New Here!

Here's a bunch of suggestions!

First thing you need to understand: A lot of agents don't rep poetry because so few people write poetry well. And collections of poetry don't sell nearly as well as stories do. So why should they wade through piles of bad rhymes looking for a jewel when they still might not make any money from it?

But there are things you can do. First, get acquainted with children's magazines. The Cricket publishing group--BabyBug, LadyBug, Spider, Cricket, etc.--publishes poetry for all ages every month. Ranger Rick and Highlights also publish poetry. Once you have established yourself as a professional poet by getting a few poems published in magazines, then you can get a lot more agents to consider your collection.

Another thing you need to do is join SCBWI. For one thing, they publish a magazine several times a year, and they also accept poetry. And they sponsor workshops specifically for poets writing for children. You can hone your craft and make connections with agents and editors at those workshops.

Third thing you should do is go to your nearest library and start reading a couple thousand books. Look for two things: Poetry collections published in the last 5 years (Jack Prelutsky and Jeff Foxworthy are two names that pop to mind), and picture books with rhyming text (Karma Wilson is a good one to start with). Study them carefully to see what works and what doesn't. One thing I can tell you for certain: Humor rules. The more hilarious your poems, the better your chances are. Quiet, sweet, slice of life poems are (usually) better suited to the magazine market.

While you're researching, you also need to go to the thread here titled Children's Writer's On-line Tool-kit and study the resources listed there. I know for sure there are links to sites about poetry, as well as recommended books.

Getting published as a children's poet is not easy. I mean, getting published at all is never easy, but poetry is especially hard. The more research you do on both the craft and the market, the more luck you're going to have.

Ms. Judy is wise.

to the kidlit gang, Wildflowers28!

Wildflowers28 said:

One more thing...do you, MsJudy, know if there is any way to get feedback on these poems without ruining my chances at possible publication? I rarely share my work with friends and family-I have shared these with some, but I would really like an unbiased opinion, and ofcourse there is that worry of someone you don't kow stealing your words....suggestions?

Click to expand...

Check out the Share Your Work section. It's password protected (password: vista), so your work won't show up in search engines like Google. You can get feedback there - but not until you have fifty posts under your belt. You can start critiquing work for others immediately, though.

If you join SCBWI, they also have an online forum, though I'll confess I don't use it. However, they do have a section for critique, as well.

And you can always join/create an in-person or online critique group.

As for worrying that people will steal your work? Don't. It's almost never happens. And the people who think they've been plagiarized usually haven't.

Good luck.

Actually, the "poor man's copyright" is a myth. It has no legal standing whatsoever. And it's not necessary. You enjoy copyright protection as soon your words hit the page.

I do want to point out that you probably shouldn't post your work in its entirety online -- unless it's password protected, like here in SYW or at the SCBWI forum, etc. If you post your work on your blog or website or whatever, which can be accessed by anyone and will pop up in a Google search, it could possibly be considered published. It's just better not to do it, unless you intend to self-publish.

Here's a very useful FAQ on copyright issues.

You should also check out the AW poetry area (link here:Poetry

I don't know how many of those folks write for children, but they can certainly give feedback on things like rhyme, meter, structure, etc. Or they may know of good resources.

Again, check out SCBWI. I know they sponsor workshops specifically for poetry by great people like Lee Bennett Hopkins.

Welcome

I write for children and I write poetry. Post in both the children's and poetry sections.

Without seeing poems it's hard to judge this, but are you sure your poems are for children and not just about them? Your description above made me wonder. Life with a toddler isn't going to get the attention of a three or four year old. Consider what your hook for kids is. Otherwise market for adults.

Something you may not know. Boyds Mills Press publishes poetry collections and is associated with Highlights. Becoming a Highlights poet will give your collection more cache there. In fact, it will give you more cache anywhere. Perhaps you need to write new poems so you don't break up the current collection.

Adult markets that may take these poems include parenting magazines, Chicken Soup for the Soul and more poetry focused journals and zines.

I look forward to reading your stuff on the forum when you have the fifty posts required.