There are lots of ways to publish your poetry.
I don’t know about you, but I wrote poems for years before it ever occurred to me that I might want to publish them. My poetry wasn’t written for an audience or publication. It was personal self-expression. I often used poetry to explore ideas and experiment with language. It seems that this is not uncommon. A lot of poets first come to the craft for the sheer pleasure of composing poetry.
But eventually, many poets decide to try to get published, and there are a variety of ways to do that.
The fastest and easiest path to publication is to self-publish. However, if you’re looking for clout or if you want to reach a broad audience, publishing through a more traditional route might be the better way to go. In order to get traditionally published, especially by a quality publication, your work needs to reach a high level of craftsmanship. Even if your poetry skills are advanced, each publication has its own preferences, so you’ll need to find one that is a match to your style.
Seven Ways to Publish Your Poetry
Here are some ways that you can publish your poetry:
1. On a blog
This is your fastest and easiest route to publication. If you don’t already have a blog, you can set one up in minutes (although it will take longer if you want to build a high-quality website). Be aware that just because you’ve posted your poetry and made it available to the public doesn’t mean people will see it. You’ll need to find ways to get traffic to your website.
2. Create a chapbook
There is a long tradition of chapbooks in the literary world, and they are not exclusive to poetry. A chapbook is a short collection of written works, in this case, poetry. Writers often bring their chapbooks to open mics, where they read work from the collection and have copies on hand to sell to attendees. You might also be able to get your local bookstore to sell your chapbook (or offer it for free), and you can, of course, create a digital version (a PDF or e-book) to make available online.
3. Submit to literary magazines and journals
Submitting your work to literary magazines and journals is the most traditional method of publishing your poetry. It’s also a good way to get your work noticed in the poetry world, and it increases the chance that you can eventually get your poems into an anthology or other collection. Make sure you read several issues of each publication to make sure your work is a good match, and then carefully review their submission guidelines before sending your poetry to them.
4. Self-publish a collection
If you have enough completed works, you can self-publish your own collection of poetry. There are two options here: you can publish your own work, or you can invite other poets into the mix and become the editor of a multi-poet collection (be cognizant of drawing up a contract and managing costs as well as payments to other poets).
5. Submit your poetry to a publisher of poetry books
Some book publishers produce poetry collections with open submissions (as opposed to sending out exclusive invitations). They are often looking for poets whose work has been previously published in esteemed literary magazines and journals, so be sure to check the guidelines before you submit your work.
6. Enter a poetry contest
Be careful here. There are a lot of scammy writing contests, especially those that pose as publishing houses or that collect exorbitant fees from submitting poets. However, entering a poetry contest can be a good way to get eyes on your work.
7. Slam poetry
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention slam poetry (or performance poetry). In the world of slam, poems are heard (or watched), not read. Your work should be written to be performed, and then you have to get on a stage and perform it. Some of these performances might be produced as films, documentaries, or streamed online. There are also plenty of slam poetry contests you can enter. While not a path to publishing in the conventional sense, this is a good way to get your work in front of other people.
Publish Your Poetry
Once you self-publish your poetry, a lot of publications will not accept it as a submission. Publications tend to prefer exclusive rights, and speaking of rights, be sure to check the fine print — you might be barred from publishing your poem elsewhere for a designated amount of time.
Have you ever published your poetry? Have you ever tried? Do you want to get your poetry published? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment, and keep writing!
Hello, I am an aspiring poet. I will like to publish my work and learn more
I would like to publish my poem in a book. How can you help? How much does it’s cost?
Hi John. This website is about creative writing, and while we sometimes touch on publishing, that’s not the focus here. Good luck!
Question; is there money in publishing your own poetry?
Self publishing any different than professional?
Can it be done free through the net?/
Hi Chris. Thanks for your question, but it goes a bit beyond the scope of Writing Forward. We’re focused on craft here, not the business side of writing. But some quick answers: There’s not much money in poetry. Yes, self-publishing is different from traditional in many ways; there’s plenty of information about both methods of publishing on the web. Yes, it can be done for free, although we tend to get what we pay for. Good luck to you!
