If you’re a poet or dabble in writing poetry, you have several great options for getting your poems published.
Let’s cover the three main ways to publish a poem.
1. Poetry Blog Publishing
The fastest way to publish a poem is to simply create a blog and publish your poem online.
While this is the least prestigious route to becoming a published poet, it’s by far the easiest.
If you’re not looking to earn money from publishing your poetry, you might really love posting your poems on your blog so you can connect with your readers and fans directly through your own website, email list, and social media.
Here’s a list of the best poetry blogs if you want to do some research and get inspired.
2. Publish Your Poem in a Literary Journal
The most common method of poetry publishing is to have one or a few of your poems published in a literary journal or literary magazine.
You can check out Poets & Writers’s free catalog of literary journals that accept poetry submissions.
If you’re planning on submitting your poems to a literary journal, make sure to follow these steps:
- Create a list of literary journals you think might be a good fit for your work.
- Select your top one-to-five poems that you plan to submit.
- Read each journal’s submission guidelines, and make sure you follow their instructions exactly.
- Submit your poem(s).
- Write down in a spreadsheet everything you need to track your submissions so you don’t submit multiple times to the same journal. You’ll want to keep track of the names of the journals you submitted to, the date of submission, which poem(s) you submitted, and any other notes or comments about that publication.
Here are a few more tips to increase the chances of getting your poetry submission accepted:
Format your poem professionally. Don’t use fancy fonts that are hard to read. Stick to 12-point font with a basic font like Times New Roman, Arial, or Helvetica, for example. Here’s an example of how to format a poem.
Proofread and edit your work before submitting. Poems filled with typos or errors are likely to be rejected. Always triple-check your work and have a fellow writer proofread it to catch any mistakes before you submit.
Follow their submission guidelines. I can’t reiterate enough how important this step is. The vast majority of poetry submissions are rejected automatically simply because the writer did not follow the organization’s submission guidelines properly.
Be persistent. Don’t give up if you get rejected the first ten, fifty, or even hundred times you submit your poem . If you’re serious about getting your poems published in a literary journal, you have to be persistent and keep going no matter how many rejection letters you get.
3. Find a Poetry Book Publisher
The final way to get your poetry published is to find a poetry book publisher who would be interested in publishing a collection of your poems.
Here’s a list of poetry publishers you can use to find a potential publisher.
Your best bet is to start with options 1 and 2 so you can build up an impressive writer’s resumé that will increase your likelihood of getting a poetry book deal. If you can build up a following of readers on your blog or demonstrate that your work has been published in several literary journals, publishers will become much more interested in publishing your poems.
If you have no blog readers and zero publishing credits with a literary journal, your chances of getting a poetry book deal are about as close to zero as you can get.
If you’re going to submit your work to a poetry book publisher, make sure you follow their submission guidelines and all the same guidelines for submitting to a literary journal.
Other Publishing Options
We hope you found this article helpful!
Although we don’t publish poetry at TCK Publishing, we do publish novels and nonfiction books.
If you’ve written a novel or nonfiction book and think it might be a good fit for TCK Publishing, you can read our submission guidelines and submit your manuscript for review.
And if you liked this post, here are some other articles you might love:
- How to Find a Publisher for Your Book: Exploring All of Your Publishing Options
- P&L Planning: How Traditional Publishers Use Educated Guesswork to Evaluate Books
- Author Beware: How to Avoid Getting Scammed by a Publisher
Tom Corson-Knowles is the founder of TCK Publishing, and the bestselling author of 27 books including Secrets of the Six-Figure author. He is also the host of the Publishing Profits Podcast show where we interview successful authors and publishing industry experts to share their tips for creating a successful writing career.
Hi Kaelyn,
I created a new Genre of Poetry and I would like to know how to get it recognized as such. I noted that Slam Poetry was introduced as a genre in 1986. Is there some type of institution/ council that governs Poetry Genre? Could you share some insight?
Thank you !
Hi Ice, thanks for your question! Unfortunately I don’t really know how new types of poems get recognized, it’s a great question that I’ll have to research more.
