Writers' & Artists' Poetry Writers' Handbook: A Practical Guide to Getting Your Poetry Noticed, Published and Performed

Description

Poetry is increasingly democratic in its use of different formats - anyone can post a video on YouTube or start a blog, podcast or zine. However, literary poetry publication is still structured on a defined model of competition and prestige, where a publisher or prize can transform a poet's career. Poets who don't have this specific information may find themselves unwittingly throwing away opportunities by publishing the wrong type of book in the wrong time or format, and it can take years to assemble another collection which may not be eligible for the same prizes as their all-important debut. In a competitive field, this information is not easy to access, and many poets make mistakes. How do poets make the finances work? Should they release a pamphlet or a full collection? Which promoters should they work with? How can they get their work reviewed? How do they maintain a public profile if performance isn't for them? What mentoring and publication options are there for mid-career poets? The Poetry Guide will answer all these questions and more, with practical advice on managing income and funding a career and information on options for printing and distribution, marketing and publicity, and submission to editors, reviewers and prizes. This new book gives a clear and up-to-date picture of what poets should focus on at different stages in their career.

Sophia Blackwell is a performance and page poet with 15 years' experience of the live poetry circuit. Having spent years selling home-made CDs, Sophia self-published her first collection of poetry with help from an editor and her next two collections were published by Bristol-based indie publisher Burning Eye. Her third collection The Other Woman was recently shortlisted for the Polari Prize; her poetry has been anthologised by Bloodaxe, Nine Arches and The Emma Press. Sophia lectures at the Oxford University Faculty of Continuing Education on the Creative Writing programme and she is Chair of Poetry London.