Now it’s time to talk about everyone’s favorite problem: Where do you publish your poetry?
Unfortunately, poetry has one of the worst markets in the literature world. It’s competitive, niche, and doesn’t have the demand it used to, so finding a legitimate home for your carefully crafted works can be challenging.
But it’s not impossible!
Here are five free ways to publish your poetry and build the readership of your dreams!
Blog or Website
The easiest way to publish your poetry is to create a blog or a website.
With sites like WordPress, Blogger, Wix, and Medium, it’s super easy to create a central location to host all your poetry.
I love this option because you have complete control of your posts and can make them as simple or intricate as you want.
You can make your poetry the star of the show, compliment it with images, share it on social media platforms, gather followers, check analytics (if you’re into that), and more.
What more could you need?
Social Media
If you have a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or other form of social media, then you have a place to publish your poetry.
For written platforms like Facebook and Twitter, you can post some of your poetry directly to your profile. Or, if you’re more serious about the endeavor, you can create a dedicated Facebook page or Twitter profile and start from scratch.
Since Instagram is more visual, you can use a program like Canva to create the perfect, eye-catching images that feature your poetry.
As for TikTok and other video-based social media, what better way to share the love than by posting a video of you reading your poems?
Creative Writing/Poetry Groups
If you’re on Facebook, you can also search the various writing and poetry communities and join them. Most will have space for publications, but make sure you follow their guidelines.
Those communities are also great for networking, gathering ideas, getting feedback, and making the connections that will sustain you throughout your poetry journey.
I recommend starting with the Creative Writing group, the Facebook Poetry Society, and the Poetry In My Mind group.
Literary Magazines
Literary magazines are the epitome of being published, and most poets I know have applied (or dreamt of it) more than once.
Unfortunately, finding a magazine that accepts poetry and doesn’t have an application fee is challenging.
But again, it’s not impossible!
No matter your publication status, here are some journals that are always looking for poetry submissions:
- Thrush Poetry Journal
- 3 Elements Literary Review
- Ghost City Review
- Eunoia Review
- Palette Poetry
- Rattle Poetry
- Frontier Poetry
- Rising Phoenix Review
All these journals accept submissions on a rolling basis, so dust off your best pieces and send them in!
Who knows- you might even get paid for it!
In a Collection
Finally, if you have enough poems that need a home, why not create your own poetry collection?
Publishing a collection is one of the most satisfying ways to get your poetry into the world, and seeing your name on the cover of a book is often a dream come true for most poets.
Amazon and Lulu are two places where your poetry collection can come alive, and once you have everything organized the way you want it, it’s easy to use their step-by-step process and become a published author.
Some work goes into it, but it’s free to publish and (mostly) free to market. And, if people love it as much as you do, you can watch those sales roll in!
Which Will You Choose?
Poetry may be a competitive, niche market, but that doesn’t mean your poems should go unpublished!
These options will get you started on your publishing journey, but there is one aspect that I forgot to mention: courage.
Publishing anything is nerve-wracking, and it can be scary to think about other people reading our poems and listening to our innermost thoughts and feelings.
However, poetry is powerful. It can inspire, comfort, and connect people from all walks of life. And, in today’s crazy world, we could all use a little more connection.
So, have courage and share your words! I know that someone out there will love them. ❤️
Erynn Crittenden 