publish a poetry anthology, publish poetry anthologies, publish poetry chapbooks

Also read: Publish an Anthology: How it's Done and A conversation with Anthology Editors

Make a Chapbook of your poetry
 http://www.todays-woman.net

 Poetry is a hard thing to market; it could take years to get your work published by a traditional publisher so why not publish your own chapbook. A chapbook is "a small book or pamphlet containing poems, ballads, stories, or religious tracts" (dictionary) the term is still used today to refer to short, inexpensive booklets.

 It is easy, simple and affordable to make a chapbook yourself. You can produce the chapbook yourself, using Microsoft Word or WordPerfect. Print it out on a good printer and have a print company make multiple booklets for you. Make sure you contain a title page, an author bio and a synopsis of what the poems are about. You may also wish to add an acknowledgement page, a dedication page, author photo, and table of contents. Carefully select your poems that have special meaning to you. Your special chosen poems are a reflection of who you are.  Chapbooks are normally no more than 24 to 26 pages and the cover price should not be anymore than five dollars.

 Your Cover

 1. Title of your book

2. Your pleasing eye-catcher design

3. The author's name

 Your Back Cover

 1. A short description of the contents in the book

2. A short biographical note about the writer and your photo

3. Contact information of the publisher

 Inside Pages

 Using your word processing program, customize your copyright information, add a title page, acknowledgements page and dedication page. Type each poem into your template. At the end of your book you may wish to post well wishes for the reader and your contact information such as an email address or ordering information. When you have completed proof reading your book print out the template, you may need to play around with your printer so that it prints on both sides. Be sure that you have included the ©. symbol within your book.

 Assembling your Chapbook

 After you have printed the last of your pages it is time to bind them together to make your chapbook. Fold the cover and pages in half and staple them on the fold. Do not use more than two staples.

 Poetry Chapbook Publishers are hard to come by therefore it is just as easy to publish your own chapbook. Consider selling your book through a local library, grocery store, card shop or your local book store.  If you are looking for an affordable book-cover designer why not give invision-graphics.com a try. They can give you an eye-catching book cover that will stand out.  Remember that a well design cover is like a billboard therefore you want it to catch your reader’s eye. To see some samples of chapbooks, visit your local bookstores, libraries, or card shop. This will give you an idea of what they look like.  These books will not make you rich or famous. However, it’s a great way to start promoting your poetry. Now with your computer it is possible for you to become your very own publisher.

 About the Author
Rose DesRochers, Canada
admin@todays-woman.net
http://www.todays-woman.net
Rose is a published author and web columnist from Canada Ontario and she is also the founder of Today's Woman a community for men and women over 18, where writers/poets/columnists meet and exchange ideas, contest, rate and review and help each other succeed in the writing industry.


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

 Promoting Your Poetry Book

At long last your book is finished. As a self-publisher poet it is up to you to market your anthology or chapbook.  Self-publishing requires you to self-market successfully.  Marketing your book can become a full time job and it isn’t going to happen overnight.  So you might be asking yourself, “Where do I begin to market my book?”


 
Website
 
Create a website to showcase your book. Did you know that blogging is a great way to advertise your book? Google bots crawl blogs more often, than other web sites. If you would like a professional website and know little about creating a website, I recommend hiring a web designer. invision-graphics.com offers writing templates and book covering design.
 
Reciprocal linking
 
 Once you have a website, you can generate targeted traffic through reciprocal linking with related high traffic web sites.
 
Join a Community
 
Online communities and discussion groups are a great way to meet people.  Most communities do not allow advertising. So if you jump right in advertising your book, you may find yourself removed. Instead join in a few discussions. Once people have gotten to know you, then you can advertise that you are having a book signing or a poetry reading.
 
 
Author Interviews
 
Sites like Todays-Woman.net that focus on literature also run author interviews.  This is a great promotional tool and you can also link to the author interview. Many websites that offer interviews also offer to review your book.  A Google search will pull up other sites that are willing to interview new authors.
 
Poetry Readings
 
 Set up a poetry reading at your local public library, coffee shop, card shop or book store. You can get the word out about your reading via your local radio station, news paper and the Internet.
 
Reviews
 
Reviews are a great way to see if your poetry anthology has any merit. Reviews will help increase your book sales. Join an online writing forum like Todays-Woman.net. This is a great way to get reviews, offer to review other poet’s books in exchange for them reviewing yours.  Hire a book reviewer.  A Google search will pull up directories of book reviewers.
 
Library
 
Ask your local library to order a copy of your book.
 
  
Distribution
 
Visit your local book stores and try to set up a meeting with the manger. Most book stores will take your book on a consignment bases and while you are there you can discuss having a poetry reading and offer to do a book signing. Book stores love to have promotional events and poetry readings and book signings are an easy way for them to bring customers into their store.
 
 Radio
 
Mail or fax your local radio station. Let them know that you are a new local author and you were wondering if they would like to interview you. Author interviews can be a powerful selling tool on your book.
 
 

Press Releases
 
Write a review of your book and see if your local paper won't run the review. Don’t be afraid to send a press release more than once. You can also submit a free press release to prweb.com or pr.com.  
 
 Advertising
 

· Include a blurb about your book at the end of each email you send.

· Market your book through articles you can submit to ezines.

· Promote your book through flyers you can distribute.
 Some websites are willing to add swamp. ( You place your book or banner on their site and  you place theirs on your site)

· Paid advertising (Todays-Woman.net offers affordable advertising and we will create a custom designed banner for you.)
 
Marketing a book isn’t really as hard as it looks. These tips might help you with the challenges you face as a new author. Now that you know the steps, it is time to make a name for yourself.  Get the word out, have fun and enjoy your journey.


About the Author
Rose DesRochers, Canada
admin@todays-woman.net
http://www.todays-woman.net
Rose is a published author and web columnist from Canada Ontario and she is also the founder of Today's Woman a community for men and women over 18, where writers/poets/columnists meet and exchange ideas, contest, rate and review and help each other succeed in the writing industry.


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.