Young poets have more options than ever when it comes to publishing their poetry—but in 2020, many turned to publishing online as a starting point to gain footing as published authors.
Christelle Musumba Kongolo, a 28-year-old Gatineau, Que. based poet, began sharing her poetry on Facebook and Instagram in 2018 to build a media following to help her publish a poetry book. Kongolo said it was important for her to self-publish her work and learn about the process before going through a publishing house.
Her book is in the final stages of publication and she will be self-publishing through Amazon later in 2021.
Kongolo said she decided to self-publish because it gives her control and experience.
“When you’re doing it alone, you’re independent,” Kongolo said. “You can change whatever you want. You’re choosing everything. But when you get published, you still have your opinion because it’s your own book, but it’s more controlled.”
Erica Raley is a second-year humanities student at Carleton University.
She self-published her first poetry book, “You Are Here,” in summer 2020 through Amazon.
Raley initially tried reaching out to local publishers. She started her search in March but the publishers she reached out to said they were not looking for new writers.
Amazon’s publishing service gives authors full control over prices, cover design, and editing. Each book is printed to order and can be shipped worldwide through Amazon.
Raley chose Amazon because it was an accessible way to break down the initial barrier of getting her voice out there, but said it came with its downsides.
Without a distributor, it was up to Raley to market her book. She posted about it on her Instagram and received a lot of support from family, friends, and former teachers. But after the initial spike, Raley said that it has shrunk down since then.
“At one point it was number 36 in Canadian poetry, which is really cool,” Raley said.
Palmer Smith started submitting her poetry more regularly during the summer of 2020 to literary magazines and online publications. Smith, 26-years-old and based in New York City, credits this to having more free time during the summer to devote to researching publications and working on her poetry.
“I’ve had relatively good success from the summer, which has been really nice,” she said.
Smith started looking for a publishing company that would accept her work after her poetry was published in literary journal Scissortail Quarterly. The journal reached the top 10 of Amazon’s listed poetry anthologies and its success was the final push for Smith to seriously look for a publisher.
“[Poetry] made me feel like I was doing something that I enjoyed,” said Palmer, who added she feels her poetry gives her something to be proud of, apart from work and academics.
In late April of 2021, Smith’s first poetry book will be published by the publishing company Press Dionysus.
“The reason I want to be published is so that other people can read my works and see themselves reflected in the pages, and feel like somebody out there relates to them and that their experiences are maybe more universal than they thought,” Trottier said.
Kongolo shared a similar desire for her own poetry, which she said deals with a wide variety of emotions, not just her own.
Her advice for others looking to publish poetry?
“Just know that it might do something for someone else,” Kongolo said. “Share it, go with it and follow your heart.”
Featured image provided by Erica Raley.
