How to Create a Book of Your Original Poetry

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: March 13, 2023 Approved

Your poetry may be appreciated by others when it is thoughtfully assembled into a collection. If you want to create a poetry book, you have various options. If you're making a gift for a friend, or simply want your work assembled in a nice book, consider making your own book. Book binding is not as difficult as you would think with a little time and dedication. You can also assemble a manuscript to send to a publisher. If you're not sure your book would work for a conventional publisher, look into the self publishing route.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Organizing Your Project

1
Handwrite or type up your poetry. The first step to making your own poetry book is getting your manuscript ready. To do so, you'll have to write out or type your poems up on individual pages. These pages will later be bound into a book.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- You can choose whatever size paper you would like, but it's a good idea to use nicer paper than conventional printer paper. Manuscript quality paper can be purchased online or at a print shop. You can also consider browsing paper supplies at a local craft shop. You may find a nice quality paper you feel would look great in your book.
- If you intend to type and print your poetry, make sure you are able to print on the paper you choose. Some craft papers may not go through a printer, and you may have to go to a print shop to print on manuscript papers.
- Once you've chosen your paper, type and print your poems or hand write them out on the pages.
2
Organize the pages in a logical fashion. Before binding your poems together, decide on an order. A poetry manuscript is a work of art, so poems should not simply be arranged randomly.^{[2]
X
Research source}
- Try to group poems by tone or theme. If you have a series of nature poems, group them together. You may have two poems that present opposite ideas, but are in conversation with one another. You can pair these poems side-by-side to make the connection apparent to the reader.
- Go through your pages and watch out for any weak poems. If you're not in love with a certain poem, either revise it or leave it out of the manuscript altogether.
Advertisement
3
Gather your supplies. Once your poems are assembled in a logical fashion, you can begin the process of binding your manuscript. Stop by a craft store and pick up the following supplies:^{[3]
X
Research source}
- 2 sheets of sturdy cardboard, which you want to cut into the exact same size as your pages. This will serve as the cover.
- Decorate paper to place over the cover
- Ribbon
- A heavy duty hole puncher
- Glue stick
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Bull clips

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Assembling Your Book

1
Create your cover. Use your ruler to draw one line an inch to the left edge of your cardboard. Draw another line a half inch to the left of the edge. Cut along these lines to slice out a centimeter inch thick strip from the cardboard and an one inch strip. Discard the small piece of cardboard and place the one inch strip a centimeter away from the edge of the cardboard. This strip will be wrapped up in decorative paper to form the cover. Repeat with the other piece of cardboard.^{[4]
X
Research source}
- Take the decorative paper you purchased at the craft store. Use your ruler to draw a rectangle on the backside of the decorative paper. The rectangle should be 1.5 inches longer and 1.5 inches wider than the pages of your manuscript.
- Once you've drawn the rectangle, use your scissors to cut it out. You should be left with a cover page that's slightly bigger than the pages of your manuscript, as well as the two pieces of cardboard.
- Go slowly as you cut. You want your rectangle to have fairly even ledges.
2
Draw a border on the backside of your cover. You need this border to help you fold the cover over the cardboard later on. Draw a border that's 3/4 inch, and surrounds the entire cover.^{[5]
X
Research source}
- You can mark your border on the backside of the cover page using a ruler and pen.
- Draw two horizontal lines 3/4 inch into the bottom and top edges of the cover.
- Draw two vertical lines 3/4 inch to the left and right edges of the cover. This should create a 3/4 inch border surrounding the cover page.
3
Finish your cover. Cover the entire piece of cardboard with glue. Place the cardboard onto the backside of the cover page. Make sure to fit the cardboard within the border you just drew. Flip the cardboard over, so the front side of the cover page is facing up. Gently press the cover onto the cardboard, making sure to smooth out any ripples or air bubbles.^{[6]
X
Research source}
- Do not apply glue to the paper. Glue can cause the paper to wrinkle and swell up.
- Repeat this same process with the back cover.
4
Fold the nice paper over the front and back cover to secure. Take the front cover and flip it upside down so the cardboard is facing up. Fold each corner of the cover inward. Glue the corners in place.^{[7]
X
Research source}
- Once the glue on the corners has dried, fold the sides of the cover over, so the cover is securely wrapped around the cardboard. Glue these sides in place as well.
- Repeat the same process with the back cover.
5
Create the inside cover. Take your decorative paper again. Draw two rectangles half an inch shorter and half an inch more narrow than your manuscript pages. Cut out these rectangles.^{[8]
X
Research source}
- Glue each rectangle to the backside of the front and back covers.
- The rectangles should cover up the cardboard, giving your inside cover a pretty appearance.
6
Punch holes through the pages, and front and back cover. Make sure to use a heavy duty hole puncher, especially if you have a thicker book. Use your bull clips to sandwich your pages between the front and back cover. Make sure everything lines up evenly.^{[9]
X
Research source}
- Place your book face up on a flat surface.
- Along the left side, punch one hole 1.5 inch from the top of the book. Punch another hole 1.5 inch from the bottom of the book. Both of these holes should be half an inch in from the book's spine.
7
Bind your book. Cut out a piece of ribbon six times as long as your book is high. Feed your ribbon through the top hole along the spine of your book, feeding it through the top side of the book. Pull the ribbon underneath the book until there's only a length of ribbon slightly longer than the width of the book sticking out the top side of the book. Loop the ribbon stemming from the bottom of the book back around to the top of the book and pull the ribbon into a tight loop.^{[10]
X
Research source}
- Take the ribbon coming out of the bottom side of the book's top hole. Pass it over so it's on top of the book again and thread the ribbon through the the bottom hole. Loop the ribbon back to the top of the book. Feed it through the bottom hole again, and pull until tight.
- Wrap the ribbon underneath the book. Loop it over the top of the book, and feed it through the bottom hole again. Feed the ribbon through the top hole once more. There should be a criss-cross pattern running along the spine of the book.
- Wrap the ribbon over the top of the book. The ribbon you've been threading should be next to the other side of the ribbon you left when you began threading. Tie these two ends together in a tight knot, and tie the knot into a bow. Your book is now complete.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Preparing a Manuscript to Send to a Publisher

