Is There Any Money in Poetry?

Is there money in Poetry? This is a question I'm always asked at Writers' Conferences and it's also a constant refrain in email inquiries. The answer, of course, is yes and no. From a poet's point of view, the answer is a definite yes, provided you're a halfway competent poet who can distinguish good verse from doggerel. It's no secret that a number of major contests offer big prizes for poetry.

On the other side of the coin, most contests are usually restricted in some way or another. They may be open only to certain nationals, or residents of particular states or cities, or even confined to members of various literary associations. In almost all cases, limits will also be imposed on the length of the poems and the number of submissions. Even the types and genres of verse are sometimes restricted.

The Annual Tom Howard Poetry Contest for Verse in All Styles and Genres is a notable exception. It is one of the few major contests that impose no restrictions at all on length, genres, or number of submissions.

The Tom Howard Contest is also in a minority in that it offers the convenience of either posting entries online or sending them in hard copy through the mails.

It's also true that while many contests openly proclaim that all genres and subjects are acceptable, in actual fact this is often not the case at all. In my book, "Write Ways To Win Writing Contests", I examine the judges' reports from a number of major contests in which the judges make comments such as: "Some of the entries were so amusing, we practically fell off our chairs laughing; but of course these entries were then instantly placed in the reject basket."

This is not the case with the Tom Howard Poetry Contest. We will not only accept humorous poems and comic verse, but we will award prizes to such poems if they make us laugh or smile.

The Annual Tom Howard Contest opens on 1 December and closes on September 30 each year.

In 2008 and 2009, the prize pool will be $5,250 (including a First Prize of $2,000), yet entry fees for the Poetry Contest remain pegged at $7 for every 25 lines. And as noted above, there are no limits on the number of lines or number of poems you may submit.

When I was a contestant, I would always submit at least three or four entries. It's hard to tell what will appeal to the judges, although reading some of the judges' own work certainly helps, as does a careful examination of the poems that have won prizes in the past.

And it's always good to keep a poem circulating. Better it's sitting on a judge's desk rather than gathering dust in a bureau drawer. 

You'll find full details at:

http://tomhowardpoetry.bravepages.com

An alternative site is

  http://www.geocities.com/rastar330/poetry.htm

Furthermore, if entrants so desire, winning poems will be published at a later date at no charge in a printed anthology. If you do not wish to have your poems published in traditional print format, you are under no obligation to do so. The latest anthology of prize-winning poetry is "Sailing in the Mist of Time". This beautifully printed, large format book actually contains 106 poems, including 50 major award winners, and retails at the publishing house for $16.50.

Alas, despite what many people believe, there is no money in publishing poetry anthologies, no matter how outstanding the poems may be. Every week, I receive letters from hopeful contestants asking if I would publish their work. The sad fact is that the only people who make money from poetry anthologies are the printers and the booksellers. The contributors and the publisher make no money at all. So this anthology is provided as a service. Contributors receive no extra money over and above their prize money. I receive no recompense for all my editing and lay-out work. And both the publisher and I consider ourselves fortunate to recover our expenses. That's why the book is currently "on special" at Amazon and some other stores for only $9.95. Neither the publisher nor I receive any money at all from these sales. Therefore, I'm sorry to say, we are not in a position to publish your book of poems, even if your name is Robert Frost or Walt Whitman or William Wordsworth. But, as said, we are happy to provide this opportunity to purchase this particular book of 106 winning and commended poems at a discount price as a service.