Seeing your poetry in print can be a wonderful feeling, but the poetry market is one of the hardest to break into. The rejection letters can really add up, and that can lead to some discouragement. But rejection letters shouldn’t depress the aspiring poet. There are more markets available than many poets realize. Part of the trick to seeing one’s poetry in print is knowing where to start.
I have found The Poet’s Market to be one of the best guides to locating good markets, paid or not. The book offers good listings, with good description and complete information, for nearly 2,000 different markets. There is also a series of indexes to make navigation through the different listings a bit easier. My favorite index is probably the one that lists markets by “openness to new poets.” Poets who are still in the early stages of publishing their work will find this especially useful. A realistic approach to the most suitable markets for one’s work is very important to the poet who expects to see his work in print for many years to come. While “starting small” may be uncomfortable for some, it is the surest path to success. Even if past posts are not on paid marketplaces, it can be very helpful in building a track record and helping you learn the rules of working with a literary magazine.
Another useful resource for poets who want to see their work in print is Poets & Writers. The magazine always has a good classifieds section. On their website, you can find a filing schedule that will help you be more disciplined, if you stick to the deadlines listed there. The online classifieds section, like the print version, includes calls for magazine and anthology manuscripts, as well as calls for pamphlet submissions.
Similarly, you’ll find good listings for potential markets on the Once Written and Poetry in the Arts websites. Christian writers might like to take a look at the Utmost Christian Poets website.
When you’ve started submitting poetry, you’ll find that you get several different types of rejection letters from publishers (and you’re bound to get a few rejection letters). I have found it helpful to sort through these letters and find those that offer some feedback on the poems I sent you. For the most part, editors who take the time to respond to your work, even if they reject it, do so because there is a possibility of a future relationship between you and the magazine. Take note of which poems the editor liked best and why he rejected them. This will give you a clue as to what kind of poems to send to that market next time.
Once you get your foot in the door and start seeing your work in print, it becomes a bit easier to get more poetry accepted for publication. This is partly, perhaps, because its credibility within the publishing community has increased. However, I think it is equally because the poet gets a little smarter by knowing where to present. Seeing what kinds of posts are similar to his work helps you decide where to feature them in the future. If he finds magazines that are similar to ones he has already worked with, then he should submit them. One way to find such publications is to note where the magazines that have accepted his work are sold and find out what other literary publications are also sold there.
The most common advice I hear when submitting poetry is, “Don’t give up.” I’ll echo that advice, along with these tips on where to find good markets. A rejection letter does not mean that the poem is not good enough to be published. It just means that it is not suitable for that particular publication. The best response to a rejection letter is to look at the poem again (particularly if the editor has given you some feedback) and rethink where you’ll send it next.