Chapter or Verse, a poet’s guide to getting published

By Dom Conlon 

So you’ve opted for the life of a writer.  Congratulations. The race to the depths of your soul begins now. But fear not, there are many wise people to guide your way and darkness shall never... oh, wait. What’s that? You’ve chosen to write poetry? For children? 

Oh, dear. 

You’re screwed. Plus, this is a post-pandemic world so… y’know… you’re doubly screwed for reasons which become clearer further down. There are several differences between getting published as a writer of fiction versus getting published as a writer of poetry. 

Neither is easy, but poetry is (perhaps fittingly) more peculiar.  

 

Fortunately ‘peculiar’ is my middle name so I’m going to offer a few tips and the occasional beard-stroking word of wisdom. 

You will probably not get an agent

The first issue to raise is that you will probably not get an agent. I mean sure, you’re amazing. It’s just that agents for poets are few and far between. 

I know only a handful of professional poets who have agents. And those tend to have agents because of their non-poetry publications. That poses a problem right away: namely that whole getting published thing. Which may or may not be why you write but probably is, given the title of this article. 

The good news is that submissions for poetry aren’t quite the same as they are for fiction. Sort of. 

There are specialist publishers of poetry who welcome direct contact from poets but... you’re going to have to stand out. But that’s ok, you’re amazing! 

You have to stand out

One way to stand out is to get yourself into anthologies. Easier said than done (of course) but not impossible. 

Some editors put out public calls for entries, some don’t. The former tend to be rarer and if you are unknown then you won’t hear about the latter. 

Don’t worry. Don’t give up. 

You have to be visible.

My top tip for all your poetry writing is: BE VISIBLE. 

 Let’s face it, writing poetry differs from its fictional cousin in one big way: it’s shorter (usually). 

Which means you’ve probably not spent three years writing a poem. 

So write lots of poems. Write as many as you possibly can. Not all of them will be gems but you’ll get to know yourself better (and who you are as a poet) in the process. 

You have to share.

So share them. I view the sharing of my poetry as a way to say something nice (or interesting) about the world. Why wouldn’t I want to share that? 

Of course, sharing your poetry isn’t guaranteed to get you into anthologies. It might catch the eye of other poets who (generally) love nothing more than to celebrate great poetry. 

I will share other people’s poetry if it speaks to me. I don’t look at the person’s Poeticum Vitae in order to assess whether or not I should be sharing it. If I love it, I’ll want others to see it. But as inclusive and welcoming as the world of children’s poetry is, there is a deep pool of talent for editors and publishers to draw from. 

You have to try different things.

So in addition to being visible, you might want to try other things. Like entering competitions and submitting to magazines. There are not THAT many competitions but the ones which do exist are marvellous. Write for them. Try them out. Just don’t bet your entire future as a poet on the outcome. 

Magazine submissions, however, are a whole different kettle of haiku. We are in the golden age of magazines for children. Online and print magazines have sprung up to inform and delight children and they rely on great content. 

Buy them, read them, get to understand who they are for and what the editorial policy is, then submit something. 

I wish the same were true for open mic events. In the world of adult poetry, open mic is a rapidly expanding phenomenon. They provide a platform to air your poetry and develop a reputation. But kids don’t tend to hang out in bars or dark gin joints and so you are going to have to turn to festivals, libraries and street corners (I’m joking on the last one, don’t be weird). 

There are festivals where new acts are welcomed. Film yourself and try to get on the bill. Visibility is the goal here, something which isn’t always easy for attention-shy poets. 

You have to sell.

The other, often unsaid, tip for getting published comes down to sales. 

Can you demonstrate an ability to sell your work? Are you a regular visitor to schools? Do you have three million followers on Twitter? Will your extended family buy every last copy of your book and pass them around on street corners (don’t do this, don’t be weird)? 

Publishers are businesses and business rely on sales. At some point in your poetry publishing career, you will have to face this. Part of every publisher’s marketing plan (sometimes the only part) is YOU. Which, in this post-pandemic, socially-distanced world… is really tough. 

It’s something which probably needs to change but that’s a whole different article. All of which, in a roundabout-maybe-I-ought-to-have-mentioned-this-earlier kind of way, leads me to talk about self-publishing. 

There is less of a stigma about self-publishing these days. It’s a natural (albeit more costly) extension of sharing your work publicly and can act as a calling card to publishers. 

You have to be patient.

But here’s another tip: don’t be hasty. Putting a collection together (even a pamphlet) requires you to step back. The role of an editor isn’t always present in children’s poetry but that doesn’t mean you are the best judge of your own work. 

If you want to showcase your work then get some input on it. Someone who you trust to be honest. That said, if you are only using this as a calling card then it is an expensive method of attracting attention so think through your aims and motivations with care. 

 Finally, the most difficult part of being a poet lies in finding opportunities for your voice to shine through. It is, I find, also the most wonderful. 

Poetry can be small enough to slide beneath the door and loud enough to be sung. There may be times when you have to find your own way, but try to remember that there is always a way.

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@Dom_Conlon is a poet and author whose unique blend of science and poetry can be seen in This Rock That Rock, a collection of fifty poems illustrated by Viviane Schwarz (@VivSchwarz), and Leap, Hare, Leap! the picture book about bio-diversity and environment illustrated by Anastasia Izlesou (@izlesou). Dom has no cats, three pens, and a fondness for cake. You can read more about him and invite him to tea via www.domconlon.com