How to Make a Living as a Poet

Tips for baby boomers: It is possible to make a living as a poet

Yes, it is possible! You can make a living as a poet. With all of the baby boomers entering retirement in the immediate future, it becomes increasingly apparent that there will be many people seeking to do something new and different with their time. Writing, marketing or selling poetry appears to be a lucrative venture, which many may attempt as a way of supplementing their incomes. But, the question of whether or not it is logical, possible, or even feasible, depends upon how one goes about it.

Here are some tips for baby boomers who are planning to make a living as poets.

Find out how to market your poetry. Be aware that most poets are writers, rather than marketers or people who know how to market poetry. Taking a course in marketing first, might be of tremendous benefit to someone seeking to sell their poetry, in order to earn a living.

Your poetry is your own creation and it should be acknowledged, as such. Once it has been placed on the market, anyone can claim ownership of it or try to sell it. Thus, copyright is important. Learning about copyright laws and how they apply to poetry, will to be to your advantage. Once you have written a piece of poetry, you retain the original author's rights for it, but there may be other kinds of copyright involved, depending on what you choose to do with your work.

Poetry does have value, so you need to determine what your poetry is worth to you. That is not just in terms of sentimental value, although that can be part of it. It should include a dollar value, as well. Assign a dollar value to your work, either as individual pieces or as an entire collection of your works.

Decide in what format you are going to market your poetry. Its value may vary depending upon how choose to you market it. For instance, if you choose to frame your poetry for someone, make certain that you are including the cost involved for framing, glass and matting,. when you are setting a price on it. You should be making a profit and not incurring a loss. A good rule of thumb when fixing a price on it is to triple your cost.

Custom poetry is written upon request and can be assigned a definite dollar value, prior to the time that it is written. Before writing custom poetry, make certain that you have established a firm market value for it. If possible, obtain a written agreement with the person, organization or company for whom you are writing the poetry. Include your writing time, plus printing, framing, or other anticipated costs. Don't forget to include the tax portion of it. Again, it is up to you to decide how much it is worth. Keep in mind that if you do set your 

price too high, you may lose your market, so you do want to keep the price competitive.

Self publication (also known as vanity publishing) of poetry is a logical and feasible way to make money with poetry. Consider this as a viable option for making a living, but remember to do research into the actual cost involved first. You do not want to invest a lot of money, unless you can expect a reasonable return on your investment. Remember it has to be sold before you will receive any return from it and so this is a marketing venture, as well.

Finding an outside publisher may be a viable option for you. Do research on the Internet, at your local book store or library. Find out who is buying what in terms of poetry. Learn exactly what kind of poetry they are interested in purchasing. Make direct contact with a publisher, if possible. Ask questions. You may be expected to submit copies of your work and that can involve extra cost for you. It is possible for you to submit poetry via direct file transfers from your computer or by e-mail. If you have access to a CD burner, you can put your poetry on a CD and submit it to a publisher that way. Or, you could market and sell your own poetry CDs. Make certain that you always have a copy of your own work.

Making contact with other people or groups of people, will enhance your market. Let people know that you are writing poetry, as well as the kind of poetry that you are writing. Make certain that they are aware that you are marketing and selling your poetry, rather than just writing it as a hobby or pastime.

Mentoring or teaching others to write, market or sell poetry might prove to be a good source of income for you. At the same time, you will be doing something that you love to do.

Offer to do poetry readings for events, or special occasions. Even family birthday parties, weddings, or other special occasions, can give you an opportunity to advertise your work. Word of mouth is always a good way to do marketing.

Try to publish some of your poetry in bulletins, flyers, brochures, magazines, books or anthologies, but make certain that if you are expecting to be paid for it, that this is part of your agreement, prior to the publication of your work. There are many places where you can have poetry published for free. While free publishing does not earn any income for you, it does give your writing some exposure.

It never hurts to give away a piece of poetry or two. When you do that, many times, it will return to you a hundred fold, sometimes in other ways. This kind of payment may not be monetary, but people do get paid in many different ways.

Try entering international, national or local contests to see how your poetry stands in comparison to the work of others. Sometimes, there are monetary awards, but not always. Some pay in terms of publishing contracts. You might be lucky and wind up with a publisher, who finds you and your poetry through these contests.

Create or design an exclusive new product for your poetry. Use it, post it or even wear it, where others can see what you have created or designed. Soon you may find that you have established a viable market for your product and your poetry. You can then do creation and distribution on demand, if indicated. Set your own price, but make certain that it is a profitable venture for you.

Gather a group of poets and brainstorm together. Even if you cannot afford to publish your own work, a group of poets may be able to bring a project into fruition. Making online contacts with other poets will allow you an opportunity to find out how they are succeeding at making a living by selling their poetry.

Find or appoint an agent who has known marketing skills. Have him or her contact every place where poetry can be sold. Greeting cards companies, magazines or newspapers, radio or television stations and internet web sites, may be a few of the valid options open for your consideration.

Consider starting your own poetry business as an entrepreneur. Create a feasible business plan. Seek guidance from a bookkeeper or an accountant. Register your own business name or company. Begin to advertise your business and your poetry as a viable product. Any poet can also become an entrepreneur.

See if you can find your own niche for poetry, eg. children's poetry or poetry that deals with a specific topic of some kind, like nature, birds or flowers.. To some extent, you may be creating your own job. It will take a bit of ingenuity on your part. Perhaps you are an eclectic poet and can tap into more than one market.

By becoming an Internet poetry publisher for your own work and that of others, you will more than likely achieve some degree of success. You may have to learn new skills first, in order to do that, but expand your horizons.

Remember that if any other poet can succeed, a baby boomer poet can succeed too. You may already be well on the way to making a living as a poet, if you have written a body of works that are of good quality. You can succeed at earning a living by writing, marketing and selling your poetry, so have the courage to try.