1
Review your poems and revise once more. Before sending your poetry off to a publisher, revise it carefully. You do not want to send in a manuscript that has typos or other errors. You should also revise poems for content. You want your poems as high quality as possible before sending into the world.
- Comb over your manuscript and scrutinize each poem. Does it convey what you're trying to convey? Is the language effective? Does it help you adequately express your central theme or idea?
- Watch out for typos and basic errors as well. You should only send out a manuscript that has been thoroughly proofread.
2
Organize your poems for the manuscript. From here, you'll want to organize your poems. A poetry anthology should function like a novel. It should progress naturally, moving between themes and ideas. You should not just assemble your poems haphazardly.^{[11]
X
Research source}
- Think of your book as the final poem in your manuscript. Just as a poem progresses logically based on theme and meter, your poetry book should have a flow to it. Figure out a rhythm that works for you. Should shorter poems come first, with longer ones in the middle, and finishing off with shorter ones? Or do you want a beat that varies, moving from a short poem to a long one?
- See if you notice any relationships between poems. Do certain poems speak to one another? A poem about life, for example, may pair well with a poem about death and rebirth. You could try pairing these poems together in your manuscript.
3
Consider dividing your manuscript into separate sections. Many poetry books are organized by theme. Linda Pastan's The Five Stages of Grief, for example, is organized by themes like anger, denial, bargaining, and so forth.^{[12]
X
Research source}
- Do your poems seem to have different themes throughout? Are there certain poems that are all about nature and its decay? Are a handful of poems about rebirth?
- If your poems seem to be easily divided based on theme, think about dividing your poetry book into different sections. Think of each section as a separate poem, and try to organize sections based on things like rhythm, meaning, poems that speak to each other, and so forth.
4
Read through your manuscript. Once you've assembled your manuscript, give it a read through. Make sure it flows together nicely. You should be able to feel a certain rhythm in your manuscript, and trace a logical trajectory of ideas and themes.^{[13]
X
Research source}
- It may be helpful to print your manuscript out for this process. If you dislike the organization in one section, you can easily switch a few poems around and reread. See if you like the new section better.
- If you find any weak poems, simply remove them, especially if they are unnecessary to the thematic progression of your work. You want your manuscript to reflect the best version of yourself and your poetry. There is no room for weak work.
5
Follow all instructions when sending your manuscript in to a publisher. Once your manuscript is ready, make sure to follow all instructions on how to send to your chosen publisher. Presses and publishing houses have a variety of guidelines when it comes to mailing in a manuscript. Less is generally more with poetry. Most publishers want a manuscript around 48 to 64 pages in length.^{[14]
X
Research source}
- Some publishing houses accept electronic submissions. If this is the case, make sure you send your files in the proper form. Many publishers will want a PDF file over a word document. If you're mailing your poems in, make sure you follow guidelines for binding. A publisher may also want a self addressed stamped envelope included with your manuscript.
- You will probably have to write a cover letter explaining your credentials as an author, and giving a brief overview of your collection. Here, mention anything that would give you an edge over potential competition. For example, mention if you attended a prestigious MFA program or won any literary awards.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Self Publishing a Poetry Anthology

