Table of Contents:

• Selling Your Speculative Poems
• Promoting Your Speculative Poetry Book
• Building Your Poetry Presence

Selling Your Speculative Poems

First, know that you can write speculative poetry and call yourself a poet without ever trying to sell your poems individually. You may write for your own delight or pen poems to include within your fiction (such as Tolkien’s poetry). Or you may be a rising poet wishing to focus on selling book-length collections of speculative poems. But should you aim to sell individual poems in the science fiction and fantasy markets, below are a few good practices.

There are a vast set of places that publish poetry. To narrow the field of possibilities it is best to decide your priorities. The prestige of the publication? The likely number of readers? The pay rate? Whether they include an Elvish translation? How quickly they respond? How much you enjoy the magazine? It is perfectly possible to like a lesser-known, non-paying magazine. In the poetry realm, it is unfortunately common for many well-respected publishers to offer only token payments of $5 for your poetry.

Once decided, there are several online resources to help search markets. SFPA (the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association) maintains a helpful market list on their webpage here. Additionally, Duotrope (which charges an annual fee) is also popular and covers poetry, fiction, and non-fiction of many types. The Submission Grinder offers free submission tracking and market information. It can be especially helpful to know the typical response time for a magazine. If the market normally takes a year to respond, you may decide against submitting. If they often make a decision within a week but have held your poetry for three months, it is helpful to know if a polite follow-up query letter might be sent.

Be warned that writing speculative poetry may become addictive. If it becomes a habit, you may end up with first dozens, then hundreds, of poems. So it is extremely helpful to have a system to keep track of your submissions. The aforementioned Duotrope and Grinder both allow you to track where and when you send each poem, and what response you receive. Or you can use a homemade system. If you venture into simultaneous submissions—where you submit the same poem to multiple publications at once—organization becomes invaluable. Note: many speculative magazines do not accept simultaneous submissions. If you wish to submit to those magazines, you cannot have the poems under consideration anywhere else, possibly not even in a parallel universe.

Once you have decided where to submit one or more of your poems, read and follow the guidelines carefully. There is less consensus for poetry submissions than one might hope for. Places such as Asimov’s want each poem submitted separately while most publishers prefer poems grouped together in a single document. Many want electronic submissions, but others still favor snail mail. They may specify their preferred font, stipulate anonymous submissions, or request your pronouns. Alien publishers may want poems to be submitted telepathically.

Unless the guidelines specify otherwise, poems are normally submitted single-spaced, with each poem starting on a new page. A semi-standard poetry format can be found at Shunn’s website. However, many literary magazines expect a non-fixed-width font instead of Courier as in Shunn’s example, and would also be surprised by the inclusion of the number of lines in the poem. (SF/F magazines occasionally pay by the line, but that is not common in the wider poetry world which pays by the poem, the number of pages, or often not at all.)

Speaking of literary markets, some magazines include occasional speculative poems. Some do not. Some explicitly state in their guidelines that they do not want genre poetry. And, alas, many literary markets charge a reading fee. Among SF/F publications, reading fees are a rarity. Each author will need to make their own decision on this topic, but think twice before paying a reading fee. Think three or four times! You can sell your speculative poetry without ever paying for editors to read your work.

Regarding selling, most speculative poetry magazines do pay poets actual money for their work. It may be a token amount, a few dollars, or one dwarf farthing, but payment is the norm. As of December 2024, SFPA’s market list, mentioned earlier, lists about twice as many paying markets as non-paying ones.

In the happy event that someone accepts a poem of yours, they may send you a contract or state more informally what rights they are taking. Check any agreement carefully. If a contract contains concerning elements such as the rights to wholesale revisions without the author’s input, or the rights to the author’s pet dragon, you can politely request a change. Of course, they may refuse, and then you must decide if it is a dealbreaker. How much do you like that pet dragon?

