The greatest challenge a poet faces: publishing

The best advice I can give any child or adult who wants to be a poet is to read a lot of poetry. Get familiar with poetry. Look at different styles of poetry. I have grown a lot in my own writing reading the work of other poets. Don't be afraid to accept constructive criticism. Part of being a writer is being able to accept criticism. Anyone who writes poetry is eager to publish a book, but why not start small? Before submitting your poetry for publication, ask yourself if it's ready. It may be wise to join an online poetry community and share your poetry with other poets who will be honest with you and offer some constructive criticism.

Once you're ready to take that step, the best place to start is poetry magazines and ezines. You can also check out some publishers that accept poetry for anthologies. You will want to purchase a copy of Poet's Market which is published annually. This is an essential book for poets interested in publishing their work. For younger poets, some places you might want to visit are Poetry for Kids, Teen Ink, and Creative Writing for Teens from About.com.

You will also want to reach your market. You will want to see what kind of poetry the magazine publishes, as magazines of the time will often receive poetry that is not suitable for their magazine. Submission guidelines are found on most sites and many magazines will publish a sample of poems that can be found in their magazine.

By submitting your poetry to magazines. Always present it typewritten, using a simple 10 or 12 point font such as Arial or Times New Roman. Submit a professional cover letter by addressing the magazine editor by name. Offer the poems for publication in your magazines, be sure to list your other posts if any, and thank the editor for considering your work for possible publication. Send them about five of your poems and always include an S.A.E. (Self-addressed envelope) with your shipment. Most of the time, publishers do not return their poems but without sending an S.A.E. your poems won't even be looked at. Also make sure you have included sufficient return postage on your S.A.E.

Cover letter example:

Dear (name),

Please consider the attached poems for publication in (name of magazine). I have enclosed a self-addressed, stamped envelope for your reply. Thank you for considering my work for possible publication. His very short bio here and other posts here.)

If sending by email, be sure to follow the guidelines on the website. Most publishers prefer that the poem be sent as an attachment in a Word document. If you're unsure of the guidelines, it never hurts to email the editor and ask. You should never submit a poem that has already been published or that you have submitted to another magazine for publication. This includes if you have posted them on your own home page. In most cases, magazines will consider a poem posted on their website or an open poetry community to be already published. Therefore, you will not be able to claim the first rights to it and most of the magazines; newspapers, etc. they will not accept it as a presentation.

Sandra Soli of byline magazine says that if a poem appears on a web page, it is published. If a poem is accessible through the general Internet user, it is published. On the other hand, if the forum is closed to a limited membership and her poem is not available for general viewing, then she would consider it to be an article written as in a private review group. This refers to the ease with which readers can access the piece. Most of the appearances on the web are open to all and the author's journals consider it to be a publication.

The Pedestal Magazine quotes “The Pedestal Magazine would consider a piece of this type previously published, since it has been inserted into the public domain

If you are submitting work that has already appeared on the web for publication, mention in the cover letter the forums where the poems were posted and let the editor make an informed decision. You really don't want to do anything to jeopardize your chances of seeing your poem published. Also be sure to keep track of all your shipments. Then prepare yourself for a long wait too. Chicken Soup for the Soul claims they get 100 stories a day and it takes up to three years to develop a book.

Poets should not be discouraged by rejections. Part of being a poet or any type of writer is preparing for rejection. Trust me, I am a very sensitive person and when I received my first rejection letter I thought it was the end of the world. But then I learned that a rec letterhazo does not mean that you are in any way a bad poet. A rejection letter should never dissuade you from pursuing his job. Not all poetry will be published, but find comfort in knowing that someday, somewhere, your poem will find its rightful reader. For all of me