Submit Your Poetry: Ten Actions You Can Take Right Now To Bring You Closer To Your Publishing Dream

Use this simple, dopamine-inducing guide to avoid overwhelm and share your words with the world!

‘As you start to walk on the way, the way appears´ - RUMI

The idea of submitting poetry, or sharing our words with the world, can cause us to feel overwhelmed, unqualified and at a loss of where to begin. Even though I’ve had poems published, I can still feel this way. It’s like trying to throw out a net in the dark unending ocean, hoping to catch a fish and when you do, it can still feel like luck or pure chance.

So I’ve put together a simple, dopamine-inducing list of actions we can do right now to bring us all closer to our publishing dreams. This list will quieten the voice in our heads saying that we aren’t a ‘real’ writer or that we aren’t making progress. Although I can’t gloss over the hard graft involved in the journey from draft poem to published poem, I can get us into a state of curiosity and movement, rather than self-doubt and stagnation. 

Feel free to skip any points that don’t work for you right now - this isn’t about doing ten things, it’s about doing at least one thing more than you did yesterday, and to help you do that, I’m in the boat with you, shining a torch on where to throw that net.

1. Write

It’s easy to want to think of the end goal and work back from there, with some jobs and projects, that is an excellent strategy, but in personal experience, not so much with poetry - giving too much attention to where your poetry is going to end up, can hinder the joy of the writing process and stop you writing altogether.

Here's what we are going to do: Write the words I’ve begun, in the comments, on a notebook or device. Done. If you want to start a poem today but don’t know where to begin, why not join the Plant Your Poetry 2025 Prompt Calendar Community here on Substack - 365 days of poetry prompts sent straight to your inbox including a writing session with me on the 1st of every month and a space to share your words with other writers. You can also purchase my book Plant Your Poetry: 365 Poems and Prompts to Grow Your Writing Habit on Amazon worldwide which guides you through the entire year on how to begin, how to keep going, your why for writing and some reflection questions at the end of the year to help you beyond.

If money is a barrier for you right now, I totally understand, you can simply go to the Random Word Generator Website and it will share an automatic prompt with you. Set a timer for ten minutes and get writing!

2. Visualise your poetry book or poem out in the world with this free guided meditation

I know I just said let’s not think about the end goal, but let me explain. Often we see the end goal as being something we don’t yet have or somewhere we aren’t currently at - today we are going to skip all the difficult stuff and just make it happen in our minds, let’s be there now.

Visualization allows your mind more space to focus on the feeling or experience you are thinking a lot about not having, let’s reframe that. Focusing on the feeling of holding your poetry book in your hands can do wondrous things to your state of well-being and your energy. Feeling good inside has a direct result on our impetus to create and take action. Directing your energy towards what you do have, (even if you don’t have it yet) is much stronger than waiting for external validation or circumstances to change. 

I’ve created a new guided visualization for you to listen to. All you have to do is listen, and you are one step closer to your dream.

[transcript below]

You are in a large factory space, it is a beautiful room, filled with light. Above your head is a big green sign, it says Poem Factory. You begin to walk past stacks of pages and pages of poems written on paper, ready to be sorted. You can hear conveyor belts carrying poetry books to be packaged for delivery. You go over to one conveyor belt and you pick one book up, you take in its colour, its weight, you smell the scent of new books, you smile, people say hello and wave at you, they all know you here, they are working hard and joyfully, to get these books ready. One person gifts you the book you have in your hands, you say thank you and walk into the foyer, there is a big statue in the middle, this could be a person, a symbol or something in your life that gives you the motivation or desire to pursue your writing dream, it gives you butterflies in your stomach and you have the urge to go home and begin right away - you step outside and walk home in the gorgeous sunshine, still holding the book, the birds are singing, you get home and you are met with loving energy, either a friend, a pet, a child or loved one who runs up to you with shining eyes! They ask you for the book, and remembering it again, you pull it out, you feel its texture and then you notice the title, what does it say? Is it a whole poetry book or hybrid work, is it an anthology or a magazine? What is it you want to be holding in your hands? You open it and flip through the pages, you notice a poem that stands out to you, you read it out loud, to your loved one who smiles wide, listening to every word. At the bottom of the page, you see your name printed, firm and assured, this poem is yours, and you know, even then, that this poem is just the beginning, you know that you are ready for whatever is next.

3. Make a list of all the different places your words live and move them into ONE place

For example:

• Phone notes (good for on the go sparks and idea starters)

• Notebook (Good for journaling, freewrites and reflection)

• Google Drive (good for automatic saving, sharing and editing)

• Post It Notes (good for unexpected 3 am moments of genius)

Open a Google Account. Ideally, an account solely for your poetry that is different than an account you already have. You can then create a new email address such as joebloggspoetrysubmissions@gmail.com to dedicate to emailing editors. Now you have a hub for your working drafts, your submitted poems and everything else you need to share your words with the world (more on how to do this later).

This isn’t to say you can’t use the above list if it works for you, but centralising everything in one place will make it easier to keep track of submissions, and poems, so they don’t sit in a drawer for years or disappear forever when you drop your phone down the toilet.

If you don’t have any poems yet, attend a poetry workshop, become a paid subscriber to Plant Your Poetry and write with us, buy my 365 day prompt book, or head over to my IG where there\are hundreds of poetry prompts to choose.