If someone accepts a poem without sending an agreement, it is helpful to specify in your reply what rights you are granting, such as first worldwide English-language serial rights. It is particularly helpful to include a reversion clause, i.e. to say that if the poem is not published by a certain date, the rights will revert to you. Even those of you who are immortal may get impatient after waiting a century for a piece to appear. Best of luck!

Mary Soon Lee has been writing and submitting speculative poems for over twenty years and has accumulated hundreds of publication credits in markets ranging from stalwart SF veterans (Analog, Asimov’s, F&SF) to newer online magazines (Apex, Strange Horizons, Uncanny) to non-SF venues (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, Science).

Promoting Your Speculative Poetry Book

You’ve got your new poetry book or chapbook in your hands and now it’s time to find your readers. Selling books can be challenging and discouraging. However, there are several things that you can do which are often overlooked in the promotion process. The Internet and social media might seem like an end-all for spreading the word about your poetry but there are other tried and true ways to spread the word in meatspace without spending much money or hiring expensive promotion services. By all means, post on social media and your website. But don’t stop there as you never know where you will find your next reader.

Local Media

Most cities and towns have local media outlets such as radio stations and newspapers. These media outlets are usually looking for positive local interest stories to share with the community and are simple to connect with. Press releases and author photos with the book are great ways to get their attention and they will often run the press release as it was received. Because of this it is worth reading and listening to the style of articles and blurbs that they publish, and to emulate that style when writing your press copy. And it is always worth including contact info should the media outlet want to interview you or ask follow-up questions. Pay attention to the way the outlet handles such stories and make sure to give them the type of content they are looking for.

Fliers, Postcards, and Bookmarks 

While physical promo swag might seem antiquated, it gives you something to give a potential reader that can serve as a reminder of your work. Fliers, postcards, and bookmarks are cheap to make and can be left at bookshops, cafes, or any other place where readers might be found. A good image of the book cover, along with some info about the book and a QR code that leads to where the book can be purchased can potentially lead a reader to discover your work. These can also be sent to bookstores or addressed to the book buyer. However, if you send swag to bookstores, be sure to include the wholesale information rather than the retail info. And please do not direct an independent bookstore to the big online retailer. This not only expresses a misunderstanding of the basic wholesale/retail relationship, but it is also directing the potential buyer to a competitor, which is never appreciated.

When contacting booksellers include a one-sheet with a summary of the book as well as the wholesale information. Offering to send a review copy to see if the bookseller is interested can never hurt either. Always do your research to see if your book would be a good fit for the bookseller that you are contacting, and keep in mind that you are asking for their money, so being demanding will not get you very far.

Events

Getting up and reading your work in front of an audience can also be a rewarding experience and potentially lead to sales. Performing also allows you to connect with readers in a personal way. Bookstores, cafes, and art galleries often hold open mic readings, and are sometimes open to booking an individual event for you and your work. Keep in mind that many of these venues are booked months in advance, so don’t send your pitch asking for an event next week. Rather, plan ahead and be respectful of the full schedules many of these proprietors face in their work. Many of these types of venues are dedicated to providing a community space but will also want to know if you have planned the following aspects of your event: Will you be bringing books for the event or is it available from a wholesaler? Is the book available at an appropriate wholesale discount? Will you be making fliers to promote the event? And will you be sending press releases to local news outlets?

As with anything, being polite and respectful goes a long way. It is also worth keeping in mind that when asking a reader to buy your book and trust your work, you are also asking them for a time commitment, because poetry and fiction are time-based artforms. Book sales can be challenging and can take time to return, but fans are earned one at a time. Don’t forget that what you’ve written can be timeless, so in the grand scheme of things the first day, or week, or month, sales are not important. Getting the right book into the right reader’s hands is the key.

