Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Sugar is sweet,
and so are you.
Who doesn't know the poem above? It's one of the first ones we learn in grade school, and there are myriad variations of it. Read aloud, it is a sing-song rhythm.
This isn't the kind of poetry adult writers hoping to be published write. If you're drawn to poetry and enjoy writing it, you might hope to see your work published someday. The question is where and how?
Literary journals are a good target for you who want to publish your poetry. Be forewarned, however, that they don't accept poems like the one above. They look for high quality from poets who have had some success. Of course, if the poem is good enough, a first-time submitter has a good chance.
A poet needs to match his/her kind of poetry to the publication. If the guidelines tell you they are looking for sci-fi poems or horror poetry and you send a love poem, your chances are about zero. You need to know the publication before you submit. That takes some time and effort on your part. But I just want to write poetry and have it published. If you say something akin to that, then you'll be disappointed. It's well worth studying the journals and other publications that accept poetry.
I googled to find out if there was help for poets looking to publish. There were many articles listed. I read through a few. One suggestion that almost made me laugh was to start a blog and publish your poetry on it. Well, sure, that would work, but how many readers will you have? Especially at first? And there will be no payment. If publication only is what you're seeking, not caring about being paid, then maybe it's one way to be published. Two of the articles I checked suggested starting a blog and posting your own poetry there. It would then be up to you to promote your blog to increase your number of readers.
Here are a few links to advice on publishing your poetry and places to submit to:
- Advice for self-publishing your poetry
- 3 ways to publish your poetry
- FAQ about writing and publishing poetry
- 20 paying markets for poetry
- How to publish your poetry
- Make money publishing your poetry
- Get paid to write poetry
- Finding Literary magazines and other markets for poets
Contests are another place where you might get your poetry published. I have had a few poems published in my annual state writing contest. Monetary prizes are often given to the top three who place in each category.
Maybe you're a poet who doesn't give a twit about having your work published. Many people write poetry that is meant strictly for themselves. That's perfectly alright, but, if you're a poet who would like to share your work with the world, look at some of the links above and see if anything their might be of help to you.
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