The Big Spreadsheet
The big list of 175+ contests and open reading periods for poetry books.
A spreadsheet to find poetry books publishers. If you want to make a copy of this to customize and track your own submissions, please check out the tips in the last column on the spreadsheet.
I shared the first version of this spreadsheet in 2018, after I had been submitting my own book and gathering deadlines for a couple years. That was the seed of what became the project now known as the Poetry Bulletin.
This is a poet-to-poet effort to make the publishing process friendlier and easier. These tools are especially for:
Poets who face barriers of time, access, or energy. For writers who have historically been ignored and underrepresented. Having opportunities in an easy-to-use place boosts the odds that you’ll know what's out there and can spend your good energy creating your book instead of building spreadsheets.
Publishers who are committed to fair and inclusive publishing. Better data can inspire better practices. Gathering submission fees and compensation information in one spot gives us a picture of the poetry ecosystem. It makes it easier for publishers to know if and how their submissions process puts their values to work.
As the project has grown, so has the support and the completeness of the information. In 2021, the submissions fee support circle formed, with folks chipping in to help fellow poets submit their books. Over $10,000 has been given to more than 200 poets since then.
Starting in 2022, I added prize and compensation information to the spreadsheet. The hope is this will make it easier for you to decide where to submit and advocate for yourself as you consider publishing offers and review contracts.
If you’re a publisher with updates to share, please say hello.