Greeting Card Guidelines
and Submission Form
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR: Contemporary prose or poetry written from personal experience that reflects the thoughts and feelings people today want to communicate to one another, but don’t always know how to put into words. Because our cards capture genuine emotions on topics such as love, friendship, family, missing you, and other real-life subjects, we suggest that you have a friend, relative, or someone else in your life in mind as you write. Writings on special occasions (birthday, anniversary, congratulations, etc.) as well as the challenges, difficulties, and aspirations of life are also considered. We are looking for new, original, and creative writings that do not sound like anything we have already published. The poem length does not matter, so long as it can fit on a card. We publish both long and short pieces anywhere from 50 to 300 words.
WHAT WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR: AI-generated or AI-assisted content, rhymed poetry, religious verse, or one-liners. Try to avoid frequently overused words and phrases, such as “special,” “gift,” “sending you a hug,” “birthday wishes for you,” and “angel.” We receive a large number of submissions about mothers, sons, daughters, and love. For these themes, we only consider writings that are refreshing and unique or that express age-old sentiments in new and different ways. (Hint: Avoid lines like “You were always there for me,” “I remember when you were a baby,” “I am so proud of you,” and “You are my dream come true.”)
EMAIL SUBMISSIONS: You can submit your greeting card poetry in the submission form below or to editorial@sps.com. You may include as many different works as you wish in the same submission. PLEASE DO NOT SEND WEBSITE LINKS OR ATTACHMENTS. When submitting by email, type or paste the text of your work(s) into the body of the email. Be sure to include your name and address.
POSTAL SUBMISSIONS: Send to Blue Mountain Arts Editorial Department, P.O. Box 1007, Boulder, CO 80306. Work should be one poem per page with your name appearing on every page. You may submit as many poems at one time as you wish. Include your name, address, and telephone number with your submission, and please keep us informed of all address and telephone number changes. If you would like a response and/or to have your work returned, you must enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope of adequate size with the correct postage.
SUBMISSIONS SELECTED FOR FURTHER REVIEW will receive a response within 8 weeks. We are unable to respond to electronic submissions that are not chosen for further review.
PAYMENT: We pay $300 per poem for the worldwide, exclusive rights to publish it on a greeting card and other products, and $50 per poem for one-time use in a book. Publication procedures will be explained in detail prior to actually publishing your work.
COPYRIGHT: Your work need not be copyrighted prior to submission.
SUBMISSIONS FROM OUTSIDE THE U.S. are accepted, but only in the English language.
SEASONAL POETRY SUBMISSION DATES: We welcome material for the following holidays:
Christmas and General Holiday: June 15
Valentine’s Day: August 12
Easter: October 8
Mother’s Day and Graduation: November 13
Father’s Day: January 7
To submit greeting card writings for consideration, please fill out the form below and include your verse in the “Message” section.