What kind of poems are the editors looking for?

We want writing that responds to the prompt embedded in the title – or, more accurately, writing which enacts what is proposed by the title! While this should, of course, have the general character of a poem or poem-adjacent text, it does not have to be a straightforward lyric piece. It could be a prose poem, vignette, short lyric essay – in fact, we encourage you to think in terms of longer, looser forms, of up to 500 words. This follows the trend established over our previous anthology series, which mixed and combined poetry with elements of essay, guidebook, puzzle, flash fiction and so on.

The titles in this series allude to broad themes from popular culture, and our intention is to subvert the usual stereotypes about what poets write about. But they’re a starting point – while each piece of work should technically fit within the remit, the series showcases how far a good writer can run with (and/or swerve from) a simple concept, while also investing it with unexpected depth. Feel free to submit what is in essence an advertisement for your own style and set of preoccupations.

It might be a good idea to look at previous books in the series for a clearer notion of the kind of work we favour, and also to get a feel for the dimensions and layout of the books. Pages are 130x185mm with a 16mm margin, and poems are typeset in Libre Baskerville 9pt. We try to give individual pieces space to breathe and space them out over a few pages.

Is there any payment?

At the moment we aren’t funded by the Arts Council or any other arts charity funding, and as we otherwise tend to operate on a break-even basis, we aren’t in a position to pay contributor fees this time. If your poem is selected for inclusion, however, you will receive contributor copies of the book and a discount code for all Sidekick titles.

I’ve already been in a 10 Poets book. Can I submit again?

For now, we’d like to have it so each book in the series contains a unique set of poets. This way the series will eventually, with a fair wind, grow to be a window onto the work of a significant number of contemporary writers.

I’m worried my poem is going to be too similar to other submissions!

It may be wise to take the road less travelled (even if that does lead you to a forbidding black castle with a strange owner). We aim for variety over the course of each short book, so while we will cover, or at least touch on, some of the more obvious set-ups and associations, we’re especially looking for poems that take the prompt in unexpected directions.

For Ten Poets Prowl the Seas in Search of Plunder, allusions to famous pirates like Anne Bonny or Blackbeard are likely to be popular, so we would advise digging deeper in your research. The title’s references to ‘plunder’ and ‘prowling the seas’ do not need to be taken strictly literally, of course. Other modern media, such as the TV series Our Flag Means Death, finds ways of queering or reinventing the old tropes, and we think poetry could go even further.

For Ten Poets Spend the Night in a Vampire’s Castle, there are a plethora of cliches to interrogate, subvert or avoid completely. The vampire is already a much-reinvented archetype, and has come to represent various aspects of humanity and our day-to-day experiences that are grimly (or seductively) familiar. The tone could be serious, of course – but then again, you might like to play with some of the sillier interpretations of the original stories.

Crucially, we do need to know about your night in the castle! Even if you never actually meet the master of the house, there’s plenty that could be said about his abode, or where its corridors and hidden staircases lead you.

While we encourage you to be inventive and experimental, and while we are keen to accommodate different styles, please do remember the dimensions of these books (see above), that they’re printed in black and white and typeset in a fairly consistent way.

Will there be other submissions calls like this one, for books on other themes?

Yes! We enjoy putting the books together and want to create a big collectible series, but they’re a lot of work and the market for slim anthologies is tough! Tell your friends these books exist!

How do I submit?

Send one piece only as an attachment to contact@sidekickbooks.com, with the subject line ‘Ten Poets Submission: Plunder’ or ‘Ten Poets Submission: Vampire’. No need to include a bio at this stage – just a short covering note. The deadline is 23.59 on 18 May 2025.

General Submissions FAQs

Do you publish solo poetry collections?

No, we don’t. Sidekick specialises in collaborative and mixed-media work, with strong themes and blurred genre boundaries. Have a look at our other books to get an idea of what we do.

How about if I just send it anyway?

Please don’t! As a team of two people (working jobs alongside running the press), we don’t have time to reply to unsolicited collections sent to us.

There are many incredible presses who publish single-author collections. You can find a good starter list on the National Poetry Library’s website.

When is your next submissions call?

We release new calls via our newsletter (see bottom of this page) and through our social media accounts on Instagram, Threads and Bluesky.

We look forward to seeing your work!