Jean-Paul L. Garnier is the owner of Space Cowboy Books bookstore and publishing house, producer of Simultaneous Times Podcast (2023 Laureate Award Winner, BSFA, Ignyte, and British Fantasy Award Finalist), and editor of the SFPA’s Star*Line magazine. He is also the deputy editor-in-chief of Worlds of IF & Galaxy magazines. In 2024 he won the Laureate Award for Best Editor. He has written many books of poetry and science fiction.

Building Your Poetry Presence

Speculative poetry is a smaller (yet quickly growing) market where many of the editors accepting and reading your work are also submitting poets themselves. This means social media remains a great way to enter the community and establish a name for yourself. Poems are more well-suited to the social media landscape than their fiction counterparts. The brevity of the art form makes it ideal for sharing attention-grabbing snippets that appeal to poets and non-poets alike.

Short-form videos of you reciting your work do well as poetry thrives on establishing an emotional connection with audiences. Every platform has its unique community, so take care to research what subgenre of poetry you are writing and where your readers choose to exist. Facebook tends to retain an older crowd while large swaths of the writing industry are in the process of moving from Twitter to Bluesky. Many younger poets find success on either Instagram or TikTok. You may also consider taking your favorite poem and setting it to music and posting it online to YouTube as a modern take on public readings. Note this is considered publishing your poem and you would not be able to sell it elsewhere. But if you have the reprint rights or do not intend to pitch the poem to journals then this is a fine option.

Once you’ve begun publishing and establishing yourself in the industry, an author website is important for providing a professional platform. This not only allows your readers to keep up with your writings in one convenient place, but also provides a professional calling card for agents and publishers to quickly understand what you bring to the poetic table. There are free options from WordPress, Weebly, and Wix, or you may choose to pay for a premium site with no ads or branding other than your own.

Publishing individual poems to magazines and journals is in itself a crucial marketing tool for you as a writer. By submitting your work and reading a variety of journals, you’ll not only learn about the industry but also place your ear to the pulse of contemporary speculative poetry. Many book publishers enjoy seeing that the poems in your pitched poetry collection have had a successful history of audience and editor engagement.

Despite most poets being introverted, it is important for us to find and join local poetry communities. Poetry is often strongest at the local level and supporting one another is the modus operandi. They may be traditional page poetry communities or modern spoken word organizations. Both offer great tools, whether it is a poem critique group or practice performing your art. If you do not live near any poetry groups, SFWA and SFPA offer dedicated poetry communities for you and your career, as may your state have general online poetry groups to join.

Open mics remain important for poets, whether virtual or in person. Not only do you get to hear wonderful poetry, but you get to practice your own poems and find how they feel in the mouth and ear. Rhythm and cadence are important for all forms of speculative poetry and are often skills that can only be refined through aural practice.

Taking care where you submit your work in order to find an editor who supports you post-publication can be a large boon. Accolades are not reserved solely for the titans of the industry. Many token or semi-pro journals in the speculative arena will nominate your poetry for numerous awards and help grow your career. Pay attention to their social media postings around February and November and see if their editors give extra effort into supporting their writers. Poetry-specific awards such as the Nebula, Rhysling, Elgin, and Dwarf Star typically have nominations earlier in the year (around February) while general magazine industry awards such as Best of the Net and Pushcart Prize occur during peak award season in November.

For those with the means and opportunity, going to conventions can be a great benefit. It allows you to connect with other poets and editors, perform for a broad audience, and hone your craft through community panels. SFWA hosts the Nebula conference each year and includes poetry-specific meetups and events, and Worldcon is increasing its poetry programming every year. Many regional speculative conferences are also happy to include poets and you are encouraged to see which nearest city is looking for someone like you to help spread speculative poetry.

Casey Aimer is a cyberpunk poet and editor with master’s degrees in both poetry and publishing. He is founder and poetry editor of the science fiction publisher Radon Journal. His poetry has been featured in Strange Horizons, Apparition Lit, Worlds of IF, Space and Time, Star*Line, and many more. He can be found on Bluesky and CaseyAimer.com.