Q. Dear Writers Market, I write poetry and just wanted to inquire to if you have any suggestions or know of any agents who may consider taking poets on there books? Many Thanks.
- Jason
A. I'm sorry, Jason, but literary agents do not take on poetry books - at least 99.9% of the time they do not. Collections of poetry (chapbooks) are traditionally self-published by poets. Yes, some big-name poets do get work represented, but these are usually Poet Laureates, or fiction writers who have also written a collection of poetry. Beware any literary agent who reps poetry because they are likely a scammer. And if you see an agency that advertises how it reps poetry, oh man, run like hell.
This cool poetry slam pic courtesy
of Minnesota Artists
- My coworker, editor Robert Brewer, runs the amazing Poetic Asides blog.
- Our WD writers' conference in NYC (Sept. 2009) has a big Poetry Slam!
- Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.
- Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.
- Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!
