How could I get a poem, or poems, published?

Question

I have a few poems that I really like and I am writing more all the time. Where could I go to get them published?

Answer 1

Well, first you have to ask yourself, "why do I want to publish my poems?" Is it for money? If so, forget it...poets need day jobs. Is it for fame? forget it, you'll be more famous by posting poems on Yahoo than by being published in a magazine. Do you want to be able to say you've been published? If so, why? Being "published" is not a measure of success. If your goal is to share your thoughts with others, then do so. Look for poetry chat rooms, go to open reads and open mic nites, etc. If you simply want the satisfaction of seeing your poems in print, then here are a few words:

1. Be careful. Make sure what you put into print is a) worth reading, b) your own work, c) correct in spelling and grammar, and d) not something you're going to regret.

2. Be prepared. Once your poem is in print, there will be those who praise it, and those who condemn it. You will not always be sure of who "really likes" it because your friends and family will tell you it's great and about how proud they are of you, etc., etc, etc. Meanwhile, anyone who ever had an ax to grind with you will tell you how much it sucked.

3. Be ready. If you find a publisher who will actually put your poem into print, be ready to hear what you'll have to change, or how much money you won't get, or if you self-publish, how much it will cost you. If you go to a vanity press like Poetry.com, be prepared to pay over $30 for a book that has "one" of your poems in it. If you want to see your poems in print quickly, then print them out into a chapbook and either hand them out to your friends, sell them at a craft fair, or see if your local bookstore is interested in letting you sell them on commission.

Remember, just because you write poetry doesn't mean you have to, or should, get them "published". Just because you have an interesting story about something that happened in school one day, does that mean you should write a novel about it? Or make a movie out of it? Publishing poetry is the same. Not every poem, regardless of how good it is, is going to be published. Publishers print those poems that they feel will be suited for their readers. A good source of publishers, one that is updated every year, is "Poets Market". If your local library doesn't have a copy, then you can order one (if it's not in stock) at your local bookstore.

Meanwhile, keep writing, even if your poems never find a life of their own in print.

Answer 2

You could go to the library and look at the Poet's Market (any issue) and the front sections have suggestions on how to write a cover letter and put together a submission. The book also has almost a couple thousand guidelines for magazines, and several more for contest guidelines. For other magazine guidelines and the same, you can also go to www.duotrope.com, but you should check out how to do the cover letter and the dos and don'ts of submitting work.

Good luck!

Answer 3

beware of poetry.com, it is the ultimate scam. Check it out on google.
The best way to get your works published is through your school literary magazine. Its free and give you instant copyright. Other alternatives include college publications or contest submissions. Also you can try out deviantart.com for good critique of your poems.

Answer 4

i'm particular there are some respected publishers obtainable, yet...... the easy answer is that those days there are some distance, far extra human beings writing poetry then keen to pay to envision it. maximum "revealed" poets incredibly pay for it in one way or yet another - it is referred to as "conceitedness publishing" in the commerce. There are various varients in this topic, yet finally the guy writing the poetry will pay to get it revealed. as an instance they'd make a contribution one poem to a quantity, as do many different poets, and that they and all the different individuals pay to purchase the e book, which no person else is going to purchase. Sorry to be so harsh, yet i believe honour-guaranteed to enable you realize all this. by using all skill proceed writing poetry to convey happiness into your existence and the lives of your loved ones. enter unfastened competitions or set up your person internet site and tips about a thank you to make it properly popular. yet beware actually all human beings who delivers to submit your poetry. by using some distance the least perplexing way of coming up money from poetry is to get it from unpublished poets themselves! In precis, look upon your poetry as a remarkable way of expressing the secret and excitement of the human adventure. look someplace else for economic income. terrific desires

Answer 5

poetry.com

poetryamerica.com

Either one of those are good ones, I used them to get my poems published.

Answer 6

Submit them to www.poetry.com and they will offer you a book package deal to publish them along with other poets.
I think is around 40 per book. Go check it out

Answer 7

you should try performing in front of an audience. offer to share to a class. or go some where where they have live poetry night. if you are in school try getting it in the school newspaper. or you could try getting it in your community newspaper. i don't know about professionally