What do poetry publishers pay?
The market for poetry is very small, and publishers often make little or no profit. As a result, standard practice for most literary periodicals & magazines is to pay with one or more copies of the publication in which your work appears, rather than cash. The same is true for small literary presses, which often publish chapbooks, or poetry collections. Typical payment is a percentage of the press run. (If you are lucky, the publisher may also offer a percentage of the profits, in the event your book makes a profit. Many don’t.) You could sell some copies of your book at your readings & perhaps local bookstores or your website to generate a little cash. (See our book marketing tips for more ideas.) Mid-sized and major publishing houses seldom publish poetry. When they do publish it, press runs are small, and with payment of corresponding size. They only publish well-known figures in the poetry world, who have amassed many periodical, chapbook & small-press book publications & have gaine
