Six Techniques to Make Editors Notice Your Poetry

 

If you want editors to notice (and publish) your poetry, here are some ways you can get a competitive edge.

Avoid one-word titles. Or at least be sure your one-word title is amazing and unique. Titles like “Inspiration,” “Passion,” or “Remember” are easy to overlook because they don’t pack a punch.

Reject clichés. They say there are no new ideas, but you’ve got to write in a fresh, new way. To know if your writing is truly innovative, you’ve got to keep an eye on what other poets are up to. Read contemporary poetry. Lots of it. That’s the only way you’ll know where you stand in relation to your peers.

Short and sweet. Poems that are one page long seem to be the most popular among editors (who are often pressed for space in their literary magazines). Also, watch your margins. A poem that is too wide may not fit on the pages of literary journals.

Nix the rhyme. Rhyming poetry is difficult to publish. For that reason, we can’t even work with poets who primarily focus on rhyme. If you want to rhyme, please do. There are plenty of venues online and even a few print journals for rhyming poets. Just know that at many magazines, rhyme is not favored.

Build a strong bio. The better your bio, the more likely you’ll be well-received. Don’t be discouraged if you have no credentials. Start small and work your way up. If you get too frustrated doing it on your own, find an author’s submission service that can help.

Submit three to five poems per submission. Also, don’t submit more than ten pages total (5-8 pages is best). You don’t want to skimp or overwhelm editors with too many or too few poems.

Ronnie Smith is President of Writer’s Relief. Ronnie tells us “Writer’s Relief (est. 1994) is a highly recommended author’s submission service. We act as specialized advisors and industry-specific personal assistants to help creative writers navigate the ins and outs of publishing. Along with strategically targeting submissions to the best-suited markets, we provide professional manuscript preparation, formatting, proofreading, market research, and tracking. We are endorsed by many in the writing community, and our clients include established authors, celebrated poets, tenured professors, editors, and promising new writers.

Visit http://www.WritersRelief.com to learn how we can help you submit your creative writing to agents and editors. Our FREE Writers’ Newsflash offers useful articles and fun contests for writers of all levels. See you there!”

Enjoy that? You can read more from Ronnie at The Cuckleburr Times here.

Leave a Reply