In the current tech-savvy world, it is poetry books that have gained popularity among the readers. Many new-age poets like Nikita Gill, Tyler Knott Gregson, and Lang Leav are award-winning best sellers.
Poetry is gaining more readership now more than ever, and it is the best time for all kinds of poets to thrive. With many poets opting self-publishing, it is easier to get your poetry collection to the readers around the world.
A Poetry Book
A poetry book can have the long free verse, prose poem, or a Haiku collection. You can make a chapbook of poetry and find your readership. The modern chapbook is like pamphlets that run over 30-40 pages with fewer and lighter poems for readers. So if you are a poet aspiring to publish your poems, start by making a poetry collection.
Creating a poetry book isn’t an easy task. You might have a lot of poems on your book or laptop, but how to make a poetry book can be baffling at the beginning for budding poets. Here are a few ways to help you to format a poetry book and publish it..
Write More Poems
Write as many poems as you desire. The number of poems in a poetry collection varies according to the focus of the poets. Some of the best books of poetry have 11 poems, and some best collections have about 30-100. When you have many poems in your diary, it becomes easier to weave them into a collection.
Take enough time, write more poems, and share your life experiences for the readers.
Choose Your Poems
A poetry collection is not random poems put together in a book. There is an element that unifies all the poems in a poetry book. The element can be an idea, topic, theme, or style. Choose your poems according to one unifying element so that there is an order.
Decide the Size of Your Book
A poetry book can have any number of poems, so as a writer, decide on the size of your book.
You’ve to think and make a choice if you want a chapbook with around 20-25 poems or a longer collection that has more than 50 poems. The numbers need not be the same, and there can be emissions and additions. But this can be a beginning point for categorizing your poems.
Organize Your Poems
After deciding the size of your collection of poetry, start organizing your poems. You can organize the poems according to the subject or theme. Decide which poem to
start with and which one should follow after.
Think, decide on a structure, and organize the poems for your book so that the readers have a pleasant reading experience.
Edit the Collection
After you have organized the poems, and got the manuscript ready, carefully edit the collection. Take a step back and later proofread the whole manuscript from beginning to end. As a writer, you would be invested in the process of writing but also think of publishing poems. But be ruthless as an editor.
Proofreading can be a tough task, but it is worth it. Revisit the poems again and read it aloud when you have doubts about punctuation. Also, edit the collection with the theme or element in mind. Remove any poem that you doubt doesn’t match with the core idea.
Design Your Book
It is an important aspect before you publish the poetry book. As a writer who dreams of publishing their poetry book, you need to think of formatting and design for your book as well. You need to design your book properly so that it looks professional and not amateurish.
Poetry books need to have a beautiful design and layout. You can also think of including photos, illustrations, and artwork for your poetry collection.
Decide on the color of your book, whether it is in black and white or color. Think if you need any imagery on the pages along with poems. Think of the page layout, color, and font of your book. Also, let each poem have its page since it makes a pleasant read for people.
Choose a Title
A good title can go a long way. It can create intrigue among readers. Choose a title once the book of poetry is written, organized, and assembled for publication. Titles
might pop up during any of these processes. The title can be the central idea of the collection or a line from the poem. The title of any one of the poems can be the title of
your collection.
Think and revisit the poems again to find the apt title for your book.
Create a Blog & Build an Online Presence
The online presence has increased the popularity for many writers and poets. Create a blog before you publish your poetry book. A blog is a practical and essential way to promote your work.
Having a blog before publishing a poetry book is one way to create a readership. Many best selling writers have used blogs and social media profiles to create a following for their work before publishing. This is also one way to boost your confidence as a writer aspiring to publish.
You can also build a strong online presence with Instagram as well. Many budding poets have found their way to self-publishing their poetry book having a strong followers base.
Make the Poetry Book
One of the terrific aspects of self-publishing is that you get to make all the creative decisions. You get to decide the design, layout of the page, the cover, and the price. Don’t get carried away with all the decisions, and you need to be mindful of the cost of creating a poetry book.
Order a Single Copy
Upload and order a single copy of your manuscript. How much ever you edit a poetry book, there might be minor errors or gaps. So it is always better to order a single copy, go through the book again carefully from start to end. Give the copy to your trusted friends or professional proofreaders to get a second opinion and feedback.
Make sure the poetry book doesn’t have any gaps or mistakes.
Revise Again
After going through the first copy and making the changes, if any, upload and order another copy. Revise the new copy again to make sure it is error-free. Also, look at the cover design and paper quality of your book and finalize the copy for publication. It can seem like a difficult process, but it is definitely a rewarding exercise.
Get your Book Distributed
After you finish revising the copy and making the changes, the next crucial step is to get your poetry book to the readers. Whether you decide to self- publish the poetry book in print or as eBook, make sure you get it distributed to major online retailers.
You can also opt for print-on-demand option for printing your poetry books. If you are a new author trying out publishing, this is the best option. You can print a specific number of copies for your readers, and later even print more poetry books if the sales increase.
Conclusion
If you are poet, this is your time to self-publish a bestseller. Poetry is gaining more popularity among the new-age readers. Now, poets have more avenues and platforms open to self-publish their poetry book. So, start curating your poetry collection, and get it self-published.
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