1
Make sure your manuscript is ready for publication. A lot of famous poets, such as Walt Whitman, initially published themselves. This can be a great outlet for you if you're unsure you want to go a traditional publishing route. However, you do not want to waste time and money on self publishing if your work is not ready. Read over your poetry collection and try to be honest with yourself. Is this work ready for publication? Would you be happy putting this work out into the world?^{[15]
X
Research source}
- Seek input from others. Have trusted friends, or any colleagues you have from college or an MFA program, read through your collection. Ask them if they think it's polished and professional, and whether they would pay for a book like this. If you get lukewarm feedback, you may want to reconsider self publishing. Try to work on your poetry for a few more months before publishing your book.
- It may also be worth your time to hire a proofreader. Self-published books do not go through as strict an editorial process, and many writers find it difficult to catch their own errors. Careful proofreading is important, as a work with grammatical errors can reflect poorly on you as a writer.
2
Find the right publishing route for you. If you think your work is ready, you'll need to find an outlet through which to self publish. There are a variety of publishers that allow writers to self publish their own works for a small fee. Assess what your budget is, and explore a variety of options.^{[16]
X
Research source}
- Self-publishing services will print however many copies of your book that you want, for a fee. Print-on-demand services will take a PDF copy of your manuscript, for a fee, and print copies of your book when a potential reader places an order. You are completely responsible for marketing and selling your book with these kinds of companies.
- In addition to browsing the costs from various companies, consider other costs. Marketing your book may cost money. If you're unable to do graphic design on your own, you will need to pay a graphic designer to design your cover.
3
Assemble your collection. Once you've selected a route for self-publishing, assemble your materials. The process of assembling a self-published manuscript is more or less the same as the process of assembling a manuscript that's being sent to a publisher. You want to make sure the poems work together in a cohesive manner, and that all the poems speak to the overall theme of the collection. However, there are some unique considerations when it comes to self-publishing.^{[17]
X
Research source}
- You need to have some kind of cover art for your collection. If you do not know how to design a cover on your own, you will either have to hire a graphic designer or have a friend help you.
- You will have to figure out how to format the book properly for the publishing company you're sending it to. You can check guidelines online.
- Self-published collections are usually not edited. You will want to make sure you edit all your content carefully to make sure your manuscript is free of spelling and grammatical errors.
4
Send in the materials. Once you've completed formatting, proofreading, and designing your collection, send it in to your chosen company. You will have to pay a fee. If you're printing multiple copies rather than doing print-by-demand, that fee will be higher.^{[18]
X
Research source}
- Once you send in your material, you should receive a copy of your book of poetry within a certain timeframe outlined by the company. Once you receive your book, you will have a book of poetry to share with your friends and loved ones.

Community Q&A

Question

Do you have to put a foreword in the book?

Community Answer

It depends on the requirements of your publishing house. If you're self publishing, you can choose whether or not you want to use a forward.
Question

What kind of places will buy original poetry?

Community Answer

Some literary journals, both online and in print, pay for poems. If you get a book published through a publishing house, you will keep some of the money your book earns.
Question

Is it possible to get my poetry published for free?

Community Answer

If your poetry is accepted for publication, you usually do not have to pay any fees to have the book published. However, not all publishers do marketing campaigns for poetry, so you may need to put some of your own money into self promotion.