Dear O'Abby, How do I publish my poetry?

 Dear O'Abby,

I'm a poet and I have a whole bunch of completed poems, some which have been published in magazines and literary journals, and a lot that haven't.  I'd like to publish a collection of poetry, but I can't seem to find any agents who seem to represent poets.

Can you help?

All the best,

Bemused.

Hi Bemused,

I think the reason you can't find an agent who represents poetry is because in general, agents don't represent poetry.  Not unless it's in the form of a novel-in-verse.

Most poets approach poetry publishers directly with their work as they tend to be small presses and often quite specialised.  I suggest visiting your local bookstore or library and browsing the poetry section.  If you find a book of poetry that feels similar to yours or covers similar subject matter, look at the publisher information and you can then look them up and find out if they are accepting submissions, and how to submit to them.

I found this list of poetry publishers, but I don't know much about them, so do your research before you submit.

You mention that you have had poems published before, so if you do end up getting a publishing deal for the collection, you will need to check your contracts to make sure you have the right to offer re-print rights to your publisher.  Most contracts for journals etc I've seen allow this to happen, but may require a note saying "first published in X" and sometimes a date and/or issue number.

You will need to make sure of your rights even if you decide to self-publish a collection of your poetry, which is an equally valid option.

Or you could just continue to submit your work to magazines and journals as you have clearly been doing quite successfully.  Having work in these publications often raises your profile as a poet because people who don't habitually read poetry might stumble across your work, read and enjoy it even if they have never set foot in the poetry section of a bookstore.

You can also do all these things.  Being a poet allows you a lot of flexibility in the ways you make your work available, even if poetry tends to be a fairly niche market.

Hopefully this helps!

All the best for your ongoing publishing journey, whichever direction you choose to go in.

X O'Abby