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Recently we added a new request to our submission guidelines, hoping to get writers to look a little more closely at the kinds of work we publish. Now, in the submission cover letter, we ask writers to include a brief statement on why your work suits the mission of The Disappointed Housewife.

What we’re hoping for with this request is a moment of reflection before hitting “send.” We get so much great writing that we have to say no to simply because it’s not cut out for our mission. If writers who want to submit to the journal take a few minutes to skim some of our recent pieces, they’ll be able to tell right away whether their work is in the same vein or not. It’s not a reflection on the quality of the work either. It’s about the spirit of it.

It’s hard to admit that one’s work isn’t right for any particular zine. It’s self-restricting. It requires some degree of objectivity that’s hard to summon. But if you compare your piece directly to something we’ve published, the differences (if there are any) should be easy to spot.

This suitability statement isn’t mandatory. Dottie and I wouldn’t turn any submission away that doesn’t happen to include it. But we hope most writers who choose us to submit to will be happy to tell us why they’ve chosen us.

Thanks in advance, and we look forward to reading more of the excellent writing that comes in over the transom every day, and publishing as much of it as we can.

Kevin Brennan
Editor
The Disappointed Housewife