needless to say I didn't fall for that one. The lord works in mysterious ways . . .
ReplyDeleteGWIL W why have you conveniently witheld the name of the Church Magazine?
DeleteSorry with held :)
DeleteOMG! Was the letter truly so badly written! Unbelievable. Or perhaps, the editor's secretary wrote the form letter!!
ReplyDeleteAre you sure about that owl who laughs? Because the Tajmahal Review is currently listed on Duo Trope. Also being they are in India it is a poorer country than many and back in 2011 they were only 9 years old still very new. Now they are 20 years old 2022 and 4-5 years ago they started to give out The International Poetry Award the Azsacra Prize for the 3 top poems the Award is a certificate and 25 USD and some big writers names are involved with them currently. I submitted my poem to them and they said it has been approved by Dr Santosh Kumar but they did not ask me for money.
ReplyDelete