If You Are a Serious Poet, Stop Writing Poetry Online
Read on if you dream of getting published in a literary magazine or a journal.
If you want to be published in literary magazines or journals as a poet, then you need to stop immediately publishing poetry on Medium and similar platforms and social media.
One reason stands out from the rest because of the seriousness it possesses.
Reason #1: First Publishing Rights
First Rights means the publication is buying the right to be the first to publish your piece.
If you are not aware, you can’t offer this first publishing rights to a publisher if your work of art (poem) is already published online. This is not limited to Medium, Vocal Media, or a similar writing platform. It also includes Instagram or your own website.
If you submit your poem to a publisher and the poem is already present online, then, unfortunately, they are going to reject your submission.
Any editor who finds your work worth publishing will want to secure first publishing rights. This is case-dependent whether the first publishing rights can be limited to a country or a continent or it can be worldwide. It…
