Anyone.....do you know a publisher?

Question

My son and I both would like to publish our poetry and other things....any suggestions?

Answer 1

If you want to publish a book of your work, there are two types of publishing: Tradition and Self-Publishing. You will first need to decide which of these methods you want to pursue. Each has advantages and disadvantages that need to be researched. For instance, traditional publishing can be a very long road, littered with MANY rejections. Self-publishing will guarantee you a printed copy of your book, however you will not see it in a brick-and-mortar bookstore.

http://www.lulu.com is, in my opinion, the best self-publisher around. You can set up your book on their website, for free, and they will print copies as they are purchased. They do not edit your book, so you will need to take care of that on your own. This will also NOT get your book in a traditional bookstore, although you can purchase a very affordable package that would allow sale of your book through online bookstores like Amazon.

"Writer's Market", along with "The Guide to Literary Agents" are my two suggestions for diving into the traditional publishing market. I suggest looking for an agent first because they are the best step through the publishing door. You will create a submission package that matches the agents preferences (some, for instance, just want a query letter and summary in your first contact with them while others want more). Once you find an agent that is willing to represent you, they will market your book to publishers. Remember, in traditional publishing you should not be paying for anything! They get paid when you get paid!

The last option, also traditional, is to submit individual poems to magazines or journals. This can help a lot when you want to get an agent, because they love to see that an author has a track record of publishing credits.

You will want to research journals and magazines that publish in the same genre as your poetry-- really look for things that print similar works. "Writer's Market" will again be my biggest suggestion.

Each publisher has different submission guidelines, so make sure to research the specifics. Oftentimes, they are now on the web so it's much easier. Most only want you to submit three to five poems in each submission package, and they generally have length guidelines as well.

Do not submit your poems to multiple publications simultaneously unless you specify it in your cover letter and you are sure that the particular publishers accept simultaneous submissions.

For formatting your poems and manuscript, see if you can locate a copy of "Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript" (which is actually published by the folks at Writer's Market). It's my favorite reference for all sorts of literary queries. It will help for individual pieces, or a book-length manuscript.

Also keep in mind that this can be a long process. You will probably not get a lot of positive responses right away, and the rejection can be disheartening. But keep it up and you will find a home for your poetry!

Last piece of advice: check out the website Preditors and Editors. They will help you avoid any scams which will make the road that much smoother:
http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/

Answer 2

Publishing poetry is the most difficult thing to do - it just doesnt sell the way mainstream novels do. Buy a copy of the 2007 Writers Market and look through the back - there are magazines that pay for poems, but don't expect to make a lot per poem. As for publishing your own anthology, that is very difficult. I dont know of any agents reading poetry, but you can skim through the list of agents at the beginning of the book looking for agents handing "literary" works. Also join Absolute Write Water Cooler forum and communicate with other poets. They may be able to help you. Poetinahat runs the poetry forum there and he is a real nice guy. Try it. Pax - C.

Answer 3

Border's has a writer's guide book that is publoshed every year with tips and lists of publishers and editors. i don't know as much about publishing poetry as i do publishing novels, but i assume you still need some kind of editor or compiler to pick out the ones to get published. just ask around, especially at colleges. a lot of english professors are publshed so they'd know publishers, and some of them may be willing to pull double duty and help you edit when they're not teaching.

Answer 4

enter some contests. it's smart to get a little experience before you send in you poems to a publisher. winningwriters.com is a great site that has a list of free poetry contests. you have to sign up but it's free. don't just post your poems on here because someone could copy it and claim it as their work. hope this helps!
peace

Answer 5

Post a question that includes some of your poetry. My friend is a senior president at a publishing co. If it's good enough I'll e-mail you about it.