Getting Published
Getting your poems published is probably the biggest challenge facing a beginner writer. Here are some suggestions for making the process more straightforward, and ultimately we hope, more rewarding.
- Publishers
- How to make a submission
- A First Collection
- List of Publishers & Journals in Ireland
- List of International Journals
- Creative Writing Guides
Publishers
The first thing to remember is that there are only a few poetry publishers in Ireland and lots of poets trying to get published. Therefore, from the publisher's point of view, it makes most sense to publish a first book by a poet who also has somewhat of a reputation among the poetry buying public. Of course, a reputation is of no help unless the work is of good quality.
There are a number of ways of doing this - winning a major competition helps, giving public readings is also useful - but the most tried and trusted is to build up a track record of publication in poetry magazines, newspapers and journals. As with all things in life, the magazines and journals that are the hardest to get into are generally the ones with the highest standards and thus the ones with the most impact.
How to make a submission to a magazine or newspaper
The following is a list of guidelines for submitting poems:
- Get a copy of the magazine and read it. It is much easier to put together a submission when you have some idea of the editor's taste, whether special issues devoted to a particular theme are planned, what the general standard of material published is like etc. We do not recommend submitting to a magazine you have never seen or heard of.
- Send no more than six poems, NOT YOUR ENTIRE MANUSCRIPT!
Editors, of magazines in particular, are usually voluntary and poorly paid. They invariably receive at least a hundred times more material than they can possibly hope to publish and do not have time to read more than a few poems per submission. Generally magazines only accept original, unpublished work. - Make sure that your poems are typed on A4 paper, if possible, and that your name appears on each page. In general, editors prefer not to receive fancy typefaces, handwritten work or work with illustrations.
- Send copies of your work, not the originals, and always keep copies of whatever you send.
- Include a stamped, self-addressed envelope or an International Reply Coupon for a response. Most magazines and journals cannot afford to return manuscripts, which don't have an SAE/IRC.
- Give the editor time to reply. As previously mentioned, editors receive a lot of material: you can reasonably expect to hear in 6 months at the latest.
- It is not usual to submit the same material to more than one magazine at time.
- With established magazines it is usual to receive a copy of the magazine in which your work appears (you should not normally have to pay for this). Some magazines also offer payment for material, but the sums are usually small. It is not standard practice to pay to have your work published.
A First Collection
The difference between a book of poems and a novel is about £5000
Dermot Bolger, The Irish Times
Poetry publishing in Ireland is not big business, most publishers are small and so is their market. A first collection of poems is unlikely to be produced in a print-run of more than 1000. Big advances are rare (not to say unheard of) in poetry publishing, though you should expect to receive some copies of your book and perhaps some payment. Royalties are usually payable at 10% of the cover price per book sold. It is not standard practice to pay to have your work published.
As with poetry magazines, poetry publishers receive far more manuscripts than they can possibly hope to publish. It is crucial, therefore, to have established a track record of publication in established magazines etc. before approaching a publisher with a collection.
If you are planning to approach to a publisher it is preferable to send a small representative sample of your work (eg. the first 8 - 10 poems) with an introductory letter and a brief biographical note. Remember to include an S.A.E. If the publisher is interested in publishing your work they will contact you for a full manuscript. You should allow at least three months for a response.
