Submitting Poetry
For SFF or Literary/Realism Writers
These days, it might seem superfluous to submit poetry to journals and magazines when you can make a living as an Instapoet instead. But in the world of poetry, having many publications under your belt can be a way to build towards publishing a chapbook or full-length book of poems.
What follows is a step-by-step guide for poets on submitting your work. This is part of a series of articles for new writers who’ve never sent their work out before. While everyone’s process is different, I hope these tips and tricks can be a starting point for you to figure out your submissions process and start getting your work into the world.
I should note that there are many differences in submission processes between “genre” (science fiction, fantasy, and horror) publications and “literary” (realism) publications. I have done my best to point out these differences where I can, but generally, the method for submitting is very similar between genres.
Check out my other guides for submitting fiction: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Genre Edition and Literary/Realism Edition.
1. Finish the Poem
“A work is never completed except by some accident such as weariness, satisfaction, the need…