Note: I love writing on paper, I think it changes the way I write quite drastically so I’ve invested in a Rocketbook Pro, which is a notebook that gives me the magic and benefit of writing on paper but then scans and uploads everything I’ve written to Google Drive with a click of a button on the app. You can then wipe away the words with a cloth and have a new notebook again, so it’s great for the environment! 

4. Create an In/Out tray on Google Drive Sheets for all of your poems

Create a new Google Sheets document and in A1 write the title ‘Single Poem Titles’, then in B1-J1 respectively, write the titles: 

Single Poem Titles

Available (for submission)

Pending Feedback (from friend or colleague)

Publication (name of publication and type)

Contact / Editor

Email (where you are sending your submission to)

Date Submitted

Submission Status

Date When Available

Outcome

Now, from row A2, underneath ‘Single Poem Titles’, write your poem titles, one title for every row down. When you have inputted all of your poem titles, leave a space and then in another row, write down your next biggest project, for example, ‘Pamphlet 1’, or ‘Collection 1’. Write the name of the Pamphlet or Collection in the row below that, followed by the poem titles included in that pamphlet or collection. Then fill in the relevant information in the titles I’ve mentioned above. 

This way you will never forget about a poem again, you will never send a poem out simultaneously if you weren’t meant to and you will know exactly when you need to prompt an editor or publication if you have not received a response after the allotted time. Note single poems can also be included in the collection or pamphlet and appear twice.

Note: Refer my Substack to a friend and I’ll gift you my already created free POETRY SUBMISSIONS TEMPLATE

5. Check out the Poetry Foundation website and find out what you like 

Go to www.poetryfoundation.org and in the search bar at the top of the page, type in a subject matter that you write about or want to write about a lot, for example, ‘love’ or ‘mental health’, read the first five poems that come up, make a list of the titles and poets, then answer, on paper or in your head, which poem you liked the most, then start to write down why, even if you don’t know exactly yet, even if you write down, it just feels good. You can do the same for poems you didn’t like too!

6. Choose up to 3 poems that you feel you want to publish (they don’t have to be completely polished)

Normally it’s the poems you feel you would be happy seeing in print and best represent the best of your writing ability at this current moment, if you don’t feel like that about any of your poems right now, you can get some encouragement or perspective from the next step ……

7. Uncover and reach out to a potential feedback buddy

Think about everyone you know who knows anything about poetry. Make a list of people you feel comfortable sharing your words with, who have been somewhat invested in your journey so far. We are going to choose two trusted literary friends, writers, poets, editors or colleagues, who can give you specific feedback on your poems.

Some tips on how to know a good feedback giver:

• Someone with experience submitting poetry or having their work published

• Someone you have a rapport with or know from a writing group or community

• Someone you feel comfortable being vulnerable with and someone who you believe will take considered care with your work

• Someone reliable and accountable for managing their own time

Don’t know anyone? Send your poems to me at a_poetontheroad@outlook.com and I’ll gladly support you where I can. You can join my Submitting Poetry Facebook Group here, where there is a free Submitting Poetry Masterclass, or join a writing group in your area. 

Copy the below email template into your new gmail email account and send it to your new potential feedback buddy, perhaps you can also ask them if they know of a home or magazine that may be a good fit for your poems

Dear/to/hello __________ (delete as appropriate)

How are you doing? I wanted to share three short poems with you that I’m considering submitting to journals/[insert name of publication or competition here]. I value your work and expertise in this field and thought you’d be well-placed to offer constructive feedback before I submit. 

I’m particularly looking to know: 

• Which poem resonates with you the most and why

• If I should cut the first four lines of the poem and start with ‘_____’

• If you notice any areas for improvement regarding imagery and form

The deadline for the [publication] is [date] so let me know if that works for you and I’ll send you the poems. I’d love to buy you a coffee or offer feedback on one of your poems in return for your time.

I hope you have a lovely day!

All the best,

[Name]

8. Create A Submittable Account

Submittable (www.submittable.com) is the platform used by a growing number of publications to centralize their submission system. It’s free to use and super easy to create an account.

In the top menu, there is a tab called DISCOVER, which allows you to search every single type of publication currently open for submissions. You can adjust your filter to find information on certain themed submissions, free competitions, you name it!

9. Subscribe to the newsletter, A Dreaming Skin by Angela Carr

Angela puts together a list of hundreds of poetry submissions from around the world every month. Choose three to research further and put the deadlines in your Google Calendar, and set a reminder so you don’t forget.

If this is overwhelming for you, stop that now and get your favorite poetry book from the shelf and turn to the acknowledgments page, there you will find the list of places the poems were published before becoming a collection.

10. Make a free account with Chill Subs

Chill Subs is an amazing resource for writers, and a huge directory of submission opportunities, deadlines, presses and publications. The strong filter section really helps to limit overwhelm of everything there is available to submit to and its really user friendly. You can put aside 15 minutes a week on a Monday to have a little search through. Let me know what you think!

I hope that has been helpful for you! I’d recommend saving this article to refer back to whenever you need it. If you are anything like me, it’s easy to feel complete clarity one day, and the worst brain fog the next. So even if you have already followed the steps, you might need them again when your future self momentarily forgets how amazing and capable you are. 

Please keep in touch and let me know how you got on, if you have any questions, share them in the comments so others can benefit too!

All that’s left to do is write,
Louise Goodfield
A Poet on the Road

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