POETRY BOOKS

I often hear from poets who are looking for a royalty publisher to publish their book of poetry. I always wish I had better news for them, but the reality is that it is nearly impossible to find a publisher who will even consider poetry. Unfortunately poetry books are very difficult to sell unless the author is well-known. (Even poets don't buy books of poetry, as a rule.) The exception, of course, is subsidy publishers who are happy to publish your poetry book if you pay for it. That is the route most poets end up taking if they want to get their poetry book published. However, the good news is that the market guide lists about 200 periodical markets for poetry--some paying--some not. I always encourage poets to start submitting to those publications and building their reputation and recognition as a poet. One of the keys to selling poetry to periodicals is to match the subject of the poetry to the focus of the magazine. For example, if it is a family-oriented magazine, then the poetry needs to deal with family issues.