Publishing Resources for Poets
A guide to free and paid databases, subscription services, and newsletters.
Photo by JOSHUA COLEMAN on Unsplash
When I started publishing poetry in the early 2000s, outlets were more challenging to find than they are now—in some ways. In others, they were easier. You could still browse a fat section of journals (maybe even zines) and find a decent number of small-press poetry books in most major independent bookstores.
I miss that tactile experience, flipping through pages, discovering new voices, disrupted only by a sudden need for an espresso and a toasted bagel. It may sound weird, but feeling and even smelling journals and poetry volumes gave me clues about where I wanted my poems to live. Kind of like the difference between apartment hunting on Zillow and actually feeling your Doc Martens on buffed hardwood floors.
Nostalgia aside, this is—right now—a golden age for publishing research. So much so, you can easily go cross-eyed searching online. Databases and subscription services and newsletters can vastly expand publishing horizons, but we need a strategy to avoid the time suck of sorting through mostly irrelevant information.
So let’s start with my favorite hands-on methods.
Scour acknowledgment pages of poets whose work resembles yours in some way.
Attend book fairs and writing conferences and readings where publishers have a presence.
Exchange journals and books with friends.
Most public libraries stock recent poetry titles. Some have literary journals, too.
Next, consider subscription databases and services.
Sometimes it’s worth paying to weed out irrelevant opportunities.
Duotrope ($5/month or $50/year). Duotrope contains multitudes, searchable by title, genre, focus, and so forth. Once I got the hang of how to favorite publishers and save lists generated with specific search criteria, I had a highly targeted list of publishers. Bonus: This is the only database that shows the percentage of work accepted by the outlet. For the publishers on my favorites list, that percentages range from less than 1% to 5% acceptance rate. You can track submissions through the platform, too, but I don’t use this feature. Downside: The site’s search and list-saving functions aren’t very user friendly. You have to learn to manipulate the data.
LitNotice ($5/month). This new service curates opportunities based on criteria you set. You’ll only see opportunities that match those criteria, which LitNotice kindly delivers weekly to your inbox. The email shares submissions windows that are just opening (big plus!) and those that are closing soon. Downside: There are still a lot of opportunities to consider. Upside: I’m learning about some excellent opportunities that I would never have known about otherwise.
Free databases do the trick, too.
Submittable's “Discover” function lets you search opportunities from publishers who are part of their submission platform (not all publishers are). With your free author account, you can save particular opportunities and follow certain publishers. Submittable keeps a running list of your submissions, the submission status, and whether material was accepted or not, very useful when you’re simultaneously submitting and have something accepted, you can send a quick message to other publishers to withdraw the work.
Chill Subs: A newbie on the database block, Chill Subs “gives you some very nice search tools and cool details about each opportunity which makes it really easy to actually take action. We're also here to promote the hell out of your work and help you connect with people. You can create a profile, add your publications and services, AND browse other profiles and their publications and services.” Going forward, I plan to use this resource more.
Don’t forget free literary newsletters.
Lit Mag News with Becky Tuch (read her submission advice for poets)
Finally, try focused social media research.
I know, I know. There’s a lot to dislike about social media. I’m with you. But Facebook, Twitter, and other social platforms are a good source of current submission calls. Follow/join publishers, authors, and genre- and interest-specific groups. Better yet, just search hashtags like #poetry #opensubmissions #submissionscall #manuscript #litmag #submit #submissions … etc.
Upcoming Events / Poet to Poet Community
The Poets Circle: Drop-in Conversations
FEBRUARY: Infinite Doorways: On Knowing Your Generative Style
Feb 15, 12-1pm MT
How do poems emerge? Which aspects of poetic writing—images, sounds, metaphors, etc—are most generative for you? What keeps you opening new doors?
MARCH: The Problem of Themes
March 1, 6-7pm MT & March 15, 12-1pm MT
Is a thematic approach to writing poetry helpful or harmful for your process? Should you consider themes prior to putting a book together? How do themes emerge and play out in your work? How do themes manifest in the works of others?
This was great: thanks for collating these resources!