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Topic : Is there a Market for Poetry with a Fixed Verse Form I find that when I structure my poetry according to an accepted form such as a villanelle, sestina, or sonnet I am able to think more - selfpublishingguru.com

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I find that when I structure my poetry according to an accepted form such as a villanelle, sestina, or sonnet I am able to think more clearly because of the boundaries of the form, and believe my best poetry is in fixed verse form.

I'm concerned that fixed verse form poetry seems old fashioned (especially given the number of people who think writing a sonnet gives them license to torture the English language). Are there readers for this type of poetry? Are their editors or magazines who would welcome it? Should I work on perfecting my un-structured poetry instead?


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The Lyric, "the oldest magazine in North America in continuous publication devoted to traditional poetry", is one periodical that accepts formal verse.

The New Formalist seems to be another publisher of formal poetry.

(The wikipedia article on New Formalism might be of interest.)


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I think the real question should be whether or not there is a market for poetry in general. The structure is really up to the poet, but you need to keep in mind that the reader has to be able to understand it. If you do it just to be different, you risk putting off some people. However, as it was stated already, if you have a reason for it and the reader can discern that reason, then you may end up with a larger fan base.

Having said that, I have published eight books of poetry, and while I don't sell a whole lot, I have managed to sell some of each. in addition to that, I have gotten lots of favorable feedback and excellent reviews. I don't follow a consistent structure in any of my books. Instead, I have a wide mixture of different poetry forms. Some are rhymed, some are not. I think that by having a variety I have a better chance of reaching more people. Even if they don't like some, there is a greater chance they will like others.


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I've always preferred well-executed structured poetry to free verse, and it should be welcomed by open-minded editors. The real question is, are you really willing to change your style in order to capture more of a market that's not very large to begin with?


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Duotrope also lists poetry markets; that might be the best place to start looking.


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