Captain Robert von Ranke Graves, an English poet, historical novelist and critic, once said,  ‘There’s no money in poetry, but then, there’s no poetry in money, either.’ What he said is still relevant, but there are ways in which he could be proved wrong in the modern context. Besides the fact that many poets, even the modern ones, prioritise expressing what they have to say to the world and the artistic satisfaction of their work over monitory aspects of writing poems, there is a growing market for poetry—a market that looks very static, yet a solid segment of readers. Simultaneously, you compile a collection of poems print and distribute them to the market, but no one reads them. Well, you need to pitch to the readers who are interested, particularly in poetry. Not everyone reads them.

Let’s look at traditional poetry markets. Undoubtedly, poetry remains a beloved art; there are still organisations dedicated to its welfare, and several publishing houses continue to produce collections of established poetry despite the low financial returns it affords. Because the tears and smiles of a good number of people remain. Usually, for first-timers, the best way to get their work published is to submit to anthologies of themed work. Subjects are usually simplistic in order to appeal to a wide range of popular tastes, but it’s up to the poet to play with his imagination to say challenging things despite that. Poetry anthologies often advertise for contributors in literary magazines—online and print editions. The Asian Review has an online platform, ‘The Writer’s Space,’ which is dedicated to poets worldwide.

At the same time, there are several national, regional, and global poetry competitions in different parts of the world; they usually occur annually. Most of them do not require a submission fee, but some do; the fee is usually a very insignificant amount. However, sadly, there are some entities out there that prey on idealistic writers and make money out of them by charging over the odds.

Another popular scam by some vanity publishers is to publish a poem on a no-fee basis. Then, ask the writers to buy copies of the anthology for themselves. It’s not recommended. And it’s not ethical. You are not that 75-year-old retired guy who wants his name printed beyond his life and will spend his savings on that. Traditional anthology often pays you, but you will usually receive a free copy, and you will always be offered a byline to promote your other work. Publishing poetry in collections like this can increase your chances of getting short stories and essays into literary magazines, and thus, you will get more outreach.

In modern days, an increasing amount of poetry is being published on the internet, like The Asian Review, Kopi Collection, etc. This is one of the best ways to introduce your work to a sympathetic readership, but you should know that you need to pitch to sites with many readers every week. There are hundreds of sites out there, and the readership is split. The Asian Review has over 21,000 readers on a daily basis; it is one of the most viewed literary sites that still offers you a free poetry space. However, rivalry between sites means that poets occasionally receive insignificant payments for their work, as some sites aim to monopolise preferred authors.

When you look at the advantages of self-publishing, most of us underestimate so-called ‘vanity publishing’, where an author pays for the publication. Still, it can be a legitimate outlet if you have got something to express that simply isn’t supported by an eager paying market. But this could be the last resort. And remember, they don’t distribute your books. They publish and keep them in their online inventory, and the books will be available on demand. So you won’t be noticed by a reader who enters a store. That is a big disadvantage.

What are the paying markets accessible for the poets today? Let’s have a look. If you’re willing to put things simple, expressing other people’s ideas, you’ll find hundreds of places for you. The greetings card market is the biggest among them. Millions of shops worldwide sell greeting cards, and they sell in millions daily. Almost all the cards have verses in them. Though it’s very competitive and requires the particular skill of creating something original from a strictly limited, over-familiar formula, it pays well. There are poets out there who make a living writing verses for cards. And there is an emerging demand for poets in the advertising field nowadays.

Though Robert Graves is still right, there are many more opportunities for poets today than in the old days.