How to Withdraw a Poem From a Submission
Quick answer: How to withdraw a poem from a submission: use the submission platform or send a brief, polite note naming the poem. Exact wording and etiquette inside.
To withdraw a poem from a submission, use the withdrawal function on the submission platform if there is one, or send the editors a brief, polite message naming the poem, the submission date and the reason in one line. For a partial withdrawal from a multi-poem packet, most platforms require a message instead: state which poem is withdrawn and confirm the others remain under consideration. The whole task takes two minutes and no apology.
Withdrawal is not an imposition; it is the system working. Simultaneous submission, the norm across poetry, only functions because poets withdraw promptly when a poem is accepted elsewhere. Editors would far rather receive a same-day withdrawal than spend a meeting championing a poem that is no longer available, which is the one version of this that genuinely annoys people.
The exact wording
A full withdrawal needs three sentences. Something like: I am writing to withdraw my poem, Title, submitted on 4 March, as it has been accepted elsewhere. Thank you for considering my work. I hope to send you new poems soon. A partial withdrawal changes one line: please withdraw Title from my submission; the remaining poems are still available.
Acceptance elsewhere is the classic reason and worth stating, since editors read it as evidence your work is landing. If you are withdrawing because you have gone off the poem, say simply that you are withdrawing it for revision. No further explanation is owed or expected.
Where to send it
Match the channel to the submission. Submittable and similar platforms have a withdraw button for whole submissions and a message or note tool for partial ones; use those first, because they update the queue the editors actually work from. Email submissions get an email reply to the same thread with WITHDRAWAL in the subject line. Postal submissions, where they still exist, get a short letter or an email if the journal lists an address.
Contests are the exception to check: many do not allow withdrawal after judging begins, and fees are almost never refunded. Read the rules before assuming the journal etiquette applies.
Timing and the bridges you keep
Withdraw the day the acceptance arrives, before you celebrate publicly and certainly before the accepting journal announces anything. Editors talk, mastheads overlap, and the poetry world is smaller than its submission volumes suggest. A poet known for clean, prompt withdrawals is a poet whose next submission gets read warmly.
Never quietly let a poem ride at other venues after acceptance, hoping for a better offer. Double placement embarrasses two sets of editors and follows a name around. The withdrawal note is thirty seconds of admin that buys years of goodwill.
What poets can take from this
- Withdraw the same day an acceptance lands anywhere.
- Use the platform's withdraw or message function before resorting to email.
- Name the poem, the submission date and the packet so nobody has to search.
- Keep the tone glad and grateful; acceptance elsewhere is good news for everyone.
- Check contest rules first, since many bar withdrawal after judging starts.
- Log the withdrawal in your submission tracker while the tab is open.
Try it yourself
Write a poem of leave-taking in which the speaker exits a room so gracefully that the room only later realises it is empty.
Questions
Will withdrawing a poem annoy the editors?
No, the opposite. Prompt withdrawal is standard professional courtesy under simultaneous submission, and editors respect poets who do it quickly. What annoys them is discovering a poem was unavailable after they chose it.
Can I withdraw just one poem from a five-poem submission?
Yes. Send a message through the platform or by email naming the withdrawn poem and confirming the rest remain available. Do not use a whole-submission withdraw button for a partial withdrawal.
Can I resubmit a poem I withdrew?
If you withdrew it for revision, yes, in a later reading period, ideally saying it has been revised. If it was accepted elsewhere, it is now published work and only reprint-friendly venues can take it.
By the Writory editorial team, reviewed by working poets. Updated July 2026.
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