| Putting together a book of your poems, whether for | | | | to do all this arranging via a computer screen. This |
| self-publishing or sending to a publisher, can take a lot | | | | simply makes changes easier, and gives you a better |
| of time and effort - and it should. Here are a few | | | | visual idea of how your poems will appear on the |
| things to keep in mind when you are creating your | | | | page. |
| own poetry book. | | | | 3.When you are deciding what to include and not to |
| 1.Since you will naturally want to keep your book to | | | | include, you may want to enlist the help of a trusted |
| one poem per page (except, of course for longer | | | | friend or writing group. In the absence of that - or |
| works), it should be relatively easy to estimate the | | | | even if you do have those types of resources - you |
| number of pages your finished book will be. Those | | | | will want to evaluate your own material as |
| that are around 30 or fewer pages are what is | | | | objectively as possible. One way to do that with |
| known as chapbooks, while fifty pages or more | | | | poems you've already gone over a thousand times is |
| would constitute a full-length book. It all depends, of | | | | to read them aloud. Doing this will help stop you from |
| course, upon how much work you have that you | | | | skipping ahead as you read your own overly familiar |
| consider ready for the world, and on how you want | | | | poems, and will give you a whole new perspective on |
| to present it. While full-length books should be | | | | your work. |
| perfect-bound in soft or hard covers, chapbooks can | | | | 4.Once you have decided which poems are going into |
| generally have a more casual feel to them. Take a | | | | your book, set them (and the whole project) aside |
| look online or at your local print shop to see what | | | | for a day or two. Do anything BUT work on your |
| different binding styles are out there and which one | | | | book. Go for walks, visit friends, take a short |
| is right for the book you want to create. | | | | vacation, whatever it takes to get you away from |
| 2.Depending on the type of book you are putting | | | | the project for a bit. When you get back, do more |
| together, you may want to arrange your poems in | | | | sifting, editing, and arranging. |
| different ways. If you have a lot of works about a | | | | 5.When the size and order of your book are starting |
| certain place or person, or have some poems that | | | | to gel, start trying out titles. There's no set-in- stone |
| are written in a unique voice, perhaps put them | | | | method for doing this, of course, but you are stuck |
| together in a section of your book. Breaking up your | | | | for ideas, you can start to get the wheels turning by |
| poetry book into sections like this gives your reader | | | | choosing a favorite line, alluding to one of your |
| something to connect with and hold onto and helps | | | | themes, or even stealing a title from one of your |
| to establish themes throughout your work. One | | | | poems. This is something that you will want to enlist |
| suggestion for when you are in this stage of the | | | | some help on as well, so gather some trusted |
| process is to print your pages up rather than trying | | | | sources and run a few titles past them. |