If you want to become a poet or a writer, you have most likely come across the Poets and Writers Magazine.
It’s a magazine that condenses a lot of helpful information writers need to succeed in their careers. With so much being available online, you might be wondering if it’s worth the subscription or how to use their website to find what you need.
Poets and Writers Magazine currently has 100,000 readers, so there must be something to it. While it’s not helpful for all kinds of writing, if you’re specializing in poetry or creative writing, it’s one of the go-to resources in the industry.
We’ll be going over what you need to know, if you should subscribe, the history of the magazine, and how you can get the most out of it.
Poets and Writers Magazine
Since starting in 1987, Poets and Writers Magazine focused on helping condense all the issues writers care about into one place.
At the time, there weren’t too many publications bringing writers together to support them in their careers. So knowing who to pitch to or how to grow your career was not as clear cut.
Having it all in one place showed people that making a creative career was possible and a worthwhile endeavor.
While mainly focused around poetry and fiction writing, Poets and Writers Magazine also provides guidance for anyone pursuing writing careers of any kind. There are profiles of writers, tips, publication submission information, grants, and more.
You might not need to subscribe if you’re in a different writing field, but it might be worth it to scroll through their tips and apply it in your own way.
It is one of the largest nonprofits and literary organizations in the United States.
What else to know and their workshops
Poets and Writers Magazine publishes a bi-monthly magazine, which brings you information all in one place. It publishes information on literary grants and awards, publishing deadlines, profiles of writers, and tips to succeed as a writer.
They have both digital and print editions, depending on what you prefer. They also have an option to hear the magazine through the phone if you have trouble reading.
They also offer workshops for writers so you can get your pieces finished and ready for publication. You can also find them at community events or hosting live readings. Some of the events were hosted virtually due to the pandemic.
One of the popular workshops is the one called Mapping the Maze. It’s a workshop for poets and literary prose writers to navigate the world of publishing. If you already have your work written but you want to start querying literary agents, this is the workshop for you.
If you want to pitch directly to the magazine, you can check out their submission guidelines. That might be a good way for you to get your ideas published in a legitimate magazine.
Benefits of signing up for the Poets and Writers Magazine
One of the most obvious benefits of signing up is that these are currently professionals in their field. You’re not reading some post from some blogger on a website, where you have no idea what their credentials are.
This magazine is written by people who are successful in the industry or have been in it long enough to help you navigate your way through.
If you want to cut through the noise out there and get simple, practical advice, this might be a much-needed resource for you and your career.
Even if you don’t sign up for the magazine (which is pretty cheap, considering), their website has a ton of information to help you.
The only reason you might not want to sign up is if you’re in a different writing field. For example, if you want to be a screenwriter, this might not necessarily be a good fit for you.
Editorial sections in Poets and Writers Magazine
Poets and Writers Magazines has four major publishing sections. We’ll also include word count if you are interested in pitching an article or story to them in the future.
News and trends
These articles are 500 to 1,200 words that summarize the most important news in the publishing and writing industries.
The Literary Life
These articles are 1,500 to 2,000 words and are more about what it’s like to live life as a writer.
The Practical Writer
These articles are 1,500 to 2,000 words and cover all the business aspects of creative writing. They might be tips, tricks, or pitching information.
Feature articles
These are interviews and profile that can range anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 words. Sometimes they will also include in-depth looks at other subjects such as writers conferences and residencies.
The Poets and Writers Magazine Website
Whether or not you choose to subscribe to the magazine, the website itself has a ton to offer.
Here are just some of the things that are available on their site:
- Writing contests
- National literary events calendar
- Directory of poets and writers
- MFA programs
- Select content from the magazine
- List of literary magazines
- Literary agents
- List of book review outlets
- Ways to market your writing
- Resources for how to pitch your work and grow your career
Here’s some deeper information on some of these tabs.
Writing contests – These include details about creative writing contests. Some of them include poetry contests, short story competitions, essay competitions, awards for novels, and more.
Literary magazines – This is a master database of editorial policies, submissions guidelines, and contact information for different places.
Small presses database – This is where you can find information on potential publishers, submission guidelines to various publications, and the contact information of various editors.
Literary agents – This is information about agents who represent fiction writers, poets, creative nonfiction writers, and anyone else who is in a similar writing category. You can see deeper information on the agents and the types of books they want to represent. You can also see what books they currently represent to get a feel for what they currently look for in writers.
Poets and Writers Magazine Subscription
If you do choose to subscribe to the Poets and Writers Magazine, let’s take a look at how much it costs.
Note: These are for the United States subscription. If you’re in Canada or international, you will want to check their subscriptions to get the most accurate and current price.
- 2 years (12 issues) – $26.00
- 1 year (6 issues) – $15.00
Print and Digital
- 2 years (12 issues) – $32.00
- 1 year (6 issues) – $18.00
Digital only
- 2 years (12 issues) – $20.00
- 1 year (6 issues) – $12.00
The Poets and Writers book
The Poets & Writers Complete Guide to Being a Writer is a book by the same company. It is a how-to guide when it comes to becoming a writer and turning it into a whole career.
The book has excellent reviews and is a great resource for anyone looking to turn their writing into a lifelong career.
It not only has writing tips but it also includes business tips to manage the writing industry as a whole.
Some things it also includes:
- How to pick the right MFA program
- How to market yourself
- How to find a literary agent
- How to find writing contests
