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Editor Interview: Camroc Press Review

This interview is provided for archival purposes. The listing is not currently active.

Q: Describe what you publish in 25 characters or less.

A: the human condition

Q: What other current publications (or publishers) do you admire most?

A: Glossolalia
Staccato Fiction
Foundling Review
Wigleaf
SmokeLong Quarterly
PANK
Dogzplot
Neon
Northville Review
monkeybicycle
Necessary Fiction
Metazen
LitSnack
and oh so many more

Q: If you publish writing, who are your favorite writers? If you publish art, who are your favorite artists?

A: Christian Bell
Jimmy Chen
Roxane Gay
Len Kuntz
Howie Good
Jayne Pupek
Mark Jackley
Charles Simic
Stephen Dunn
Raymond Carver
Sharon Olds
Lydia Copeland
Mary Miller
Kim Cinquee
Ethel Rohan
Sean Lovelace
Sara Crowley
Paula Bomer
and so many more who surprise and pierce me with their fine work.

Q: What sets your publication apart from others that publish similar material?

A: We try to stay focused on real emotions that illuminate our universal human condition. We want work that surprises and pierces us. If it's experimental, fine, but it has to move us emotionally. That's our bottom line.

Q: What is the best advice you can give people who are considering submitting work to your publication?

A: Read some of the work we've published. Then follow the guidelines and send us work you are proud of.

Q: Describe the ideal submission.

A: It arrives as clean copy in standard online format. No strange symbols, no double spaces after sentences, no indented paragraphs. If poetry, lines are left-justified without odd spacing. The work itself is so marvelously fresh and engaging that we can't wait to tell you how much we love it. We want to schedule it for publication as soon as possible. You've made our day.

Q: What do submitters most often get wrong about your submissions process?

A: Often we receive work full of strange symbols caused by various WP software. We send those back immediately with a request for plain text or, rarely, a DOC attachment.

Q: How much do you want to know about the person submitting to you?

A: We ask for a bio but we don't really care much about previous credits. It's all about the work with us. A few credits are okay, but we'd rather you tell us something more personal.

Q: If you publish writing, how much of a piece do you read before making the decision to reject it?

A: Our word limit is 550, so I read it all. If I'm not sure, I'll read it again the next day and then decide. We don't like to make writers wait too long for our decision.

Q: What additional evaluations, if any, does a piece go through before it is accepted?

A: Very rarely, I'll ask an author if I can make a change that I feel strengthens a piece. Only once or twice has acceptance hinged on that decision. Other than that, if it moves me enough, it's in.

Q: What is a day in the life of an editor like for you?

A: It's a simple process, really. Checking for new submissions is the first thing I do in the morning and the last thing I do at night. Writing and editing are a couple of my favorite things and I feel fortunate that I am able to indulge these passions.

Q: How important do you feel it is for publishers to embrace modern technologies?

A: Very important. I use as much of it as my capabilities permit. I can't imagine handling snail mail submissions. If I ever do a CPR anthology, it will likely be an ebook.