We’ve been spending so much time talking about writing for the web and private clients we’re neglecting other types of freelance writing jobs. Hopefully you caught our post featuring Greeting Card Markets plus tips for pitching those markets. Today we’re going to explore poetry markets, and we’re in for a treat. Our friend and poet John Hewitt of PoeWar is a poet well-versed in what it takes to sell a poem.
[bctt tweet=”Tips for submitting poetry to publications.” username=”freelancewj”]
General Submissions Guidelines for Poetry
One of the nice things about poetry publications is that they are relatively easy to submit your work to. Unlike magazine article queries or book publisher queries, with poetry publications you simply submit your poems. You don’t have to spend a great deal of time convincing the publication to look at your poems. You just send them with a brief cover letter explaining who you are and that you think your poems would be appropriate for their publication. Your cover letter serves mainly to provide a list of the poems you have submitted so that the editor can easily keep track of your submission.
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Before I get to the basic rules of submitting poetry, I want to emphasize that you should always try to find a publication’s submission guidelines. I am only providing general guidelines.
The deciding factor for any submission is the publication’s submission guidelines. Submission guidelines are important because in many cases they can prevent you from sending types of poems that the publication does not want.
Most publications have a specialty or emphasis. A particular publication may only seek poems in a certain form (such as villanelle) or poems about a narrow range of subjects. Even if the publication, in general, publishes a wide range of poetry, they may be seeking particular types of poems for an upcoming issue. If you submit poems that the publication does not want, no matter how well they are written, you are wasting their time and yours. Another benefit of reading the submissions guidelines is that they will tell you where to send your submissions and who to address those submissions to.
That said, the general guidelines for submitting poetry are as follows:
Poem Guidelines
- Only include one poem per page.
- Poems should be single-spaced. Use a triple space between the title and the first line. Use a double space between stanzas.
- Do not split stanzas across pages.
- Include your name in the upper right-hand corner of each page of poetry. If a poem has multiple pages, add the page number and a short version of the title along with your name on pages after the first page.
- The standard format for poems is left justified for the title and the poem. If your poem relies on a different format, such as using indented lines, format your poem to look exactly the way you want it to appear in the publication.
- Do not make duplicate submissions. Never submit the same poem to multiple publications or at the same time. You should submit a poem to a new publication only after it has been rejected by the previous publisher.
- Unless otherwise specified, limit yourself to three to six poems per submission. The longer your poems, the fewer the number of poems you should submit. If your submission runs over ten pages, it is probably too long.
- Include your name and contact information following standard letter format or using letterhead.
- List the titles of each poem you are submitting.
- Include a single paragraph biography that may include any previous publications and educational background.
- Include a positive sentence or two about the publication. Don’t gush, just show that you know who they are and appreciate what they do.
- Do not include
Cover Letter Guidelines
Include your name and contact information following standard letter format or using letterhead.
- List the titles of each poem you are submitting.
- Include a single paragraph biography that may include any previous publications and educational background.
- Include a positive sentence or two about the publication. Don’t gush, just show that you know who they are and appreciate what they do.
Do not include:
- A self-assessment of your skills
- Apologies for discussion of your lack of experience
- Sob stories. I can’t emphasize this enough. Don’t do it! Let your work speak for itself.
Mail submission guidelines
- Use white, standard-sized paper for your submissions.
- Use an envelope that is large enough for your poetry to lay flat rather than be folded.
- Use standard postage.
- Include a self-addressed stamped envelope for return of your poetry. This envelope can be smaller.
- Your email can serve as your cover letter but should include the same information as a standard cover letter. Don’t use email as an excuse to be casual.
- Use standard file formats such as .txt, .rtf, .doc or .docx for your poems or simply include them in the email.
Email submission guidelines
John Hewitt is the publisher of poewar.com, a website about writing and poetry. His ebook of poetry, Extended Stay, is available for download at poewar.com.
[bctt tweet=”30 Poetry Markets that Pay” username=”freelancewj”]
Poetry Markets
Some of these markets have hard deadlines while others accept submissions throughout the year.
- Agni – Pays $40 – $300
- Alaska Quarterly Review – Contact for details/guidelines
- Ambit Magazine – £10 for UK writers
- Antigonish Review – Pays $5 – $25/page
- Antioch Review – Pays $20/page
- Arc – Canada’s National Poetry Magazine – Pays $50/page
- Crazyhorse – $20 per page of layout with a maximum $200 payment
- The Potomac Journal – Contact for details/guidelines
- Boulevard Magazine – Pays $25 – $250
- The Capilano Review – Pays $50 – $150
- Dreams and Nightmares – Pays $12
- Grain Literary Magazine – Pays $50 – $250
- Island Magazine – Pay varies
- New Myths – 1.5 cents/word with a minimum payment of $30
- The Pedestal Magazine – Pays $40
- Ploughshares – Pays $45/printed page, $90 minimum per title, $450 maximum per author. $3 service fee for online submissions for non-subscribers.
- Poetry – Pays $10 per line (with a minimum payment of $300)
- Three Penny Review – $200/poem
- The Christian Science Monitor – Pay varies
- The Sun Magazine – $100 to $250
- Rattle – $50 online/$100 print
- Slice Magazine – $75/poem
- Colorado Review – $10 per page ($30 minimum); $3 fee for online submissions
- Prairie Fire -$40/poem
- Fugue – Contact for details.
- Hanging Loose Press – Contact for details.
- Overland – $150/poem
- The Cincinnati Review – $30/page
- New England Review – $50
- The Rialto – £30/poem
Let us know if you successfully sell your poems to any of the markets found here, or if you have any issues with the links.
NOTE: When submitting to any market, know your copyright facts to avoid any issues down the road.
This post was originally written by Deb Ng.