For many poets, the desire to see our words in print is a driving force in honing our craft. The ultimate goal is not only inclusion in an online magazine or social media platform, but also words in ink on a page. This might be in an anthology, a chapbook, or a bona fide “I-did-it-Mom” poetry book, either self-published or published by an established printing house.
However, seeing your poetry and name in print will take time and commitment. You will receive rejections and critiques, like every writer out there has at one point. But you will also grow from these experiences.
To help make the publishing process a little less daunting, we’ve outlined the steps you need to take to write a successful submission. These steps can be applied to poetry competitions, submissions to publishing houses, and successful self-publications:
Before you even consider submitting your work, you need to identify your authentic voice and unique point of view. You need to understand and be able to express what makes you stand out from every other poet. Publishers, contest officials, and readers alike are looking for a fresh perspective—work that inspires them to think about something in a new or deeper way. They also look for original work that engages them on a personal level. Understanding your point of view will allow you to tap into a true and authentic voice. This in turn will help you write work that is all your own. By putting you into your poetry, you will gain a deeper understanding of the unique poetry that you can offer the world (and the judges). It can also help you to avoid writing clichéd poetry. For more details on finding and honing your unique voice, see Chapter 4.
Be prepared to write, and write a lot. Working toward publication means treating your poetry as both an art and a skill that needs to be nurtured through practice. You will need to spend time in the act of writing, and work on your craft to produce poems that are error-free, evocative, and original. A slick and error-free piece of writing tells the publishers that you have taken the time to polish the piece for submission. On the other hand, a work that has mistakes in it makes it seem like you rushed your submission, or worse, that you don’t really care about your work or the publication. For more on perfecting your craft, see Part 2.
If you write sonnets, it doesn’t make any sense to submit to a publication that specializes in haiku, and vice versa. Two of the best places to find the right publications and competitions for your poetry are Duotrope.com and Submittable.com. Duotrope is a hub for thousands of competitions; literary magazines and zines; and other publishers such as journals and publishing houses. It also has a feature that allows you to connect with a literary agent. The site is curated by a team of former editors, so each of the listings has been deemed qualified as a reputable publisher. To use the site, all you have to do is create a profile and log in. There is a fee for long-term use, but a free trial is offered so that you can see if the site is a good fit for your publishing aspirations. Submittable lists poetry competitions from a wide range of magazines and journals, and you can create your own profile to save the competitions that interest you. There is no cost to use Submittable, but many competitions do charge an admission fee for submitting your work.
The Internet will become your best friend in finding the right publications and competitions for your poetry. You can use common search terms like “poetry competition”; “poetry submissions”; “creative writing competition”; and also enter your country or state to find local submission calls.
Each competition or call for submissions will have a specific set of guidelines, which will normally include items such as word count, entry format, submission dates, and rules about whether or not you can put your name on your submission or entry. The guidelines are there for a reason. Publishers and contest judges are going to use them to qualify each entry and select submissions. As many competitions and publications get hundreds of entries, the guidelines are a quick and easy way to reduce the number of works that make it to round two. If the guidelines say your entry must be one hundred words, and you write one hundred and three words, then it will not make it through the first round of assessment. Make sure that you read the guidelines carefully and follow them to the letter. Most poetry competitions will also have a set deadline for submissions. Mark the deadline in your phone or calendar and give yourself plenty of time to work on your submission. Don’t leave it to the last minute, as this will likely affect the quality of your writing.
Does the competition, publication, or publishing house have a set theme for submissions? If the answer is yes, then this will be a nonnegotiable element of your submission. Publishers and judges use adherence to the theme as a quick way of sorting through submissions, so if you write a brilliant piece of poetry, but it doesn’t fit the theme, you won’t get through to the next phase. Sometimes it can be tempting to cobble together an old piece and try to make it fit the theme (especially if you can’t find inspiration or haven’t left yourself enough time), but this often doesn’t work, as the piece is likely to read clumsily or may not fit the theme as well as it could have if it had been written specifically for the publication.
What sets the publication apart from others? Do they focus on micropoetry? Do they focus on themes of equality and diversity? Understanding the publication can help you write poems that will fit its editorial brief, and bring your submission that much closer to being accepted.
The easiest way to understand the publication and what the publishers are looking for is to read previous print or online issues and featured poems. If there is a poet who is featured often in a publication, look for patterns in his or her submissions. If you are entering a competition, read previous winning entries. Look for consistent themes, forms, and styles.
In the process of reading through the guidelines you might have questions. These might include: how many entries can I submit? Will the judges accept work that has been published on a personal blog or social media account? What are the format and style requirements? If you aren’t sure, it pays to ask. Many publications and contests will respond to questions prior to a deadline. Having a definitive response to your question can only help improve your writing, as you will be able to better tailor your submission to meet the contest’s guidelines. The worst-case scenario is that they don’t reply, and the best-case scenario is you get your questions answered and submit an even stronger entry for consideration. You really have nothing to lose.
Over the last two years, our editorial team has rejected more than two thousand submissions to our digital publications and annual poetry competitions. Online, we have viewed more than 230,000 post submissions and have reposted or featured approximately 2,500 of those poems. We don’t share these numbers to scare you. We share them so that you can be prepared to keep going in the face of adversity. Maybe you will get published your first time. Maybe you will get published on your second try. And maybe it will take a few more tries to get published. Don’t lose heart! Ask for feedback from the publication or competition officials and work on improving your poetry by writing often, submitting to competitions regularly, and sharing your work with other poets or writers. There are always opportunities as long as you persevere!
Twenty years ago, self-publishing would have been an insurmountable hurdle for most poets. Although there were options to publish your own work, the end-to-end process of getting the book physically published was time-consuming and very expensive, and connecting with readers was almost impossible. Today, modern technology and the Internet have given poets and writers like you the tools to self-publish without ever needing to leave home. Gone are the days of having to negotiate with a printing press: online publishing services now provide everything from formatting, content templates, and content and line editing, to marketing, sales, and distribution support.
Self-publishing can be broken down into two types: hard copy and ebook. There are a number of popular self-publishing platforms that offer both hard copy and ebook publishing, including Amazon, CreateSpace, Lulu, Nook Press, Smashwords, and Kobo Writing Life. Most of these platforms will charge a flat fee for services that you use, and then charge for a percentage of your sales. Be sure to shop around for the option that best suits your budget before you commit.
The process for these platforms is largely the same: write and edit your work, upload it to the platform, create your cover art, set your pricing, hit the “publish” button, and cross your fingers!
Before self-publishing, thoroughly research the process. Your research should include finding answers to the following questions: are the platform’s services within your budget? How easy are their tools to use and what support do they offer as you go through the process? How much reach do they have and how many customers visit their site? How much do they charge in royalties and how will they make payments to you? What formats do they publish in and how much will it cost if you wish to print some hard copies?
You will also need to make sure that your work is properly edited and your cover art created prior to uploading. This may be something you can have done for free by a friend or family member, or it may be a service that you will have to pay for. Be sure to think about this, and allow time for the editing process once you have finished your final draft. The wonderful thing about self-publishing is that you will have full creative control over the process and the final product. Remember that you will need to dedicate time to polishing the final product, and if you stumble, keep going. Having your very own book online, and in your hands, will be worth the effort!