Hi
First off, thank you so much for the amazing information. But I have a question and I really hope you can answer me. I’ve been trying to publish my poems in different literary magazines and so far, I haven’t been very satisfied with the results. I’ve been rejected 14 times in a row until now (never received a “yes” from any publishers), and I’ve started to doubt everything. I know publishers and editors don’t have enough time to break down my poems and tell me what is exactly wrong with them, but this has confused me a lot. If I have been rejected, does it mean that I am a bad writer? Or it’s just that they wanna test how determined I am? It’s so disappointing. All of them reply with, “We enjoy reading your work but it is not the right one for our magazine.” I simply do not understand this statement. If they enjoyed reading it, why is it not the right one? What is a “right” poem exactly?
(Sorry if I seem too pessimistic in the comments.)
Hi Mery, thanks for sharing your experience. I know it’s no fun to be rejected, but 14 times isn’t as bad as it feels. Consider that publications can only take so many poems for each issue/edition. An editor might only be looking for one poem, and they get so many submissions! Don’t give up hope :) If you’re unsure about the quality of your work, maybe join a writers group (there are many good ones online) and ask for feedback. That will help you grow and hopefully reassure you that your’e not a bad poet :)
Mery, take heart in the fact that many writers who have gone on to be successful have found rejections discouraging at some point – don’t take it to mean that you’re a bad writer. A rejection basically means that the editor doesn’t see your work as a fit for them at that time. As a former editor myself, I definitely rejected work that could have been successful somewhere…just not with us.
Unless you get some specific feedback and encouragement with your rejection, you can take “we enjoy reading your work” as simple politeness. In most cases editors use form letters. But don’t be discouraged! Often there are many more submissions than they can respond to, and in the case of literary magazines they may be unpaid volunteers.
Again speaking as a former editor, I will say that a rejection is a “no.” It’s not some kind of a game to see how determined you are, and I wouldn’t submit the same pieces again. Either they want it or they don’t. But if you’ve studied the publication carefully and do still think your work fits there, there’s no problem with trying to submit different pieces. I can’t emphasize enough to really verify if your work is a fit. So many writers submit things that are just outside the scope of a particular publication (for example, submitting a sonnet to a publication dedicated to highly experimental poems). The example I just gave is blatant, but sometimes a lack of fit is not always obvious. With literary magazines this might be difficult to determine unless you’ve spent a lot of time studying poetry.
If after the above advice you’re still really feeling confused, I’d recommend taking a workshop with a more experienced poet to get a sense of how other people view your work (try to choose someone whose writing you admire). If it’s a multi-week class there may also be an opportunity to sit down with the instructor one-on-one, get some advice on submitting, and receive some suggestions for magazines to try. Sometimes literary conferences will also have opportunities for feedback or Q&A panels on getting published.
Thanks for sharing your words of encouragement, Meg! I think they’ll help a lot of writers :)
Katelyn Barron is correct if you do not have your own blog or want one then see if a poetry blogger out there will publish your poem for you on their blog. Also Podcast is a great way to self promote your poetry as well. This is a lame way to do it but I have noticed that in some Newspapers in the FOR SALE as well as the PERSONAL ADS some amateur and would be poets have literally had their poems published there. Some personal Ads you actually submit for free but it costs the person who responds to your ad a few dollars So should you decide to go that route on the one hand you can truly say that you had your poem published in such and such a Newspaper and now you are a Published Poet/Author ( and you would be) however it’s not the usual way to do it though and I’m not sure if that would count as publishing credits or not?
You can always self publish your poetry book on ebook which is the easiest way to publish your chapbook worldwide and eliminate the need for an agent and a distributor. But if you can get at least one of your poems published in a Journal you should because it shows that your poetry is publishable and it gives you publishing rights as an Author. Craiglist is a place you can self publish your poems and Commadot. Is another.
Sorry not commander ‘ COMMAFUL is a great place to selfpublish your poems.
Thanks for sharing those tips, Brian! I completely agree
;)
i wanna publish my punjabi poetry. i want a platform were i can publish my poems
Hi Mahir, I don’t know any specific platforms for that, but you can check out these poetry publishers, or also publish them on your own blog or website :)
Hello
I’m looking to some of my writings published and copyright. I’m not sure where to begin or how to list my writings, as they are of heart break and other low point I have gone through lately. As well I don’t have a whole lot of time as I have been diagnosed with stage 3 kidney disease. I have no idea how to start this process and would to while I am still able.
