The Importance of the Mission Statement in Small Press Publishing

A publication's mission statement is the ruler
by which submissions are measured.

A well-worded mission statement is a must-have for small press and independent publishers. It's important not only to the publication's editors, but to its potential writers.

There are two angles to discuss when considering the importance of the mission statement in small press or independent publishing.

First, in addition to its publication guidelines, the mission statement acts as a measuring stick by which submissions can be judged by the publisher. Consequently, it is also the most valuable submission guideline a writer should review prior to submitting work to any publisher.

What's the Difference Between a Mission Statement and the Submission Guidelines? The Mission Statement is the Consistent Rubric.

The greatest value of the mission statement for the publisher is that it is a consistent rubric, or "yardstick," for an editor to use when having to make decisions about unsolicited manuscripts.

In addition to the submission guidelines, the mission statement can help editors quickly sort the "good" from the "bad." Whereas the submission guidelines might stipulate the length of a submitted work, the formatting or delivery method of a submission, a certain number of poems, or even the genre or subgenre wanted for a particular issue, the mission statement will give a much broader view of the editors' desires. 

Take The Ekphrastic Review, for example. Their "About" page reads:

The Ekphrastic Review is an online journal devoted entirely to writing inspired by visual art. Our objective is to promote ekphrastic writing, promote art appreciation, and experience how the two strengthen each other and bring enrichment to every facet of life. We want to inspire more ekphrastic writing and promote the best in ekphrasis far and wide.

They've also published their mission statement, with a heading, at the top of their submissions page:

The Ekphrastic Review is committed to the growth, expansion, and practice of the art form of literary writing inspired or prompted by visual art. We almost never publish ekphrastic work inspired by other arts like cinema, dance, or music. We define ekphrastic writing simply as "writing inspired by art." The piece can be an in-depth experience of the art work, or it can use the art as a starting point for expression. The connection to the artwork or artist can be subtle, or it can be central to the work. Work that is not in some way ekphrastic will be deleted without being returned. We don't mean to be harsh but receive hundreds of submissions like this and it takes too much time to send a friendly reminder in every instance. 

The editors' desire is to promote ekphrastic poetry, specifically poems inspired by visual art. On the submission page, they then go on to describe how they want submissions to be formatted and delivered, and they give a detailed reading schedule. 

Regardless of whether or not a manuscript or submission is "good" writing, if it does not meet requirements as stated in the mission statement, the writing should be returned to the writer so that he or she can submit the work to another publisher. Although this is arguably important to all publishing companies, large and small, the small or independent press is often run by a skeleton crew of people who probably also have day jobs. It's exceptionally important that their publishing business run as efficiently and effortlessly as possible.

Publishers, Stick to the Mission Statement. It's the Publication's Identity. 

An additional benefit to the publisher is that having a finely-worded mission statement available on a Web site will also reduce the number of ill-suited manuscripts and submissions publishers will have to read, judge, and otherwise handle. It's important, then, that the publisher include in the mission statement two pieces of invaluable information: what exactly they want to publish, and what it is they want to do, their desire. Once this information is made available, the quality of writing a publisher receives will shift and change to better meet the needs of its readers. Once this happens, the identity of the publication, as stated in the mission statement, is solidified. It becomes the center of their identity as an entity. If that center shifts, the publication may suffer.

The now defunct Brown Bagazine was established as a quarterly literary magazine that was stuffed into brown paper lunch bags and mailed to subscribers. The goal of the publisher was to make accessible poetry accessible. However, Brown Bagazine floundered when it published outside of that identity with its themes in its final year: maps, interviews, manifestos, and songwriting. Some of these themes did not fit into the paper bags, some were not poetry at all, and others were too inaccessible to appeal to readers. Eventually the publication went online in order to save money, and that was its death knell. Both the subscribers and the editors lost interest.

Writers, Read the Mission Statement. It's The Window to the Publisher's Soul.

For the writer, the mission statement of any given small or independent publishing company should be seen as the "window to its soul." The mission statement of any publisher should be reviewed as carefully as any of the other submission guidelines. For example, if a writer wants to publish chapbook of pastoral odes about Upper Michigan, he or she should not send the manuscript to a publisher whose mission statement reads, "We are publishers of regional Finnish and Polish recipes," whether or not they meet all of the other submission guidelines. Furthermore, a writer who has written a novella and wants to sell books internationally on a book tour should not submit the manuscript to a publisher whose mission statement reads, "We publish novellas in limited numbers for bookstores in the metro Atlanta area." Writers should always avoid the mistake of scatter-shot submissions and aim directly for publishers that can help them reach their intended audiences.

Although the advice here is simple, the benefits are numerous. All small press and independent publishers should have finely-worded mission statements published in prominent places on their Web sites. All writers wishing to be published by small press and independent publishers should carefully review the mission statement of any publisher prior to submitting work. In the end, it will help both writers and publishers work more efficiently to help put the right work into the hands of the right readers.

Works Cited

“Ekphrastic.” The Ekphrastic Review, www.ekphrastic.net/.

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Copyright Amy Lynn Hess. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.