Publishing Poetry

WordsRU - Publishing Poetry

 

 


"Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood."
T.S. Eliot (1888-1965)
American-born British Poet, Critic

 

The great poet W.H. Auden once remarked that whereas music is immediate, poetry is reflective. Poetry is certainly the most reflective of arts – for both poet and reader. WordsRU’s professional editors and proofreaders know that there is a vast difference between the verses penned in the diary of a romantic teenager and the writing of poetry that will engage a much broader readership demographic. So too the ability to express abstract reflections in a way that is succinct, embraces the elements of a given poetry style, and yet illuminates the topic such that the choice of words, their tonality and cadence remain memorable.  Some writers find the art of combining these elements just too difficult and choose to focus on other forms of poetry; limericks, sonnets and haikus, for example — or avoid it altogether, remaining committed to broader literature streams, or decide to concentrate on their academic papers, articles, letters, fiction and non-fiction manuscripts, biographies, short stories, self-help guides or even cookbooks!

 

 

If you hope to see your published collection of poetry sitting in the poetry section of your local bookstore, then our professional editors and proofreaders will tell you that you have to be prepared to work on it. You need to rework your poems until they are the most perfect and unique expression of what you want to say—ideally, in as few well chosen words as you can manage.   

 

SOME HELPFUL HINTS TO HELP YOU GET STARTED:

 

  • Keep a notebook of lines and phrases that are meaningful to you, and that may serve as a trigger to something really want to say. 

  • Make a set time to do your writing – it may only be 30 minutes two or three times a week but commit to that time.

  • Begin with a line or a word that you are comfortable with; it can be something you overheard or read, or from your own reverie — and then build on it.

  • Take a line — any line —from one of your poems that you are especially happy with and work from there to see what happens.

  • Think about what type of poem would best serve that idea.

  • Using the second or third person can be helpful if the content is personal or too painful.

  • Jot down the elements that you wish to expand from that concept and you will see an outline begin to appear.

  • Give yourself time to daydream and to reflect.

 

WordsRU’s online editing service can review your copy, give you assistance in arranging your poetry collection, and help with word choice, grammar and punctuation checks, but the energy and voice of your poems must be distinctively your own. Although revision, refining, and honing is an integral feature of writing poetry, care must be taken not to diminish that energy—the spirit of your work.  Some suggestions that may help are:

  • After you have revised your poems, leave them for a couple of months or so then look at them with fresh eyes. Do they convey what you wanted to say? Is there a better way to say it?

  • Imagine yourself as an impartial reader. Would you want to read your poems if they had been written by somebody else, somebody you did not know? Ask your friends for feedback (as long as you can be sure they will be honest with you).

  • Think about how others may interpret your poetry – there can be a big difference in what you intend and what others may perceive.

  • Try to say what is in your heart. Be honest about your feelings and emotions. Poetry has to be ‘real’ — readers (and editors) will spot the fake immediately.

  • Each word within a poem should have significance and make a specific contribution to what you are trying to say. If it does not, then delete it.

 

EDITING & PROOFREADING WITH WORDSRU

 

Once you have done the hard work, the single most valuable investment you can make to optimize the chances of your poetry receiving a positive response from literary agents, publishers and the market generally, is to have your work professionally edited. 

 

WordsRU’s team of professional editors and proofreaders have years of experience in editing all types of manuscripts, including poetry collections. Before you attempt to get your work published, let us check your poems to avoid any embarrassing grammatical, spelling, punctuation and typographical errors. We will also make sure that your word choice conveys exactly the right nuance, and that the poetical elements of tone, cadence and style are in complete harmony prior to submitting for publication.

 

POETRY PUBLISHING AND MARKETING GENERALLY

 

Unless you are already famous or have influence, literary agents and publishers are not usually receptive to handling or publishing new poetry, and you are generally on your own in getting it to the public. The good news is, however, that there are options, and once you have some published poems things become easier. Here are some avenues that you may not have thought about that offer excellent opportunities to publish your poems: 

  • Magazines – especially literary ones

  • Electronic publications

  • Directories of poetry publishers

  • Newspapers

  • Poetry competitions

 

Each of these will get your poetry into the public domain. Remember that the publicity that accompanies winning a poetry competition can be a wonderful boost to launching you as a published poet into the other areas!

View our book testimonials from published authors.

WordsRU Writer Services:

 

 

WordsRU will ensure that your poetry receives a thorough edit prior to publishing.

 

 


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