The first thing to ask yourself about the poetry market: does it exist?
few earn money with poetry. Seamus Heaney may have done it, but he had a Nobel Prize. There is also, of course, the rise of instagram poets like rupi kaur, lang leav, atticus, etc.
You are reading: Do poetry books sell
Here’s what you need to know.
selling beauty
poetry is still a niche market. even large bookstores tend to sell only well-known classics, scholarly anthologies, and a few books by today’s most famous poets.
few poets reach this level.
Most important for beginning writers are the specialized poetry magazines and poetry publishers, the heart of the poetry scene. a collection of poetry might well sell only a few hundred copies. Few will make a profit.
Poets themselves rarely make money from their work. people who buy these books are poetry buffs and will buy these books from ads in poetry magazines, poetry festivals, etc.
to be published
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It may be easier to walk on hot coals than to become a published poet. it’s fine to write poetry for yourself and your friends, but suppose you really want to get published. then what?
Agents rarely accept poetry submissions, and the big publishers are interested in making money. your ultimate goal should be to really interest the smaller poetry publishers.
Even if you aspired to be an “instant poet”, it really is best to know if your poetry resonates with readers at the most critical levels, before you go and post online.
In almost all cases, these presses will only select a new poet if they have a history of publishing in poetry magazines. As a general rule, he should aim to have 6-8 individual poems published in magazines before it makes sense to try to publish a collection.
so start submitting good quality work as soon as you can.
poetry magazines
Some of our favorite magazines are Rialto, North, New Writer, Ambit, and Anon, but there are so many more. To find a good place to look, go to the poetry library or poetry kit.
All magazines have their own submission procedures, but as a general rule, you should not send more than half a dozen poems with a self-addressed return envelope. it’s competitive to be accepted, so be prepared for rejections before you get anywhere and don’t expect speed either. three months to get a response is normal.
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if and when you get 6-8 poems accepted by these, then it’s time to start approaching publishers.
desktop publishing
There is another option, which is self-publishing. This is not a quick way to get noticed, make money, get your work into bookstores, or anything else. it could generate more, but it’s a way to get bound copies of your work to distribute (or sell) to family and friends, at least.
The easiest route for most poets is to simply go to your local print shop. get quotes to print and bind copies of your work, and choose the best. this won’t be too expensive and you won’t be ripped off.
Beware of any online “publisher” advertising for your work. real editors don’t apply for jobs. anyone who wants you to pay to publish your work will print the work, but not publish it in any normal sense. your work will not appear in bookstores. you won’t make any money from it. and there are a lot of bandits out there. (You have been warned.)
who knows?
rupi kaur self-published her poetry. milk and honey is now published by andrews mcneel.
good luck.
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