Getting Started with Poetry Submissions: A Quick Guide
Let’s put first things first: Why do you want to be published?
Figuring out how and why you want to be published is a personal process! The reasons I’ve listed here don’t cover all of them. If publication is one of your goals for your writing, these are some things to consider:
You Can Grow Your Writing Career
If you want to grow your career as a writer, publishing can be helpful! Though it can depend on what you want for your career. You will probably not make a lot of money publishing, but the process of submitting can help you make new connections and learn more about the literary community.
It can also help get your work in front of new eyes, which can lead to new opportunities.
Some not-so-good reasons to go after poetry submissions:
You think you “should”
You think being published determines your worth as a writer.
Those are reasons that are going to lead to a lot of disappointment, mainly because they’re not true.
Poetry submissions and the rest of the publishing industry do not exist in a vacuum outside of the social injustices of our world. They can actually perpetuate some harm in the writing community. That’s why self-publishing can be a completely valid option.
And remember: Your work deserves to be in the world and how you decide to share your work is up to you!
My 3 best tips for getting started with poetry submissions:
You can find tons of resources online, believe me, I’ve read them. Most of them boil down to these 3 things:
Follow the guidelines
Most magazines/websites are good about providing you with guidelines for how they want to receive your work. some are overly clear, some are less so. Whatever they've written: follow the instructions.
Revise
Make sure the work you send is your best work! AND consider whether your work fits the publication you're sending it to. If they publish unicorns but your work is a crocodile, it will probably get rejected.
Related: How To Revise Your Poetry
Be persistent
Rejection is hard, but is, unfortunately, part of the publication game. It rarely has to do with you (unless you don't follow the guidelines) and is rarely a sign that your work isn't good enough. The magazine may be full or the editor might not vibe with your piece for this particular issue, but that doesn't make your work bad.
How do I find places to submit my poetry?
I feel like I am always singing the praises of Chill Subs, because I am. A searchable submission resource like this didn’t exist when I got started writing!
Here are 3 other strategies
Pay attention to where your favorite writers and friends have been published!
Look at the acknowledgments sections of your favorite poetry books!
Follow literary mags on social media!
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About the author
Abby Bland (she/they) is a nonbinary writer who also straddles the line between comic and poet in Kansas City. Her poems have appeared in numerous publications and she regularly produces shows in the KC area.