How to Publish Your Poetry: A Complete Guide to Sharing Your Work

Writing and publishing your own poetry can be a deeply satisfying form of self-expression. It allows you to share your thoughts, feelings, experiences, and unique perspectives with others. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to expand your reach, there are several paths to getting your poetry published. There is also the pure joy of seeing your name in the public forum.

Building Your Online Presence

Start with Blogs, Websites, and Podcasts

One of the easiest ways to start sharing your poems with the public is to create your own blog, website, or podcast. For each of these mediums, there are options to make your finished product polished and attractive. Many writers use WordPress for their platform, you can either use a company who packages it for you, or buy a hosting platform spot and do it yourself.

Creating a poetry blog establishes an online portfolio of your work. This can be useful if you’re looking to create a professional image with your writing. If you do go into writing full-time, building an online presence will help you develop your reader base and gain the attention of agents and publishers. You can put links to your social media accounts there as well.

Over time, your blog, website, or podcast can help you build an audience. Followers can provide feedback on your poetry, offer encouragement, and create genuine engagement with your work.

Benefits of Regular Online Publishing

Being committed to producing creative content encourages discipline in your writing practice. The commitment helps you write when you don’t feel like it and builds up the stamina needed to create material consistently.

Regular posting also gives you immediate feedback and helps you understand what works with your readers, making you a better poet over time.

Self-Publishing Your Poetry as an eBook

An immediate way to publish your poetry is to create an ebook. Though Amazon Kindle is the biggest ebook marketplace, Google, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo also have ebook stores. Each company has well-documented procedures for book submission and different percentages of writer reimbursement.

Preparing Your Poetry Collection

Thorough Proofreading: After writing your poetry, proofread thoroughly to avoid spelling or grammar errors. Gather feedback and ask others to read your work – you want positive reviews after publication, and typos look unprofessional. There is nothing worse than publishing and finding a typo. Though, it must be admitted that it is almost unavoidable, just try to keep it to a minimum.

Visual Formatting: Focus on making your poems visually appealing. Format your work for readability and aesthetic appeal. Experiment with different fonts, sizes, and line spacing. Remember that each ebook platform has strict requirements, and your chosen format should fit their parameters. You might need to adapt your files for various ebook readers’ screen sizes. There are active Reddit groups that are great company in figuring this out.

Organization and Structure: Decide how to organize your poems in their final sequence. This can be based on theme, timeline, or any other logical arrangement. Include a well-structured table of contents so readers can navigate your book easily in the electronic format.

Design and Technical Considerations

Cover Design: Your cover creates the first impression for potential readers. It should be eye-pleasing and showcase the essence of your poetry. You can design covers using software like Adobe Photoshop or online tools like Canva.

File Conversion: Convert your text document into ebook format. The most common formats are ePub (compatible with most eReader devices) and MOBI (used for Amazon’s Kindle). You can use free online tools like Calibre for this conversion.

Choosing Distribution Platforms

When your ebook is ready, choose a platform for distribution. Popular options include Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Barnes & Noble Press, and Apple iBooks. These platforms allow you to set your ebook price and handle sales directly, taking a percentage of your earnings.

Alternatively, you can sell ebooks directly from your own website for higher profit margins.

Promotion is Key: Don’t forget to promote your ebook through social media, your personal website, email newsletters, and poetry readings to reach your audience and potential readers. Once you have a community, readers will often repost your pinned posts.

Traditional Publishing Routes

Even in the age of self-publishing, submitting your work to traditional publishing houses, literary journals, and magazines remains a viable and prestigious path.

Preparing for Submission

Polish Your Work: Before starting the submission process, ensure your poetry is refined to its final draft. This should involve several revisions and incorporating feedback from others. Your manuscript or individual poems should be submission-ready and meet publisher guidelines. If you can find a good beta reader, they are worth their weight in gold. You might have to pay for an editor in the final stages, especially if you are a new writer. If you are established your publisher will have an in-house editor.

Research Your Markets: Identify the correct markets for your work. You can have the most wonderful work, but if you send Eldritch horror to a children’s publisher you will go into the slush pile. Publishing houses, journals, and magazines have specific niches, genres, or styles they prefer.

For publishing houses, use resources like Writer’s Market or the Poets & Writers database to identify suitable publishers. For literary journals, check Duotrope, Poets & Writers, or NewPages. Choose publications that match your style and content.

Study Publications: Read current and back issues to understand what they accept. This research is crucial for successful submissions.

Following Submission Guidelines

Each publisher or journal has specific submission rules, typically found on their website. These guidelines cover format requirements, submission processes, and any special requirements. Following these guidelines exactly is crucial – submissions that don’t follow the rules are generally discarded unread.

Cover Letters: If allowed, include a professional and concise cover letter introducing yourself and your work. Your bio should mention previous publications or awards but keep it brief and relevant.

The Submission Process

Submit your work through the specified method – online submission portal, email, or occasionally postal mail. Each publication has its preferred process.

Practice Patience: After submitting, prepare to wait. The review process can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months. Rejection is common, but don’t let it discourage you. Keep writing, revising, and submitting – success usually comes after many rejections.

Stay Organized: Keep detailed records of where and when you’ve submitted work and the responses you receive. This organization helps you track your submissions and avoid duplicate submissions to the same publication.

Tips for Publishing Success

Start Small: Begin with smaller literary journals and magazines to build your publication credits before approaching larger publishers.

Be Professional: Always follow submission guidelines, meet deadlines, and maintain professional communication with editors.

Keep Writing: Don’t stop creating new work while waiting for responses. The best way to deal with rejection is to have more poems ready to submit elsewhere.

Build Relationships: Engage with the poetry community through readings, workshops, and online forums. Networking can lead to opportunities and valuable feedback.