So you’ve decided you’re ready to take your onslaught of poems and form them into your very first poetry book. This is an exciting time, and I hope I can be helpful to you in this process. I will set forth some general guidelines that helped me to find my way. May the muse be with you.
1) In terms of choosing what poems to include, I like to use what I call the Marie Kondo method. Hold each poem in your hand and then put into the collection only the ones that “spark joy” in you. They can be exceedingly sad poems. I don’t mean that they all have to be joyous but just that they should each make you feel something like an inner flutter.
2) In terms of selecting the order, not everyone feels this way, but I tend to like a poetry book that has a narrative arc. In this sense, thinking structurally about this arc as you put your poems together is key.
Using the techniques of other genres, such as fiction, can bring a sense of layering and richness to your work. Freytag’s Pyramid is a reductive format to say the least, but I do think many poetry collections could benefit from some sense of plot, scene setting, storytelling, forward motion, and immediacy. Here is an example of the kind of structure that would be interesting to think about as you conceive your book’s trajectory:
Exposition
Rising Action
Climax
Falling Action
Denouement
3) The brilliant teacher and poet who helped me put my first book together, Erica Wright, gave me the great suggestion of laying all my poems out on the floor so that I could see how they all fit together. This allows you to see your collection in a more visual manner that can be eye-opening in terms of how it all synthesizes.
4) The way that you can test your collection out after you’ve put it together I call the Flaubert method. His practice, gueuloir, or the booming recitation of what you’ve written helps you hear every nuance of your writing. As pretentious and comical as it sounds, it really does work. Even if you have hundreds of pages of whatever kind of writing, I wouldn’t send it out until you’ve read every word aloud.
5) In terms of submissions, you can use a site with a search function. Poets & Writers has an excellent small press database. An important note: always research any press you’re planning on sending to carefully anyway because weird things can get into any site
6) Always keep careful records of where you sent, what you sent, and when. Another important note: always make sure that the press accepts multiple submissions, and obviously make sure to withdraw the manuscript immediately if it’s accepted elsewhere.
7) I guess the last part is really more psychological. You will probably receive at least some, if not many, rejections along the way. It hurts, but often the book can’t get published without this step in the process. Try to think of the rejections as steps on the way to publication. Continue to revise as you send out if you recognize a shortcoming but most of all have the staying power to find the right press. Best of luck in this maddening and thrilling adventure. I hope it brings you all you wish for!