In our Craft Capsule series, authors reveal the personal and particular ways they approach the art of writing. This is no. 213.
Here’s the truth: I wasn’t able to publish pieces of The Body Alone: A Lyrical Articulation of Chronic Pain before the University of Iowa Press agreed to publish it as a book. Granted, the book is a bit unconventional. It is an investigation into chronic pain that employs multiple modalities, genres, and approaches to tell a singular story. It is a hybrid nonfiction text in both form and style.
No one wanted to touch it.
Year after year, I submitted portions of the project to various journals and websites only to be met with rejection after steadfast rejection. The rejections were kind and often accompanied by notes from the editor saying that while they appreciated the story and liked my writing style, the fragmented nature of the work, which was essential to my story, didn’t fit inside their publication.
To be fair, as an editor, I get it. This response makes sense to me. The constraints of producing a literary publication are real. Space, editorial energy, budget, theme, and existing contracts all come into play when designing a publication.
But as a writer? I was devastated. Rejections, no matter how many years we are in this game, still hurt, don’t they? Writing and submitting work for publication is ever an exercise in vulnerability.
Eventually, thankfully, obviously, I found an editor whose excitement for the project matched her vision for what the book had the potential to become. From the get-go, Susan Hill Newton, managing editor at the University of Iowa Press, embraced the hybrid nature of the text and was prepared to champion it through the publication process.
The struggle to publish my own hybrid writing was largely the impetus for launching Brink, a literary journal that celebrates hybrid and cross-genre work from creatives who often exist outside traditional genres and disciplines. For almost five years, Brink has worked to identify and alleviate a gap in the literary world for writers and artists whose work defies category. We published White Magic (Tin House, 2022), author Elissa Washuta’s Twitter thread chronicling her experience at a magic convention, the Iowa Review editor Lynne Nugent’s pandemic diary essay along with thumbnail images from an entire year’s worth of Instagram posts, and writer Mary Mandeville’s interview with a tree.
As I prepared my own book for publication, I borrowed heavily from my experience as an editor. Having spent time on both sides of the writing and publication process, here are my top three tips for submitting hybrid work for publication:
First, be able to articulate the reasons behind the hybrid nature of your work. This isn’t a defense; it’s an opportunity to reinforce why your choices matter. Clarifying these decisions may help you and your editor determine how best to frame the work when presenting it to a wider audience.
Second, identify design priorities. When it comes to translating your work onto the printed page, there’s a good chance you may need to make some concessions regarding layout, color, or design. Know which parts of your piece are unalterable and which parts are amenable to change.
Third, consider the best use of formatting for teaching readers how to interact with your piece. When it comes to hybrid work, it’s not uncommon for readers to need a moment to situate themselves in a piece to learn their way around. Consider, and talk with your editor, about obstacles and opportunities with respect to leading readers through your work.
When it comes to hybrid writing, the tide is turning. More and more, editors are publishing unconventional narratives and cross-genre work. If your writing prioritizes more than one modality, if you blend formal boundaries, if you are committed to seeing more hybrid work in the literary world, take the next step and send your work out for publication. Then send it out again. Then, if you need to, send it out again and again and again. It’s worth the wait, I promise.
Nina Lohman’s book, The Body Alone: A Lyrical Articulation of Chronic Pain (University of Iowa Press, 2024), is an inquiry into the experience, meaning, and articulation of pain.
image credit: Lukas Tennie.