How to get your poetry published by a small press

Getting your poetry published for the first time depends of course on getting your poems in the best shape. But there are also other things you can do to help.  What follows is some personal  advice from us about how you might go about it. No one route works for everyone.

How do I connect with the poetry world?

The simple answer is to immerse yourself in contemporary poetry. Reading new work will show you the sort of poetry that is interesting to contemporary readers and publishers. Explore the websites of the many excellent small presses and magazines in the UK. There are also many magazines online, as well as sites such as the Poetry Archive and the Poetry Foundation. The National Poetry Libraries in Scotland and England are a good place to start whether online or by joining up in person.

Join the Poetry Society.

Get in the poetry swim

If your poetry practice is entirely private, publication might be a big first step. Start by becoming part of the poetry community. You will find that people will be pleased to see you. Go to readings and events, online ones are great, but in-person ones are better. Many events include open mic sessions, a great way to try out new work on a sympathetic audience. Join a writing group, enrol on a course, perhaps with a local group, the Poetry School or the Arvon Foundation. Talk to people who share your interest. Establish a social media profile where you engage with others about poems you like, readings you have enjoyed. Connect with other poets and poetry readers.

How do I improve my poetry practice?

Write regularly and often.

There are many good books that will help you to develop your craft.

Keep a notebook to catch ideas when they occur to you.  If you are looking for technical tips and inspirational ideas, as well as a lovely notebook in which to write, our Poetry Notebook is very popular and handy to carry around.

Small presses are communities of poets and readers

Support them. They would love to see you at their events, and posting about new titles on Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, etc. Find a small press and a magazine whose work you like, whose community you feel comfortable with, and where you think your work will be a good fit.

Sign up to their newsletter, so you keep up to date with new publications and submission opportunities.

Buy their books. It is both mean and unwise to send work to a press if you haven’t already read a number of their publications, to see the sort of work they publish. The same applies to a magazine.

The annual Free Verse Fair run by the Poetry Society is a great place to find out what is going on and to meet and talk to small press publishers.

How do I start publishing my poetry?

Most poets start by sending poems to magazines. There are many poetry magazines in the UK and you can search for them online or check the list published by the National Poetry Library. This can require a lot of patience and determination. Popular magazines receive huge numbers of submissions which mean they can take weeks or months to reply, and they turn down most of the poems from people they don't know. Some magazines now try to limit the submissions they receive with short submission windows or by asking you to pay for submitting if you are not a subscriber.

Online magazines tend to have quicker turnrounds. You may find there is a magazine local to your area which is a very good place to start.

Most good magazines allow simultaneous submissions. If you do this and you receive an acceptance, make sure you let the other magazines know immediately. Make sure you keep a spreadsheet or list of where you have submitted.

If you are working towards your first publication, a pamphlet (called a chapbook in the USA) is a very good first goal to aim for. Dare-Gale Press has a well regarded series of contemporary poetry pamphlets, which gives you an idea what to aim for. These often have a thematic or narrative focus and typically consist of 16-24 A5 pages of poetry.

Be aware that competitions can attract hundreds or thousands of submissions, so don’t be too downbeat if you’re not successful.

How does running a small poetry press work?

Small presses are usually run by a very small team, or perhaps just one person. They mostly don’t get grants and often run on a shoestring budget. When they decide to publish a work, they are risking their own considerable time and often their own money because they believe in that work’s value. They will also need to believe that there is a reasonable chance of getting their money back by selling enough copies to break even. Put yourself in their position and ask yourself how you can persuade them to invest in you and your work, and how you will help them to sell at least 100 copies of your poems.

How do I find poetrysmall presses that are open for submissions?

There is a very useful and regularly updated list from the National Poetry Library in London. There are also groups on Facebook that post the latest information. You can sign up to submission platforms like Zealous and Duotrope.

What about self-publishing my poetry?

There are many reasons for writing poetry. Some poets write primarily for the deep pleasure and personal satisfaction that serious dedication to a challenging and endlessly open creative practice gives them. It can also be a very fruitful practice in terms of personal growth and development, and has a strong therapeutic value.

Many poets are content to share their work primarily with family, friends and their close community and self-publish with one of the print on demand (POD) printers like Ingram Sparks or Lulu, who also have a distribution option. Organising a launch party and a reading, or even setting up a personal website, can be relatively simple things to do.

Write your poetry pitch

If you do feel drawn to getting your poetry noticed more widely, then you will need to be comfortable about having it scrutinised and commented on by editors and the general public. You will have to consider the reader as a co-contributor to your creative practice. Be clear with yourself about why you want to be published, and what it is that you have to offer to a public readership. Why is your work interesting to other people? Why should they want to buy it?

Start by writing a short pitch (100 words) which describes the essence of your work which might make someone browsing in a bookshop pick it up and buy it. This is for your own benefit in clarifying your practice and will also help you articulate your ideas when pitching to a small press.

Check the publisher’s website and newsletter for submission windows and guidelines

Small presses will post information about submissions in their newsletters and on their websites. Some are permanently open, others have windows that you need to look out for. If they are already fully scheduled, they will say they are not open to submissions. Don’t then write to them saying ‘I see on your website that you are not open to submissions, but…’ You will be wasting your time, and theirs.

Follow their guidelines exactly. If they say send six poems, don’t send seven. If they only publish 24-page pamphlets, don’t send them a 64-page book.

How do I prepare my poetry manuscript?

It’s really helpful to have others read your work before you submit. Choose people who read a lot of contemporary poetry and who are able to be encouraging and positive, as well as honest and critical. Many poets offer their services in mentoring or editorial preparation. You will find them online. This can be invaluable and will be a sound investment.

Use a straightforward, readable font like Times New Roman 12 point. Don’t be fancy with layout.

When you submit, tell the press a bit about yourself but be concise. Then, be prepared to wait. If you haven’t heard back after 8 weeks then it’s reasonable to write a gentle, polite reminder. Small presses can be overwhelmed with the correspondence they receive and staying on top of responses is only one of many plates they have to keep spinning. And remember it is usually just one or two people doing everything.

Getting your poetry published

If you get your manuscript accepted, the editor may suggest or ask for changes. It is possible you may have to wait a year or two before publication. Use that time to perfect the poems and prepare to publicise your book or pamphlet. Perhaps build your social profile and create a simple website. Most poetry books are sold at readings so start talking to local bookshops or poetry groups. Small presses often allow you to buy copies of your work for half price, which you can then give away or sell at readings. This is in addition to the complimentary copies (usually about ten) that they will give you.

Keep trying

If you’re not accepted, don’t be discouraged. Most poets get rejected multiple times before they find a publisher. Small presses usually publish only a handful of new titles a year, and some of those will be by poets who are already on their list and who they will want to be loyal to. It’s all about finding the right home for you, so do your homework and do the legwork. Be part of the poetry community. If it’s still not working, consider self-publication as a place to start. Above all, keep writing and keep learning about what makes a successful poem.

Good luck!