List of Publishers & Journals
in Ireland
A&A Farmar
Beech House, 78 Ranelagh Village, D6
t 353 (0)1 496 3625
e afarmar@iol.ie
w www.aafarmar.ie
An Gúm
Foras na Gaeilge, 7 Merrion Square, D2
t 1850 325 325 , 0845 309 8142 (NI)
e eolas@forasnagaeilge.ie
w www.forasnagaeilge.ie
Appletree Press Ltd
The Old Potato Station,
14 Howard Street South,
Belfast BT7 1AP
t 44 (0) 28 90 243074
e reception@appletree.ie
w www.appletree.ie
Arlen House
PO Box 222, Galway
t 086 8207617
e arlenhouse@ireland.com
Ballylough Books
Chestnut Lodge, Callaghane, Co Waterford,
t 051-382538
w ardkeen.ie/ballyloughbooks/index.html
Blackhall Publishing
Lonsdale House, Avoca Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin
t 353 1 278 5090
e info@blackhallpublishing.com
w www.blackhallpublishing.com
Blackstaff Press
4c Heron Wharf, Sydenham Business Park, Belfast BT3 9LE
t +44 (0) 28 9045 5006
w www.blackstaffpress.com
Bradshaw Books
Civic Trust House, 50 Pope's Quay, Cork City
t (0)21 4215175
e admin@cwpc.ie
w www.bradshawbooks.com
Brandon Books
Cooleen, Dingle, Co Kerry
t (353) 06651463
w www.brandonbooks.com
Carysfort Press Ltd
58 Woodfield, Scholarstown Road, Rathfarnham, D16
t 353 1 493 7383
e info@carysfortpress.com
w www.carysfortpress.com
Celtic Publications
16 Grove Lawn, Malahide, Co Dublin
t 353 1 845 6860
e info@celticpublications.com
www.celticpublications.com
Childnames.net
27 Villarea Park, Glenageary, Co Dublin
t 353 (0)87 9369888
w www.childnames.net
Cló-Iar-Chonnachta
Cló Iar-Chonnachta, Inverin, Connemara, Co. Galway
t 091 593307
e cic@iol.ie
w www.cic.ie
Coiscéim
91 Bothar Binn Éadair, Pháirc na bhFianna, Binn Éadair, Baile Átha
Cliath 13
t 01 8322 509
Cois Life Teoranta
62 Páirc na Rós, Ascaill na Cille,
Dún Laoghaire,
Co Bhaile Átha Cliath
t 353 1 2807951
e eolas@coislife.ie
w coislife.ie
The Columba Press
The Columba Bookservice, 55A Spruce Avenue, Stillorgan Industrial Park, Blackrock, Co Dublin
t 353 1 294 2556
e info@columba.ie
w www.columba.ie
Cork University Press/Attic Press
Youngline Industrial Estate, Pouladuff Road, Togher, Cork
t 353 (0) 21 490 2980
w www.corkuniversitypress.com
Currach Press
55A Spruce Avenue, Stillorgan Industrial Park, Blackrock, Co Dublin
t 353 1 294 2556
e info@currach.ie
w www.currach.ie
De Búrca
"Cloonagashel"
27 Priory Drive, Blackrock, Co Dublin
t 353 (0)1 288 2159
e deburca@indigo.ie
w www.deburcararebooks.com
Dedalus Press
13 Moyclare Road, Baldoyle, D13
t 01 8392034
e info@dedaluspress.com
w www.dedaluspress.com
Doghouse Books
PO Box 312, Tralee GPO, Co Kerry, Ireland
e info@doghousebooks.ie
w www.doghousebooks.ie
Dominican Publications
42 Parnell Square, D1
t 353 1 872 1611
w www.dominicanpublications.com
Drumlin Publications
Nure, Manorhamilton, Co Leitrim
t 353 (0) 71 9855237
e drumlinp@gmail.com
w www.drumlinpublications.com
The Educational Company of Ireland
Ballymount Road, Walkinstown, D12
t 01 4500611
e info@edco.ie
w www.edco.ie
Flyleaf Press
4 Spencer Villas, Glenageary, Co Dublin, Ireland.
t 353 1 2854658
e books@flyleaf.ie
w www.flyleaf.ie
Four Courts Press
7 Malpas Street, D8, Ireland
t 353 1 453 4668
e info@fourcourtspress.ie
W www.fourcourtspress.ie
Gallery Press
Loughcrew, Oldcastle, Co Meath
t 049 8541779
e gallery@indigo.ie
w www.gallerypress.ie
Gill and Macmillan
Hume Avenue, Park West, Dublin 12
t 353 (1) 500 9500
w www.gillmacmillan.ie/
Goldsmith Press
Newbridge, Co Kildare
f 045 433613
Guildhall Press
Unit 15, Rath Mor Business Park, Bligh's Lane, Creggan, Derry BT48 0LZ
t (028) 7136 4413
e info@ghpress.com
w www.ghpress.com
Lagan Press
Unit 45, Westlink Enterprise Centre, 30 - 50 Distillery St, Belfast, BT12 5BJ
t 0044 028 9024 7776
e lagan-press@e-books.org.uk
w www.lagan-press.org.uk
Lapwing Publications
1 Ballysillan Drive, Belfast BT14, Northern Ireland
e lapwing.poetry@ntlworld.com
w www.freewebs.com/lapwingpoetry
Liberties Press
140 Terenure Road North, Terenure, D6
t 353 01 405 5703
e info@libertiespress.com
w www.libertiespress.com
The Lilliput Press
62-63 Sitric Road,
Arbour Hill,
D7
