Publishing poetry requires persistence and a methodical approach that blends artistic refinement with professional strategy. Successfully sharing your poems with a wider audience involves understanding the ecosystem of literary venues and mastering the mechanics of submission. This article provides a structured roadmap for emerging poets, detailing how to prepare a manuscript, identify appropriate publications, and manage the complex logistics of the submission process. Developing a professional publishing record formalizes the transition from private writer to public poet.
Prepare Your Work for Submission
Before any poem leaves your desk, it must undergo rigorous self-editing to ensure the language, rhythm, and structure are polished. Multiple rounds of personal revision are necessary before seeking outside feedback, ensuring editors encounter the poem in its strongest possible form.
Seeking external perspectives through a trusted peer review group or a formal writing workshop is a necessary step in refinement. These environments offer constructive criticism that helps identify blind spots in the work, often highlighting issues with clarity or impact. Incorporating feedback from experienced readers elevates the poem to a piece ready for professional consideration.
The final presentation of the manuscript must adhere to standard professional formatting. This typically involves using a legible, common font like Times New Roman or Garamond, set at 12-point size. Poems should be single-spaced within the stanzas, but the document should present only one poem per page for clarity. Include your name and contact information clearly on the first page.
Understand the Landscape of Poetry Publications
The literary world offers several distinct avenues for publishing poetry, each serving a different stage in a poet’s career. Understanding these venues helps a poet set realistic goals and target their work effectively.
Literary Magazines and Journals
Literary magazines and journals serve as the primary entry point for individual poems and are the most common starting place for emerging poets. These publications range from small, volunteer-run online venues to prestigious, established print journals. Submitting individual poems allows a poet to accumulate publication credits, which are necessary for pursuing larger goals like book collections. The aesthetic and quality of work vary widely, making it necessary for poets to match their style to the journal’s particular tastes.
Anthologies and Contests
Anthologies are collections of work centered around a specific theme or subject, usually compiled by an editor. Some anthologies operate with an open call for submissions, seeking poems that fit the announced theme without a submission fee. Poetry contests often charge an entry fee and offer monetary prizes or publication in a specific issue or collection. Poets should weigh the potential benefits against the cost of the fee.
Chapbooks and Full-Length Collections
Chapbooks and full-length collections represent later-stage publishing goals, signifying a poet has developed a substantial and cohesive body of work. A chapbook is a shorter collection, generally between 20 and 40 pages, often focusing on a single, unified theme or sequence. Full-length collections are typically 50 to 100 pages and require a significant track record of individual journal publications. These longer forms are usually sought through book prizes, open reading periods, or direct solicitation from independent publishers.
Researching and Selecting the Right Venues
Selecting where to submit involves careful research to find publications whose aesthetic sensibilities align with your poetic style. Reading past issues helps a poet gauge the publication’s preference for form, subject matter, and tone, ensuring a good match. Submitting blindly wastes time and resources.
Several online resources provide comprehensive databases and submission tracking tools that simplify the search for appropriate venues. Directories like Duotrope and the listings provided by Poets & Writers and the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) offer searchable databases of hundreds of publications. These tools detail reading periods, typical response times, and the specific genres each publication accepts.
The most important step is meticulously reviewing the submission guidelines for each venue. Guidelines often specify the exact number of poems allowed per submission, whether simultaneous submissions are permitted, and the required formatting. Failure to follow these instructions precisely is the quickest way to have a submission rejected.
A balanced approach involves submitting to a mix of small, local journals and larger, nationally recognized publications. Creating a structured submission list ensures consistency and helps the poet manage the lengthy timelines of the publishing cycle.
Mastering the Submission Process
The mechanics of submitting work have largely been standardized through online submission managers, which streamline the process for both the poet and the editorial staff. Platforms such as Submittable are widely used across the literary world, requiring poets to create an account to upload their manuscript and supporting documents. Using these systems efficiently is a prerequisite for professional engagement with journals.
Submissions must always be accompanied by a brief, professional cover letter addressed to the poetry editor or the editorial staff. This letter should be concise, stating simply the title and number of poems enclosed and confirming that they are not currently under consideration elsewhere unless simultaneous submissions are permitted. The cover letter is not the place to explain the poems or make personal appeals; its purpose is purely administrative.
A short author biography should be included in the submission form, typically written in the third person and detailing previous publication credits, if any. If a poet has no prior publications, the bio can mention affiliations with writing programs or workshops, keeping the tone modest and professional. Most journals request a bio of 50 to 100 words.
Managing simultaneous submissions—sending the same poem to multiple journals at once—is common. If permitted, it is mandatory to state clearly in the cover letter that the poems are being simultaneously submitted. If a poem is accepted by one journal, the poet must immediately withdraw that specific poem from all other venues where it is under consideration. The poet must ensure the uploaded manuscript file matches the journal’s formatting requirements.
Navigating Responses and Rejections
Poetry publishing is characterized by a high volume of submissions, meaning that rejection is a routine part of the process. Most responses a poet receives will be form rejections, which are standardized, impersonal emails indicating that the work was not selected for that reading period. Poets should handle these responses with professional detachment, viewing them as simply a statement of fit rather than a judgment on the work’s quality.
It is advisable to maintain a detailed tracking system—a simple spreadsheet is sufficient—to record the date of submission, the poems sent, the venue, and the date of response. This system helps manage the often long response times, which can range from three to nine months. Following up with an editor should only be considered if a journal has significantly exceeded its stated response time, and the inquiry should be brief and polite.
When an acceptance arrives, the journal will typically send a contract outlining the rights they are acquiring. The most common arrangement is First North American Serial Rights (FNASR), meaning they have the right to be the first to publish the poem in North America. Once the poem appears, the rights revert back to the poet, allowing them to include the work in a future collection. Payment for published poems is often minimal, usually taking the form of a small honorarium, a flat fee, or complimentary contributor copies of the issue.
Building a Portfolio and Developing Your Voice
Every individual publication credit contributes to a growing professional portfolio, which serves as the foundation for future, larger projects. A track record of publications in respected journals is required before a publisher will seriously consider a poet’s chapbook or full-length collection. The accumulation of these credits validates the poet’s work and demonstrates a sustained commitment to their craft.
Actively engaging with the literary community helps refine a poet’s artistic trajectory and build professional relationships. Attending readings, participating in writing conferences, and connecting with editors and other writers fosters a supportive network. These interactions often lead to valuable insights into the publishing world. The long-term goal of publishing is the continuous process of artistic development and the deliberate search for an authentic voice.