How to Self-Publish a Poetry Book

The publication of a poetry collection is the pinnacle of a poet’s career. Fortunately, you don’t necessarily have to be a famous author to get your poetry collection published.

However, publishing a poetry book is more difficult than you would imagine. This is especially difficult if you are going to publish with a traditional publishing company, because they could be very picky with the poets they actually publish. Why not self-publish your poetry book instead?

Here are some great tips for self-publishing your very own poetry book.

1. Gather your poems to form a collection

If you want your poetry book to get the best reception from readers, you should make sure that all the poems you publish are the best you have to offer. Take the time to gather your poems, and choose the best ones out of the lot. It is also important that you divide your poems according to their topics. For example, you could write poems about specific topics such as love, nature, places, etc.

2. Have Your Manuscript Edited

Once you have formed your collection of poems, it is important that you have it edited. As annoying as it may be to have your manuscript edited, it is important that your poetry is as well-edited as possible. Remember that you will be releasing a lot of poems in your book. There is a chance that one of your poems has a misspelled word or a badly arranged stanza. If you have the budget, you should have a professional editor look through your work. They will go through your poems and correct any potential errors they may find.

3. Choose a publishing format

Choosing the best method for self-publishing a poetry book is essential. You should make the decision to publish your book in print, eBook or various formats. Also, you need to choose whether or not to use book illustrations. Keep in mind that, designing and formatting poetry books are more difficult than books written in prose. In this case, poems are often formatted with irregular spacing and line breaks. This also means that getting the design and format of your book right is even more important because you want your readers to be able to view each poem in its intended format.

4. Include illustrations

It always pays to add illustrations to your poetry book. It not only makes your poetry book beautiful, it also helps draw your readers in. If you are artistic, and you actually know how to draw, you could use your own illustrations. They will give your poetry book a more interpersonal feel, and make it more aesthetically pleasing. If you don’t draw, you could also hire an illustrator to draw the art for you.

5. Look for a means to sell your book

It is important that you know how to sell your poetry book. If you do work with a traditional publishing house, you would usually not have to worry about such things. However, if you are going to self-publish your poetry book, you will have to do most of the marketing yourself. This is a bit tricky, especially if you are just starting out. Luckily there are many options open to you. You could set up an online website for your works. You could also post your book through various online retailers. This will make them easier to find. Brick and mortar stores are also an option, however, they could be difficult to work with, because they prefer to sell established writers.

6. Set up an author blog

If you want to enhance your brand as a poet, it is important that you set up a blog for yourself. Remember that you will want to expand your brand in the most budget-friendly way possible. An author’s blog is very effective because it is a platform where you can post a myriad of content. When you set up your author blog, it is important that you make it easy to find. Take the time to use SEO on your author blog. You should also make sure you post great content on your blog. It is imperative that you make your blog attractive. The more aesthetically pleasing your blog, the better the engagement.

7. Choose a good self-publishing option

While self-publishing a poetry book may seem easy, it could be tricky for newbies. This is where self-publishing companies such as Writers Republic come in handy. Remember that you will be doing a majority of the work yourself, and if you don’t know where to start, you may end up making a lot of mistakes. Self-publishing companies have extensive experience assisting authors in getting their works published. Of course, they are not free, and their services will cost you money. However, most of their services are affordable, and they will save you a lot of money and effort in the long run.

Conclusion

As a poet, you may have dreams of publishing a poetry book. If you do, you should choose the self-publishing option. It will give you more creative freedom, and you won’t have to deal with editors. Before you self-publish a poetry book though, you should know where to start. With these tips, you will be able to self-publish a poetry book of your very own.