What is the Jack McCarthy Book Prize?
The Jack McCarthy Book Prize is our annual manuscript contest seeking bold new voices in contemporary poetry. We're looking for work that moves people, changes lives, and deserves a beautiful home on paper. If your poems keep people awake at night (in the best way), we want to read them. Do you write well and read well out loud? We are the press for you.
This fee is to cover the cost of editors who vote, read and review every submission. All notes remain private. $10.00 USD
WELCOME TO THE 2025 JACK MCCARTHY BOOK PRIZE CONTEST : WRITE BLOODY PUBLISHING.
Are you ready?!?
From APRIL 1st- April 30, 2025 Write Bloody Publishing is accepting submissions from talented poets who are looking to publish a full-length book of poetry with us! Write Bloody plans to select 2-8 poets who will have the opportunity to publish a full-length manuscript (approximately 40-50 poems).
Write Bloody requires that our authors be willing and able to tour with their book upon its publication. This means that if you are selected to join the Write Bloody team, you will be required to do at least 20 readings within the first year of your book’s release. These 20 readings can be in your home state, or you can hit the road as most of our authors do.
Your book will be released in 2026 If you are selected as a finalist for the contest, you will be asked to submit a 20 poem sampler of your full manuscript within two weeks of the finalist announcement. if accepted, a full manuscript of 40-55 poems will be published.
Submission cost: 10.00
*Submissions are open to all countries. You must be 18 years old at the time of submission and be ble to tour your home country. We do not book as tour agents or publicists.
Final winners will be emailed, posted on the site, and posted on Istagram. Follow us @writebloodypublishing
How to submit:
Submissions may be uploaded to Write Bloody’s Submittable page during the submission window (April 1st – April 30th). Please note that we DO NOT accept submissions before this and we will not be extending the submission period. Once you submit, you should receive an email from Submittable confirming your submission.
Email Haley - haleywritebloody@gmail.com if you do not receive this email or have any questions.
*Please note that each person is limited to one, five-poem submission per contest. Please don't use AI.
Multiple entries by the same person are not allowed and will be disqualified.*
What you will need:
1. A Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx) or PDF with 5 original poems.*
2. A little something about yourself! (Please keep this to one paragraph.)
*Poems may have been printed in individual magazines or journals, but absolutely no work from any previously published books or full manuscripts. Poems from chapbooks without ISBNs are okay, as long as you hold all the rights to the submitted material.
How to format your submission:
- Submit 5 poems. To allow for poems that are longer than one page, the entire length of your submission can be 8 pages max, but please only include 5 poems in total.
- Please do not put your name or bio within the body of your manuscript. We aim to keep the submission process blind.
- Start each new poem on a new page of your document. Times New Roman, 12 pt. font is preferred.
- Title the document you upload with “WB2025” and the name of your submission. For example, if your 5-poem sampler is titled Atrophy, title your uploaded document “WB2025.ATROPHY”
- Acceptable file types for your manuscript: PDF, DOC, or DOCX
Important dates:
April 1st – April 30th: Submissions open March 1st at 12:01 am Pacific time and will close at 11:59pm Pacific time on April 17th. No extensions will be granted.
May 17: Semi- finalists announced. Semi-finalists will be announced on our website and across our social media pages (Instagram). You will also receive an email through Submittable letting you know if you have been chosen as a finalist or not.
June 3: Finalists announced. You will have access to a WB Finalist Submittable page where you must submit a 20-poem manuscript by 11:59pm Pacific time by...
June 17, 2025. (The five poems you submitted for round one can be included in this.) This will give us a better idea of what your full-length manuscript will be like.
Along with your manuscript, finalists must submit a video of themselves performing one of the poems from your 20-poem manuscript sample. (Full manuscript is 40-50 poems)
Please upload this video directly to YouTube and include the link in the designated area on the Submittable page. (Finalists only)
This video can be creative or simple. It can be done professionally or on your cell phone. It can be filmed at a reading or in your living room. Our goal is to hear and see how you read and perform your work out loud. *Please make sure the audio quality is good enough so we can hear you clearly.*
July 15: Finalists announced! Summer vacation party!
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Haley at haleywritebloody@gmail.com.
Tear it up! You can do this.
Derrick C. Brown
President, Write Bloody Publishing