ignitionpress

For the first time, ignitionpress is opening a submission window in November 2023 for emerging poets. The press is looking to publish up to three pamphlets in the first half of 2024. You can find out about the 22 pamphlets we have published and their authors on our Pamphlets page. We encourage you to read one or more of our pamphlets before submitting to get an idea about the kind of work we tend to publish and how our pamphlets look and feel.

• We will contact successful poets in December 2023.
• We are aiming to publish up to three pamphlets. Our indicative timeline includes acceptance in December, editing from December-March, publication in April, and a launch in April/May.
• We pay poets £125 upon acceptance of the final manuscript and an additional payment of at least £50 in travel expenses for launches. We also give poets 15 free copies of their pamphlet. Poets can buy subsequent copies of any ignitionpress pamphlet (including their own) at a 40% discount (i.e. at £3.60 instead of the RRP of £6).
• Our initial print run for a pamphlet is normally 300 copies.
• ignitionpress guarantees our poets at least one online launch and, depending on where you live, one in-person launch.
• We normally ask that poets do not have another pamphlet or book coming out within a year of their ignitionpress pamphlet being published.
• In tandem with the poet, the press promotes the pamphlets extensively via social media, through the Poetry Centre’s marketing channels, at events, and on our website.
• We sell the pamphlets via the Oxford Brookes Shop, distribute them to various bookshops and festivals around the UK, and enter them for competitions such as the Poetry Book Society’s Pamphlet Choice and the Michael Marks Awards.
• ignitionpress aims to actively support our poets beyond publication, and many of our writers have taken part in events, workshops, and other opportunities organized by the Poetry Centre or the press.

Q. What do you mean when you say that the press has ‘an international outlook’?
A. ignitionpress is an outward-looking press that was set up to publish a broad range of voices from many different places and backgrounds. We have so far published writers from a range of countries and heritages, including Zimbabwe, the US, Canada, Jordan, Hong Kong, Greece, the UK, and India.

Q. Why have you decided to open a submission window for the first time?
A. Up to now, the press has acted on recommendations and scouted for poets, looking through magazines, awards and competitions (including our own international poetry competition). After publishing 20+ pamphlets, ignitionpress is seeking to widen its search for new work.

Q. Will you publish book-length collections?
A. No. ignitionpress remains a pamphlet-only publisher.

Q. I've already published a chapbook, pamphlet, or book-length collection elsewhere - can I still submit?
A. No. ignitionpress looks for poets who have not previously published a collection of poetry. If you're trying to find a publisher for your work, you might consult the useful lists available on the Poets' Directory website or the National Poetry Library site.

Q. Do you require the poems or summary to be presented in a certain font or format?
A. No. Poems need only be typed and legible. However, we request that you don’t send us individual poems of more than 50 lines in length at this stage.

Q. Can I submit more than 6 poems?
A. No. Please only send us one submission of 6 poems.

Q. Should I submit my work anonymously?
A. No, please include your name and e-mail address on your submission.

Q. If I submitted poetry to ignitionpress in the past but wasn’t published by the press, can I submit again now?
A. Yes, so long as you have not previously published a chapbook, pamphlet, or book-length collection.

Q. I’m planning to publish a book-length collection soon after the date of publication mentioned above. Is that OK?
A. Not really! Having a publication appearing so soon after a pamphlet makes it very difficult to sell the pamphlet, particularly if many of the same poems appear in the both the pamphlet and the collection. The editors of your full-length collection are also likely to want to know where and when previous versions of your poems have been published. We normally expect poets not to have another publication until at least 12 months after their pamphlet has been published.

Q. Would I have any say in the cover design?
A. No. ignitionpress has a recognisable cover design which we will be retaining for the foreseeable future.

Q. Will I have to sign a contract?
A. Yes, we do ask poets to sign a simple contract. Contact us at ignitionpress@brookes.ac.uk if you would like more information about this.

Q. Do you operate a royalty scheme for poets?
A. No. As per the information above, we pay poets a one-off fee of £125 when they submit their manuscript and at least £50 in travel expenses.

All of the pamphlets published by ignitionpress that are currently in print are available from our online Shop: When the Flies Come by Fahad Al-Amoudi, Ripe by Isabelle Baafi, Radical Pairings by Clementine E Burnley, He Said I Was a Peach by Katie Byford, Finishing School by Michaela Coplen, Glean by Patrick James Errington, Lung Iron by Daniel Fraser, Naming Bones by Joanna Ingham, Trimming the Wick by Laboni Islam, City Poems by Mia Kang, Hinge by Alycia Pirmohamed, Hush by Majella Kelly, Kitchen Boombox by Jacob Anthony Ramírez, Staircase by Zein Sa'dedin, The Bullshit Cosmos by Sarah Shapiro, Ephebos by Kostya Tsolakis, Shadow Dogs by Natalie Whittaker, Sargam / Swargam by Fathima Zahra, and Small Inheritances by Belinda Zhawi.

Three pamphlets: A Hurry of English by Mary Jean Chan, There's No Such Thing by Lily Blacksell, and Kismet by Jennifer Lee Tsai have sold out.

The website has specific pages about our poets and their pamphlets.