t 353 (01) 671 16 47
w www.lilliputpress.ie
New Island
2 Brookside, Dundrum Road, D14
t 01 2989937 / 2983411
e thomas.cooney@newisland.com
w www.newisland.ie
O'Brien Press
12 Terenure Road East, Rathgar, D6, Ireland
t 01 492 3333
w www.obrien.ie
Penguin Ireland
25 St. Stephen's Green, D2
t 353 1 661 7695
e info@penguin.ie
w www.penguin.ie
Poolbeg
123 Grange Hill, Baldoyle Industrial Estate, Baldoyle, D13
t 353 1 832 1477
e info@poolbeg.com
w www.poolbeg.com
Salmon Poetry
Cliffs of Moher, Liscannor, Co Clare
t 065 7081941
e info@salmonpoetry.com
w www.salmonpoetry.com
Seven Towers
4 St. Muras Terrace, Strangford Road, East Wall, D3
w www.seventowers.ie
Smithereens Press
(Online Publisher)
Editor: Kenneth Keating
e smithereens.press@gmail.com
w http://smithereenspress.blog.com/
The Stinging Fly
PO Box 6016, D1
e stingingfly@gmail.com
w www.stingingfly.org
Summer Palace Press
Cladnageeragh, Kilbeg, Killcar, Co Donegal
e cladnageeragh@eircom.net
Yes! Publications
10-12 Bishop Street; Derry / Londonderry BT48 6PW
e yes@yespublications.org
w http://yespublications.org
Wild Honey Press
16a Ballyman Road, Bray Co Wicklow
e poetry@wildhoneypress.com
w www.wildhoneypress.com
Wordsonthestreet
Six San Antonio Park, Salthill, Galway
e publisher@wordsonthestreet.com
w www.wordsonthestreet.com/
SELF-PUBLISHING
Original Writing
Spade Enterprise Centre, North King Street, D7
e info@originalwriting.ie
w www.originalwriting.ie
Choice Publishing
Barlow House, Narrow West Street, Drogheda, Co Louth
e info@choicepublishing.ie
w www.choicepublishing.ie
ISBNs
For information about ISBNs, visit here
To purchase ISBNs in the Republic of Ireland / UK, visit here.
POETRY JOURNALS
Poetry Ireland Review
Poetry Ireland, 32 Kildare Street, D2
Editor: John F Deane
e publications@poetryireland.ie [No
submissions by e-mail]
w www.poetryireland.ie
Cork Literary Review
c/o Bradshaw Books, Civic Trust House, Pope's Quay, Cork
e admin@cwpc.ie
Crannóg Magazine
Galway Language Centre, Bridge Mills, Galway
e editor@crannogmagazine.com
w www.crannogmagazine.com
Cúirt Review
Galway Arts Centre, 47 Dominick Street, Galway
Editor: Trish Fitzpatrick
Cyphers
3 Selskar Terrace, Ranelagh, D6
Editors: Eíléan Ní Chuilleanáin, Macdara Woods, Pearse Hutchinson,
Leland Bardwell
e letters@cyphers.ie
w cyphers.ie
The Drunken Boat
(Online Publication)
Editor: Rebecca Seiferle
e tdbeditor@yahoo.com
w http://www.thedrunkenboat.com/index.htm
The Dublin Review
Brendan Barrington, PO Box 7948, D1
w www.thedublinreview.com/
The Dublin Review of Books (DRB)
Irish Pages
129 Ormeau Road, Belfast BT7 1SH
Editor: Chris Agee
e editor@irishpages.org
w www.irishpages.org
THE SHOP
A Magazine of Poetry, Skeagh, Schull, Cork, Ireland
Editors: John and Hilary Wakeman
e wakeman@iolfree.ie [No
submissions by e-mail]
w www.theshop-poetry-magazine.ie
The Stinging Fly
P.O. Box 6016, D8
Editor: Declan Meade
e stingingfly@hotmail.com
w www.stingingfly.org
Sharp Review
Writers Society,
Societies Office,
National University of Ireland, Galway
Editor: Liam Duffy
e writers@socs.nuigalway.ie
w www.socs.nuigalway.ie
West 47
Galway Arts Centre, 47 Dominick Street, Galway
e gac@indigo.ie
w www.galwayartscentre.ie
LITERARY AGENTS
The Book Bureau
Geraldine Nichol, 7 Duncairn Avenue, Bray, Co Wicklow
t 01 2764996 or 01 2764834.
Marianne Gunn O'Connor
Suite 17, Morrison Chambers, 32 Nassau Street, D2
t 01 6779100
e mariannegmm@eircom.net
The Lisa Richards Agency
Contact Faith O'Grady, 108 Upper Leeson Street, D4
t 01 6375000
e faith@lisarichards.ie.
Jonathan Williams
Rosney Mews, Upper Glenageary Road, Glenageary, Co Dublin
t 01 2803482.
Causeway Literary Agency
24 East Claremont Street, Edinburgh EH7 4JP
PO Box 833, Maynooth, Co Kildare
t: 0131 556 2006 / 045 86 9801
e info@causewayagency.com
OTHER PUBLISHING RESOURCES
The Portable Creative Writing Workshop
by Pat Boran, Salmon Publishing
Writers and Artists Yearbook
A & C Black, London
Writing Poems
by Peter Sansom, Bloodaxe Books
Getting Into Poetry
by Paul Hyland, Bloodaxe Books
Poet's Market
(mostly U.S. publications) Writer's Digest Books
The Making of a Poem
by Mark Strand and Eavan Boland, Norton Books USA
