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Publishing Tips

For those looking to be published, here are some helpful suggestions:

Determine your Audience

When you are preparing to send your poetry or writing to a publisher, you must first determine who you want your audience to be... what type of writing you will be submitting and what kind of readers does that publication have. There are so many different places to submit your writing to that your first step should be determining your audience so you can properly submit to a publication.

Examine the Publication

Before sending anything in for publication, you should always review and read the magazine/publication first! By doing this, you are able to see what kind of submissions the publication has received and you can get a feel for the general audience of it as well. Now you have determined what type of poetry to submit and which publication better suits you.

Read the Submission Guidelines... thoroughly

Prepare your submission following the exact instructions from the Editor! Make sure you submit ONLY the requested amount of material, that it is properly typed and you have checked your spelling and grammar. Also, make sure that you mail your submission to the proper address and have included a self-addressed stamped envelope (for the rejection letter, of course!) Also make sure to read the Submission Guidelines carefully to see if there is a reading fee required so you can enclose that as well.

The waiting begins

Once you have sent your submission, the only thing left to do is wait... and wait. Most publishers will give you an estimated time in which you should receive a response. Some may take as little as a few weeks, others may take several months. But don't become discouraged or give up hope... if at first you don't succeed, try, try again (how cliché is that one!) It takes time and I am sure it can be very rewarding to see your words in print!

How Do I Submit?

You may be wondering where you can find places to submit your poetry to. You can find so much information online about tips on publishing, how to get published, and where you can send your submissions, but a GREAT book I came across a few years ago is the Poet's Market. In my opinion, this is a MUST HAVE book for anyone wishing to submit for publication. This book will give you the names of over 1,800 publishers, complete with address, phone number, and even email addresses. They provide you with the publications' submission guidelines, contact name, reporting times, what type of publication it is (so you will know what kind of audience the publication generally attracts). You are even provided with the form of payment publishers may give to you. Some will pay you money for your work... others will pay you in copies of their publication. A good majority will pay in copies, but there are quite a few out there that will pay actual money to you, if your submission is accepted and published by them!

Poetry Scams / Contests

Be aware of the poetry scams and contests that are out there! These types of publications usually prey upon the amateur writer, promising publication and prize money, etc. There are many LEGITIMATE poetry contests and publications out there and a good test is to see if the contest contacts you to let you know that you have either won or you are a finalist, but then they are asking you to purchase something (usually an Anthology book)... you may want to steer clear of those publications. Many of those contests will publish any material (good or bad) and many authentic publishers will not even acknowledge this type of publication... so make sure you read every detail about the type of publication you are submitting to. A true poetry contest will NOT ask you for money (perhaps a reader fee, which is nominal and seems to be standard) in order to publish your material.

More Information

You can find so much more information on publishing and how to write poetry, or if you just want to read some great poetry and learn about poetry itself, by visiting these links: