Headless Poet is open for proposals

Headless Poet is looking for proposals from readers and writers who want to (re)introduce a single poet, or group of poems, for publication in 2027.

Our first issues give a sense of the range and quality we are looking for. Each started as one person’s case for a poet or an idea worth reviving. Most of our pamphlets are commissioned directly. But we have space for some surprises, and we would like to be surprised.

What we are looking for in a pamphlet

We are looking for introductions to poets of the past, especially those whose work has been “buried by time”. Pamphlets are up to 36 pages: around twenty pages of poetry, with a short introduction (c.1500 words).

We define “buried by time” broadly. Most poetry is buried on arrival. Perhaps a poet or group of poets you’ve been advocating for in private for years, work which is difficult to get hold of, neglected or misunderstood. Perhaps an extraordinary long poem you want to make available in a pocket-sized format.

We are particularly interested in anthologies. A short pamphlet will never be comprehensive, so any anthology should have a distinctive angle, whether historical (e.g. poets or poems neglected by traditional surveys of a period) or conceptual (e.g. tracing a single idea along an unexpected journey).

We are primarily interested in work which is out of copyright in the UK. We might be interested in an introduction to a contemporary poet (or group of poets) but you will need to convince us that you have a plan for securing permission.

What we are looking for in an editor

You do not need to be a poet, although you might be. You do not need to be an academic, although you might be. You definitely do not need to have a high profile on social media.

We like criticism with style, substance and personality. You don’t need to have done something like this before. Our pamphlets are necessarily a little niche, but we want them to be accessible to anyone interested in poetry.

Headless Poet is a very small press based in South London. Pamphlets are printed locally by Angel Press and posted by us. We are also stocked by the LRB bookshop in Bloomsbury, and hope to distribute more widely in the future. Most but not all of our readers are in the UK. We are open to proposals from around the world, but if you are based abroad it is worth taking a moment to think about whether we are the right fit.

We pay 10% royalties and the first run will be in the region of 200 copies. You also will receive 10 free copies, and a further discount on additional copies, plus a year’s subscription. We do our best to get the word out, and hope you will do the same.

How to apply

Proposals should be sent to editor@headlesspoet.com by 11 September 2026 with “Proposal - Your Name” in the subject header.

In the first place, please send a short paragraph (no more than 200 words) on your idea for an introduction and a short paragraph (no more than 200 words) about you.

This isn’t a typical poetry submission. We are looking for introductions to poets of the past, especially those whose work has been “buried by time”. Please read the guidelines above carefully. Please don’t propose your own poetry; we probably won’t reply.

Feel free to ask informal questions first if you need to. Please don’t send a full manuscript, multi-page document or CV as these won’t be read. We are looking for a sense of who you are and what your idea is. If we think there could be a match, we will ask for more information. And please let us know as soon as possible if your proposal is also being considered elsewhere.

If we feel your idea is not the right fit for the press, we will try to say so quickly; to do that, we may not be able to offer any detailed feedback. We will have an update for everyone within two months of the close of submissions and probably sooner.

We would encourage you to get your hands on a copy of a pamphlet from Headless Poet, or take out a subscription, so you can get a feel for the format.

We look forward to hearing from you.