Poetry Information

Publishing Your Poetry


If you are serious about seeing your work published by reputable publishers, there are a few points you should consider. Firstly and most obviously, you need to determine if you have poetry worth publishing. This assessment can be done by doing something that will not only help you gauge the competitiveness of your poetry, but will give you some viable options for publishing it. Subscribe to literary journals and buy books of poetry. If you do this, what you are doing is searching out the market place. Read the types of poetry that many publishers are publishing and see if the quality of these poems surpasses or is on par with the quality of your own poems.

Read Literary Journals and Poetry Books

Not all literary journals are going to publish the same type of poetry. Some journals will only publish poetry that rhymes, most will not publish poetry that rhymes, and some journals will focus on specific themes such as humanity, nature, or locality. After having perused your bookstores and the many available literary journals, you will more than likely find a publisher who publishes poetry that your very own poetry would compliment. You can find reputable literary publishers by doing a search online, by reading the biographies of respected poets, and by checking out your local universities and colleges. When you find these publishers, write down the name, the address and keep a log, because these are going to be your potential publishers.

Improve Your Chances

The next vital aspect of publishing that you will need to consider is the actual process of getting your works accepted by the publishers. Each publisher will have very specific guidelines for submissions. Read these guidelines carefully and be sure to follow them precisely. Some online publishers will accept submissions via attachments while others frown upon attachments. Following the guidelines is crucial because whether your poetry is Pulitzer Prize quality or not, if you do not follow these guidelines, there is a good chance that your submissions will never even get read.

Be Savvy

Also, do a little research before submitting your work to a publisher. Invest in resource materials for poets such as The Poet's Market. The better educated you are with regard to the publishing industry, the better your chances of avoiding the hassle of fighting scams and vanity presses. Because poetry is a hard market to sell, most publishers are struggling to stay afoot. Since there is such a small market for those seeking to buy poetry, vanity presses capitalize on the overwhelming desire of the public to become published.

Cover Letters

Aside from researching the market, you should sharpen your skills at writing cover letters with the same intensity that you sharpen your skills at writing poetry. You can search online workshops and information sites about poetry, or you can refer to The Poet's Market for more information on writing cover letters. Not all publishers will necessitate cover letters, but a good cover letter will improve the chances of the editors actually reading your poetry.

Expect Rejections

Finally, expect a few rejections. As I previously mentioned, there is an overwhelming imbalance between the number of people who are looking to buy literary journals and books as compared to those who wish to publish it. Do not be discouraged if your work is rejected. Try revising it and sending it out to another publisher. Also, despite the fact that a rejection can make you want to send out your piece to several different publishers at once, you should never send your work to multiple publishers.

When a publisher accepts your work, enjoy the pride that comes along with such esteem. You will be on your way to building a portfolio. Getting your poetry published by various publishers is sometimes a slow and arduous adventure, but it is well worth the time and work.

Devrie Paradowski has been published by several literary journals such as Adagio Verse Quarterly, Eclips e-zine and Meeting of the Minds Journal. She has also published articles with Poetry Renewal Magazine. She is the editor of LE Quarterly: http://www.literaryescape.com/journal/


MORE RESOURCES:

NPS2008: First round bouts released for National Poetry Slam
Dane101, WI - 6 hours ago
Seventy-six slam poetry teams will be descending on the city of Madison starting August 3rd to engage in a war of words. NPS announced the final list of 76 ...
ARTS BEAT Mouth music Isthmus
all 2 news articles


Poetry, short story competition at FJWU
Daily Times, Pakistan - 2 hours ago
RAWALPINDI: A short story writing and poetry competition was held at Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU) on Friday in connection with the Independence Day ...
Poetry competition at FJWU The News - International
all 2 news articles


Stadiums, grammar and silos prompt prose and poetry
MinnPost.com, MN - 12 hours ago
And don't miss the poetry inspired by North Dakota missile silos. I still don't see how a retractable roof is necessary - there will be two brand-new ...


guardian.co.uk

The ethereal world of radio poetry
guardian.co.uk, UK - 13 hours ago
Photograph: Corbis Listening on Sunday to a radio playing Ezra Pound's wartime radio broadcasts of propaganda and poetry is an eerie experience, ...


Does poetry offer insight on Karadzic?
Toronto Star,  Canada - 16 hours ago
In the Winter 2005 issue of The Michigan Journal of International Law, lawyer and poet Jay Surdukowski attempted to make a case for the poetry of Radovan ...


A life in writing
guardian.co.uk, UK - 1 hour ago
Her work has been anthologised in more than 100 collections and she has won poetry's most prestigious awards - the San Francisco Poetry Center award, ...


Poetry in motion
Gold Coast News, Australia - 8 hours ago
The numbers lack two of the most important qualities in the story of the horse in Australia: romance and poetry. Rolf Boldrewood brilliantly captured the ...


Sydney Morning Herald

Poet finds a sensual new voice
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia - 10 hours ago
Brooks has been called one of Australia's "quiet masters" of poetry. He has also been called "a dark horse" of Australian literature. ...


No place for extremism in Islam, says Taseer
Daily Times, Pakistan - 1 hour ago
He also added that Sufi poets had taught humanism to the world through their poetry. He was addressing a gathering at the three-day celebrations of the ...
Sufies promote Islam through message of love, peace: Taseer Associated Press of Pakistan
all 3 news articles


John Burnside Profile
guardian.co.uk, UK - 13 hours ago
His first poetry collection, The Hoop, was published in 1988 and was followed by Common Knowledge (1991). Feast Days (1992), won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial ...

Poetry - Google News

home | site map
© 2006