Seeing your Poetry Published – A Step by Step Guide
So you want to publish poetry? Or perhaps you’ve already got a few poems under your belt but you’re looking for some new techniques and tactics towards competing and seeing your name in print. Now what? Where do go from here? Well, let’s get started!
FIND A MENTOR: Before sending anything out, be sure your work is up to standards. I knew there was much about the craft/art of poetry that I had not learned in classes or from magazines etc. I wanted the competitive edge and the best way to meet that goal was to go to a professional poet with a long publication history and credentials. Fortunately many professors of poetry will hire themselves out to work with you on a one-on-one independent basis. This means you will have to be prepared to invest some money. I worked one on one with various professors from the creative writing/poetry departments of such universities as U.C.S.C, Shippensburg University, Cabrillo College among others. I paid them between 25.00 and 50.00 an hr. depending upon their fee requirements. level of experience, etc. Most poetry professors love to share their knowledge in the poetry field as an independent tutor/advisor/editor with an ambitious, promising poet. If you cannot find a professor of poetry/literature to assist then I would suggest joining the online version of Poets and Writers Magazine. They have many listings regularly of award winning editors from various noted magazines, etc who would be willing to coach you and edit for you. You might feel demeaned in some ways by taking this route if you’re an egoist, but a good poet never stops learning or seeking new and better techniques.
JOIN A POETRY CIRCLE: Another way to develop your craft is to join a poetry circle. Many arts councils in your local area sponsor poetry circles as do libraries, local colleges and coffee shops. This enables you the opportunity to share your work and express your ideas with a rich diverse background of individuals from various levels of writing. They will be your support system. They will help you see what might be missing from your work that will help you land that next publication connection. If you cannot find a poetry circle, then place an advertisement in your local newspaper and create one of your very own! You’ll not only be promoting the art of poetry in your local community, but might even draw some name to yourself by asking newspapers to advertise your poetry circle.
EDIT, EDIT, EDIT, AGAIN! This will likely be done with your professor/editor/poetry circle. However, make sure your work is completely free from spelling errors; (thanks MicroSoft for spell check!).
SUBMIT! OK. You’re ready to submit your poetry. Now what? The first step is to follow the submission guidelines of the journal you are seeking to publish in. The best way to get started on this is to purchase “Poets Market” by Nancy Breen. “2008 Poet’s Market” was already distributed and is in most of the bookstores at this point. Another suggestion is the 2008 Writers Market but for complete submission guideline tactics I have found Breen’s to be best. All you need to know about the submission process is taught to you there. (Well, minus a few suggestions I’m about to offer that is!). Be careful; each individual publisher offers their own guidelines, (which are basically what Breen teaches, but you want to be sure to read the individual submission guidelines of a publisher before pressing that send button!) so again, please be sure to read the submission guidelines of the journal you are submitting to!
CANVAS: You want to see your work published quickly. So you’ll have to canvas. This is where some basic sales tactics come in, especially if your new to the publishing game. First of all, remember, many new poets get looked over. That’s not always the case if you’re someone as sparklingly brilliant as Ranier Maria Rilke or Edgar Allan Poe, but even they had their struggles. There are many ways to quickly see your work in print/publication and they are as follows:
MASS SUBMISSIONS TO ON-LINE ZINES: That means you write a basic cover letter to the publisher in question, along with the 3-5 poems you are submitting. Keep the online submission letter brief i.e.:
Dear Poetic Hours:
Please find enclosed the following simultaneous submissions for your consideration: “Danny Drives to Malibu”, “Erin Runs to the Castle”, “Simon Says Turn Left” etc.
Then follow your letter with a brief bio of your background in poetry, or publications, and awards (if any). Close the letter with a respectful personal notation: I am pleased to submit to Poetic Hours and look forward to hearing from you shortly.
Yours Truly,
Melanie Simms
The trick on a mass submission email letter is that you will need to remember to personalize the head greeting and the end of the letter, and be sure to submit the same title of poems; you also want to be certain each and every letter mentions that this is a simultaneous submission. Be certain as well to only submit your poems to those publishers that accept such poems. Keep an online diary of whom you are submitting to and when. This can be easier to track than you think if you are sure to not delete the send file items., (ah, the wonders of the modern day internet!); I personally submit 1 hour a day online. That adds up to 7 hours a week of online campaign submission time or 50-60 submissions at a time. Of course, life as it is, with college etc. makes it hard to maintain this, so you’ll be taking rests in-between which is best anyway as you don’t want to over-load the market and have to pull a ton of poems. Another tid-bit; make sure each publisher reimburses the rights back to you on the poem. This gives you a better opportunity to resubmit previously published poems, thus giving you regular and ongoing exposure while your still creating new works, or suffering a temporary writer’s block. For me, this route has landed over 130 publication acceptances. Not bad for an undergrad. It has also brought local literary attention from various PA newspapers.
APPLY FOR POETRY AWARDS: Once you’ve had some publications under your belt, try for local and state awards. They love to give credit to new authors in their own backyard. Ask your mentor/editor for suggestions. They will likely know many places for you to begin. Stay on friendly terms with them at all times! They can be invaluable to you down the road if you need assistance with such grants as a Fulbright, or writers studio grants etc. such as the Vermont Writer’s Studio Grant, as many of these grants require letters of recommendation. Just remember this friendly mantra” My poetry professor is my best friend. I will not irritate them nor cause them any grief.”
There is a plethora of suggestions on the back of Nancy Breen’s book categorized and alphabetized even by state, so go get that book!
SELF-PUBLISH: That’s correct. Self-publish. This route is losing it’s stigma with the growing list of self-publication journals, etc. used by notables. My favorite publisher is Outskirts Press. They offer tremendous support and publication/sales tactics. My first book, Waking the Muse was published by them. Check it out! This is a great way to gain exposure; you’ll find that many local bookstores, hospital gift shops, small-town gift shops, etc. will be willing to place your book on the shelf. If you think you’re alone, remember this list of famous names that self-published: Walt Whitman, William Blake, D. H. Lawrence, (remember, Whales Weep Not?), the poet and story-teller, Edgar Allen Poe,
etc. Need I go on?
For a trust-worthy self-publishing company with an affordable pay-as-you go plan, visit the Reader’s Digest affiliated Outskirts Press:
www.outskirtspress.com
“EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT!” That’s right, call the press; don’t be shy! If you’ve got a new book out, or you’re publication credits are starting to accrue, by all means, get the press you so desperately need and deserve. Start with local newspapers and magazines. Many are willing to write a story on a local author which in turn means more exposure for you and a growing reptuation that will enable you to further your talent.
GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE: This is more of a suggestion in ethics and propriety but it’s very important. Do not forget to give credit where credit is due. When it comes time to interview you for a story, don’t forget the names of the professor(s) who assisted your growth. Don’t forget your friends/family either. This can only bring about good karma for you. A practical reason for this is also when re-submitting previously published poems; always make sure you credit your previous publisher. The rights may go back to you, but propriety demands this nonetheless.
Finally, last but not least:
MORAL SUPPORT: Do not under any circumstances give up. Not unless several different people from the same field have told you upfront that youre not a writer. Many times getting accepted is about hard work and perseverance. It can be draining to the soul when you get rejection after rejection but you are in control of your destiny. Bear in mind that there are thousands of poetry publishers in the U. S. alone and if you aren’t accepted in the U. S. there are thousands upon thousands of journals world-wide. Someone is bound to find you and like what you have to share with the world. If you can write in another language or translate then you’ve just furthered your window of opportunity internationally.