Thank you
Hi Rhage, thank you for your comment. Are you interested in publishing a book or poems?
Yes I am very serious and interested
Hi Princess, if you’re interested in publishing poems, you can try the tips in this post, and also check out this list of poetry publishers you can submit your work to. :)
HI! I would like to know how to publish them online?
Hi Urban, I would recommend starting with a personal blog or social media account.
A few years ago I displayed one of my poems at an art crawl held in my city. I have since been contacted by someone who saw it asking if they could purchase a copy of it. I have NO idea how to do this or how much to even charge. I just have it in a word document on my computer and feel odd just sending them a copy. What’s the best way to publish/sell a single poem?
Hi Monica, while I don’t really know enough to advise a specific price range, we do have a post on selling poetry that you might find helpful. I’m not an expert, but since it’s your first time selling (I’m assuming), you might ask them what they think it’s worth/to make an offer.
Madam
I would like to publish my poems
So if you could know someone who can help me please say me
Hi Rahul, you might try some of these publications. But you can also start publishing your poetry on your own blog or website, this is a great option if you’re just starting to publish your poems :)
My poetry
I would like someone to. Work with me getting. Out my special poems to the world
We have a list of poetry publishers that you might find helpful :)
Hi, Katelyn I have a question for you, I would like to start my own blog and on my blog self publish my own poems, however I want legitimacy in having at least one if not two of my poems published by a poetry Magazine Publisher so I would get paid a small fee and get a free issue of the magazine with my name and poem in it and a years free membership as well. I’m also thinking about going international as well. Any ideas or coñstructive Criticism for me?
Hi Brian, I think that’s a great idea. you can find a list of literary magazines that pay here.
Again a new day has arised
as usual with a cool and soft light
arising lazily and with aches
so slowly i move at first
then have a tea in a position
as if i was in a woomb
with that ends the lazy slow motion
with spur i move and goes to work
day moves up and it gets hotter
with this i too gets restless with no reason
yet the time moves on
and sun comes down
day’s battele has finished and
iam relived from the front
then comes the night and
i feel relaxed and secure in my room
hoping the night be longer and longer
i spend some time in idle
but night moves on and silence
prevail the whole world
with all hope for long night lost
i crawl under the blanket
there i am calmed only
when i remember the days deeds
done out of no reason
which shall bring true good to others
Thank you for sharing your poem, Shan!
I have written and self-published two books in the past and both are no longer in circulation and the publisher no longer holds the publishing rights to either book. I am interested in submitting both books for republication. How do I go about this and where would I even start?
Hi Christine, thanks for your comment! If you mean submit with us, you can find our submission guidelines here. We accept manuscripts that have been previously self-published, or if other publishers have released the rights.
I have written more than 30 poems
But I don’t know howhat to make them publish
So I need a platform to publish them
So please guide me
Heyy, I personally found and use http://www.originalquills.com to PUBLISH my poems, blogs and short-stories online for FREE !
Also they pay you money on the number of likes your post gets :-)
Your website is really a great find, at least for me. It’s an enlightening experience thus far..
Thanks, we’re glad you’re enjoying the site!
I found you very interested in your job.I thank you all the same.
Thanks, we hope you found the article helpful! :)
Hi! I would love some more personal advice about how to become a published poet and what’s important within that. I am writing a professional guide for College Magazine and would love to get a quote!
Hi Gisselle, thanks for your comment! Sorry for the late response. I would say that if you’re starting from zero, one of the best things to do is start with blogging—it’s accessible to everyone and it’s one of the quickest and easiest ways to start building a platform for your work, and also get feedback on your writing. From there, you can start submitting your work to literary journals (and include a link to your blog while you’re at it, because it shows them you’ve already got a platform and also serves as a portfolio for all your work in case they’re interested in other pieces). I hope that helps! :)
Do you need to copyright your poetry? I would hate it if someone stole my writings.
