You’ve got a draft. Maybe it’s a messy sprawl of lines on a coffee-stained legal pad or a sterile Google Doc you’ve been staring at for three weeks, wondering if the metaphor in the fourth stanza is brilliant or just plain confusing. Most people think the hard part is writing the thing. It's not. The real wall is figuring out how to get poem published without losing your mind or your confidence in the process.
Honestly, the literary world is weird. It’s a mix of high-brow gatekeeping and surprisingly scrappy, underground passion projects. If you’re just mass-emailing your work to The New Yorker, you’re basically throwing paper airplanes into a hurricane. It doesn’t work like that. You need a strategy that actually respects how editors think and how the "slush pile" functions.
Understanding the "Slush" and How to Get Poem Published
First, let’s talk about the slush pile. That’s the industry term for the mountain of unsolicited submissions that every journal receives. If you want to know how to get poem published, you have to realize that at places like Poetry Magazine or The Paris Review, editors are looking at thousands of poems a month. Thousands.
Most of those poems are fine. They’re "okay." But journals aren't looking for okay; they are looking for a specific "vibe" that fits their current issue. This is why reading the journal before you submit is the single most important thing you can do. It sounds like a chore. It is a chore. But if you send a formal, rhyming Shakespearean sonnet to a magazine that only publishes experimental, deconstructed prose-poetry, you’re just wasting your five-dollar submission fee.
Submittable and the Logistics of Sending
Almost everyone uses a platform called Submittable. It’s the industry standard. You create a profile, upload your files, and track your rejections in real-time. It’s a bit of a double-edged sword because it makes it very easy to see how many people are saying "no" to you.
Don't let the "no" break you. Rejection in poetry isn't usually about quality; it's about fit. Think of it like a puzzle. The editor has 40 pages to fill, and they might already have three poems about "grief" or "nature." Even if yours is better, they might skip it just to keep the issue balanced.
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The Myth of the "Big Break"
We all want that immediate validation. We want the prestige. But starting small is actually the smartest move. There are hundreds of smaller, "tier-two" or "tier-three" journals—think Pidgeonholes, SmokeLong Quarterly, or The Adroit Journal—that have incredible reputations among writers but aren't as impossible to crack as the "Big Three."
Why Niche Matters
If you write eco-poetry, look for journals that focus on the environment. If you write about the queer experience, look for journals like Foglifter. Finding your "tribe" makes the process of how to get poem published feel less like a lottery and more like a conversation. You’re looking for editors who are already interested in the themes you’re exploring.
The Technical Stuff: Formatting and Cover Letters
Keep it simple. Seriously.
Standard formatting usually means 12-point Times New Roman, one poem per page, and a single document containing 3-5 poems. Most journals want "simultaneous submissions," which means you can send the same poems to multiple places at once. Just remember—and this is huge—if one journal accepts a poem, you must immediately withdraw it from everywhere else. Failure to do this is a quick way to get blacklisted.
Your cover letter should be boring.
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"Dear Editors, Please consider the attached poems for publication in [Journal Name]. My work has previously appeared in [List 2-3 places if you have them, otherwise just leave it out]. Thank you for your time and for reading. Sincerely, [Your Name]."
That’s it. Don't explain what the poems mean. Don't tell them your life story. Let the work do the heavy lifting. Editors are tired; they don't want to read a three-paragraph manifesto before they even get to your first stanza.
Avoiding the Pay-to-Play Trap
There is a dark side to the "how to get poem published" journey: predatory journals. If a magazine asks you to pay a "publishing fee" or "marketing fee" after they accept your poem, run away. That’s a scam.
Legitimate journals might charge a small submission fee—usually $3 to $5—to cover the costs of their Submittable account and to pay their staff. That’s normal. But you should never be paying hundreds of dollars to see your name in print.
Contests vs. General Submissions
Contests are tempting because the prize money can be huge ($1,000 or more). However, the odds are astronomical. If you’re just starting out, focus on "general submissions." The barrier to entry is lower, and you won’t go broke paying $25 entry fees for every single poem you write.
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Building a "Poetic CV"
Getting published is a momentum game. Once you get one "yes" from a small online journal, use that credit in your next cover letter. It shows the next editor that someone else has already vetted your work. It’s a bit of a snowball effect.
Kinda sucks that it works that way, but it does.
The Reality of Peer Review
Before you send anything out, find a workshop or a trusted friend who is actually a reader. Not your mom. Not your best friend who thinks everything you do is "nice." You need someone who will tell you if a line is cheesy or if your ending feels unearned.
Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux wrote a book called The Poet’s Companion that’s basically the bible for this. They talk a lot about the "so what?" factor. After someone reads your poem, do they feel something, or do they just go, "Okay, and?" You need to answer the "so what?" before you hit send.
Actionable Steps to Take Right Now
Stop overthinking and start doing. Here is the blueprint for the next 48 hours:
- Audit Your Work: Pick your three best, most polished poems. Not ten. Three.
- Research Journals: Go to Poets & Writers or Chill Subs. These are databases that let you filter by genre, pay, and submission windows.
- Check the Timeline: Some journals take six months to respond. Some take two weeks. If you’re impatient, look for "fast response" journals.
- Organize Your Files: Put your 3-5 poems into one PDF or .doc file. Make sure your name and contact info are in the header unless the journal specifically asks for "blind submissions" (where they don't want to know who you are to avoid bias).
- Set a Rejection Goal: This sounds weird, but aim for 100 rejections this year. If you’re getting rejected, it means you’re actually submitting. Eventually, the law of averages will kick in.
The truth is, getting published won't make you a better writer, but it will give you the "thick skin" you need to keep going. Start with one submission today. Just one. Don't wait for the "perfect" poem because it doesn't exist. Work with what you have, find a journal that fits your voice, and get your words out of your notebook and into the world.