Tips for Submitting Poetry to Publishers

If you’re interested in getting your poetry published, there are a few things to keep in mind while submitting.

1. Start small.  It’ll be easier to get accepted if you target smaller or niche presses at first.  Local literary reviews are a good stepping stone to bigger publications.

2. Get to know the publication.  Before submitting, read the literary journal!  Make sure you know the types of poems that the editor usually accepts, then you can target your submissions accordingly.

3. Don’t be presumptuous.  Don’t act like a big-shot in your cover letter.  Be modest; just let your poems speak for you.

4. Don’t expect massive payouts.  Related to not being presumptuous, you don’t want to assume the editor will shower you with tons of cash for your poem.  Most small presses pay only in contributor copies (and some don’t even pay at all). Your main goal should be to build an audience and get your work out into the literary community—if you stick with it, money may follow, but at first you need to get a solid base of readers.

5. Know the legal issues involved.  Since most markets don’t pay very well, make sure you review the submission and acceptance guidelines thoroughly to make sure that you keep the rights to your poetry.  You want to be able to reprint the poems later on in a collection or chapbook as you gain readers, so it is imperative that you retain ownership.  They are your poems after all, and you should not completely give them away.  A publisher that allows you to keep the poetry rights will ask for “one-time, nonexclusive publishing rights” or something very similar sounding.  If in doubt, look up the legalese definitions online or a law encyclopedia.