Hi Cherri, great question! According to Legal Zoom, “Most literary works, including poetry, are automatically copyrighted as soon as you write them down or transfer them to a tangible format. For instance, if you write your poetry in a notebook or type and save it in a file format, your poetry is copyrighted.” However, registering your work with the US Copyright Office can definitely offer you more protection. Our podcast interview with an expert covers this in more detail. Hope this helps! :)
Yes I want to copyright my poetry
Hi Eraño, thanks for your comment! You might find the template and info in this post helpful: https://www.tckpublishing.com/copyright-page-templates/ But I’ll also work on a new post that explains copyrighting poetry.
Hi…, i write poems and I’m looking for a suitable platform to publish my poems.
Hi Pallavi, thanks for your comment! If you’ve never published your poetry before, I would suggest starting with a blog, that way you can build your platform and portfolio. Then, you can also check out poetry publishers and review their guidelines. I hope this helps! :)
I also want a suitable platform to submit my poem
Hi Ahmed, that’s great! You could try publishing on a blog, or start submitting to poetry publishers :)
What to publish a poem
Hi Christina, sorry I don’t understand your question. Can you please clarify? :)
I want to publish a poem
That’s great! :) You can check out this list of poetry publishers currently accepting submissions. Or, if you want to share your work right away, you might consider publishing them on a personal blog.
Your site is a stunning stepping stone for amature poets. Hence, I need your attention. I do exercise to vanish depressed moments; writing is of them. To relief myself from such oddly trapping, I poetically pounce my keys, or soil my diary with social issues enveloped in the society. In the course, some people faltering to some of my careless writings wrote me if I have the hard copy, other protections, published any. Now: couched with intent to publish some poems, what are the very ingredients publishers are looking for in a poem seeking publication.
Hi Noel, thanks for your comment! I think a lot of it depends on which publishers you want to approach. Be sure to review their guidelines, they should tell you exactly what you need in order to submit your work and have a good chance of being published. However, as this article points out, it helps to publish your poetry on a blog or in a literary journal first, especially if you don’t have much in your portfolio of published work. Many publishers want to see that you’ve already begun building a platform.
That long night :
There I stood in a dusk,
Wandering like a vagabond.
Finding ways to escape,
Surrounding so numb,
I fumbled.
Time was fleeting fast,
I could smell the breeze,
As it kissed my lips.
Darkness of the night,
Mocked at my sight.
In that stillness of night I stood,
The waves of trees were shaking hands.
It created a magical spell on me.
I shivered in that cold chilly night.
I escaped a beat to find ray of light.
Ah! That long night surrounded me,
With darkness all around.
My legs refused to move,
Dullness loaded alcove.
And there, I stood terrified in that long night.
Can anyone tell me which form of poetry writing is this.
Hi Nimisha, I believe it’s a free verse. It’s lovely, did you write it?
Hello,
I have actually written many poems just as a form of therapy, not thinking anything of this. My friends have said they are extremely good and worth sharing to help others.
My only downfall with sep 1 of the process is that I do not have a blog or anything like that.
Could I share poems any other way?
Kind regards,
Ashleigh
Hi Ashleigh! You could post on social media platforms like Instagram or Facebook, if you have accounts. I found this list of sites where you can share your poems and get feedback from others. You could also attend open mic events and read your poetry aloud. Hope these ideas help! :)
There’s a lot of advice on novel writing and hardly any for the amateur poet. Please send more n more poetry advice.
Hi Sharon! You can check out our post on how to write a poem for beginners, as well as our list of poetry publishers. I hope these help! :)
Hello…I would like to know more about becoming a financial successful writer in every aspect.
Hi Karen! You might want to check out our posts on how to make money writing and how to become a successful author. I hope these help!
I wanna published a lot of poem by myself I’m not a poet but I’m interested in writing poem
Hi Benjong, it’s great that you want to write poetry! You can check out our post on how to write a poem (https://www.tckpublishing.com/how-to-write-a-poem/) or this list of poetry publishers (https://www.tckpublishing.com/list-of-poetry-publishers/)
Hi please I want a platform where I can publish my poems and make money from it instantly, please can I get it
Thank you
Hi Evan, I’m not sure how to make money instantly, but you can check out our post on how to make money selling poetry for some ideas.
I want a platform were l can publish my poems
Hi Nathan, I would suggest starting with your own blog, or submitting your work to other poetry blogs :)