How to Publish Your Poems

I have had well over 300 poems published and have edited three poetry magazines, the instructions that follow will help even a non-published poet get published.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Poet's Market Book
• At least four good poems
• a Self addressed stamped envelopetwo long envelopes

1. 
    
   LETTERS FROM EDITORS ARRIVE

   First, read some poetry to get your mind prepared to write poetry. This is a great exercise that many writers use.

2. Get into your comfort zone and write between 12 to twenty poems. This may take you several days or even weeks. Try not to write complete sentences on each line, you want to lead the reader onward from one line to the next.

3. 
    
   READING POETRY

   Once you have a number of poems, carefully go through them and select only the four best one's. These will be the one's you will enclose in your first submission to an editor.

4. Now either pick up or go to the Library and take out a book called THE POET'S MARKET. This is one of the major keys to getting published. It is a complete resource for poets at all skill levels. They show you where to get published and how to submit your work to each magazine listed, and there are thousands upon thousands of magazines listed.

5. Now go through the listings, paying attention for the magazines that state they work with and publish newcomers. Also pay attention to the size of the magazine - if one only has 12 pages and another has 38, it will be much easier to get your work into the larger publication.

6. Now that you have selected a publication, prepare two long envelopes, one is to send your poetry to the editor, the other is so the editor can return them back to you. A self addressed stamped envelope is a must, if you fail to enclose one, in all likelihood, you will not hear back from the editor. The reason is that most small press publications are put together in living-rooms and they can't afford the added expense.

7. Neatly fold the SESE and place it into the other envelope. Neatly fold your four poems and place them into the envelope as well.

8. Important, have the envelope weighted. Most editors will not pay a postage due, so as a rule, I always placed a little more postage on the two envelopes than what it called for.

9. Wait and keep checking the mail. Some publications only go to press 6 times a year, others only 2 to 4 times a year. And they have new poems arriving in their mail every day. Most will get back to you within one to two months. In the meantime, write more poetry.

10. Look over the poems you still have. Do you still have at least four that you really strongly feel are good? If so, sent them out to another publication. As a rule, you only want one submission going to one editor at a time. And editors hate it when you send the same poems to several magazines at a time, avoid this and keep on the editor's good side.

11. Open up the envelopes as they arrive, and check to see if you have had any accepted for publication. Magazines that claim to work with newcomers will usually try to get at least one of your poems into print, and sometimes more. And if they ask you to edit and return, make whatever changes they ask for and return it to them, again using a SESE. Most small presses don't pay money, but they usually will give you one to four free issues that your work appears in.

Tips & Warnings

• POETALK has always been a good place for newcomers to get published over the years. their address is POETALK, Attn; Maggie Morley editor, PO box 11435, Berkeley, CA 94712-2435
• Have patience
• enclose an SESE or you will not get your work back
• your name and addresses must appear on each page

[stephanie1120]

on 10/19/2009 Thanks! I have a handful of poems that I've wanted to try to get published. And thanks for the tip about POETALK.

[stengb]

on 10/19/2009 I've always wondered if I could get a couple poems published. Thanks for the info.