I’m finalizing print draft and cover for my first poetry & photography collection–MY MAINE, Haiku through the Seasons. Still trying to figure out how to design it in eBook format, since there are 49 photos… Thinking about using fewer photographs for the digital version. Self-publishing on Amazon and IngramSpark.
Congratulations, Bette! That’s wonderful. I don’t see any reason why you can’t include all the images in the e-book. Formatting them will be a pain, but at least the versions of your book will be consistent. Good luck!
Hi! I’m a good poet. I had written some poems. But how to publish them?
That question is answered in the article above.
Thanks
I want to get my son’s, 17 yrs, poetry published, he is an occasional writer but beautifully composed his thoughts on current pandemic situation. Can this be done here
This is not a place for publishing creative works–it’s a place for tips and advice. Search for poetry magazines and literary journals, and I would also encourage your son to do this on his own, and submit his own work.
Hello I am new the poetry world but have written few poems I would like to share it and hopefully I shall learn more 🙏🙏🙏
You might want to find a writing workshop or writing group where you can share your poetry, or if you want to get published, look for magazines and journals where you can submit your work. Good luck to you!
Hello everyone, I had a quick question. I have been writing poetry for nearly a decade now, and I am interested in publishing some of my newer pieces. To note, these are typically dark, depressing pieces, depicting past or current emotional and mental wars I wage inside myself.
Are there any sites you would reccomend for such work?
Hi Benjamin. I’m not aware of any such publications off the top of my head, and it’s really best for you to read plenty of poetry and literary journals and determine which ones match your work, so you can submit to them. Good luck!
Mam…do publishing on a our own blog doesn’t brings the risk pf plagiarism??…how to handle that?
Professionally published books also can get plagiarized. Over the years, I’ve encountered quite a few people who were so scared their work (or even just their “ideas”) would be stolen, that they just don’t put anything out there. The odds of your work getting stolen or plagiarized are slim. If you’re truly concerned about it, look into copyright laws and find ways you can protect your intellectual property.
This is a great article, informative and has been helpful . I have submitted poems to an online would like to a site over the years and I’m wondering if they would be considered as published. I would like to include some of the poems in a book at some point (traditional format) so am concerned the poems might be ineligible. I have read that publishers prefer poems with a common theme running through theme. How important is this?
Thanks, Carol. Yes, if a poem is shared on a website, most publishers and editors will consider that published, especially if they can search for the poem and find it publicly available. Each publisher has their own guidelines and preferences, so you’d have to check individually regarding themes for a collection. However, you can always self-publish and then you set the rules!
Melissa, thanks so much for your reply! I will consider self publishing:)
You’re very welcome!
I have been writing for a couple of years now and I am just learning that I want to publish my poems. How would I go about it if no publisher will take my poems
I would recommend doing a few things. Read a lot of poetry and familiarize yourself with current poets and publications. Work at improving your craft and refining your poems to make them the best they can be. Finally, keep submitting your work. Many writers get a lot of rejections before their work starts getting published. Sticking with it is often the key to success. I am reminded of how Stephen King put a big nail in the wall and then stuck all his rejection slips on it. When it filled up and he couldn’t add any more, he hammered another nail into the wall. Don’t take it personally. Just keep submitting.
I would like to publish my poetry
I would recommend submitting to poetry magazines and journals. Good luck!
A useful article. Thank you.
You’re welcome!
I like to rhyme, but rhyming is unfashionable. I don’t recall when I last read a rhyme that was placed in a competition.
However, I was heartened to see that this year’s Margaret Reid poetry contest is offering a prize for rhyming or traditional form poems this year.
Instagram and TikTok are very popular platforms to post poetry as they allow for visual an audio enhancements.
I self-published my first poetry collection because it was a quicker way to get my creations to readers. I often post some pieces on social media as a way for readers to sample my style.
We’re lucky to live at a time when we have so many ways to share our work!