where to get poetry published?

Question

My Grandad wrote some lovely poetry when he was in the war, and bring tears to your eyes, where could my Mum get this sort of thing published without paying anything?

Answer 1

You will want to research journals and magazines that publish in the same genre as the poetry-- really look for things that print similar works.

To begin your research, take a look at the current edition of the book "Writer's Market". It is a fairly comprehensive listing of locations to submit work. Then, head down to your local public library and see if you can track down copies. Make sure it is appropriate or it will be a waste of time and postage to submit.

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 the 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 the 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 could take a long time, and be prepared for multiple rejections. But, if you are persistant, you will find homes for your Grandad's poems.

Let me also suggest checking out the website http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/... to help you avoid other scams in every aspect of writing.

Another option would be to try and publish a book-length collection of his 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!

Good luck!

Answer 2

poetry.com is a well-known scam, and I can't believe with the access to Google that people still both promote it and believe it to be a legitimate site. Just google "poetry scams" and see how many times poetry.com comes up.

To answer your question, first, does your mother own the copyright to the poems? If not, she cannot legally publish them. If she is the heir to his estate, then the copyright probably reverted to her as well. If not, I suggest she speak with whomever settled the estate to make sure she can legally publish them first.

Second, what is the intent of publication? If she is just looking to put together an heirloom book for the family, lulu.com is the perfect choice. There are no upfront costs, and you can order one book or a hundred books if you chose. She can even set up a 'storefront' where family members can go to buy the book, so she wouldn't have to put out the money herself. It could even be a nice charity project if your grandfather had a favorite charity.

If the intent is to actually have to book get more mainstream distribution, then you would want to look for a traditional publisher. I would suggest a small press over a large publishing house, as poetry is very much a niche market and it is harder to get unknown poets published with a larger publisher. But many university presses and regional presses publish poetry books. If your grandfather was well-known in the community, it may be a good idea to find a local publisher that would be interested in publishing the collection.

I'm a regular over at lulu.com, so if your mother decides to use lulu and has further questions, please feel free to look me up over there.

Julie Dawson

Answer 3

The suggestions above are excellent. I suggest, also, that it might be worth talking to a museum that specialises in WW2 history.

If you're in the UK, the Imperial War Museum has a collection of soldiers' poetry, and they do regular exhibitions. I'm sure they would be interested in having a copy, and it might well be published someday.

Answer 4

The obvious place is to place it on your website. Failing that, try World War II related websites to see if they are interested in old war poetry. Of course you could always submit to publishing companies...

Answer 5

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Answer 6

You can enter it on poetry.com website and they actually put you in their books and invite you to have certain poems printed in required. You will get them on the web site though, because I personally have written several and had a few published and gone for the above web site with others. quite impressive actually and I sure love my own poems because I find them to be a release of feelings, from various times within my life. Well done to your GranPa for finding a release in what must have been a very tough situation for him.

Answer 7

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Answer 8

hard stuff. query over a search engine. that will can assist!

Answer 9

oooh...pls publish or post it asap. can do so on esnips.com v good. it has copyrights too dun worry. am longing to read it..send me ur account name later..

Answer 10

sophisticated subject. try searching on yahoo. this can assist!