Find out about the benefits of joining the New Zealand Poetry Society here

New Zealand Poetry Society (NZPS) guide to publishing poetry in NZ

The NZPS does not publish poetry except for the anthology from our annual international poetry competition. However we do offer a service where you can get some expert feedback on the poems you’ve written, with the Poetry Advisory Service from the New Zealand Poetry Society.

We encourage you to keep writing poetry and submitting it to journals, magazines, and competitions. The NZPS runs an annual international poetry competition which is highly regarded both in New Zealand and overseas, and winning and other selected entries are published in an anthology.

You should also submit your work to poetry journals and magazines as well as to contests. It is helpful to have a selection of poems to submit - an editor may not like some but may love others. It is important to editors to have a body of your work to consider.

You should read the submissions requirements before sending in your poetry, and follow the requirements.

As for getting a whole collection published, most publishers will only publish poets with a track record of individual poems in journals and other poetry outlets. There are not many publishers dealing with poetry at all, in fact, and if you haven't got a publishing history then you might like to consider self-publishing. Take a look at http://www.zenithpublishing.co.nz/publishme/index.php This is a New Zealand site, and more user-friendly than some other sites on the web from the US and UK, though they are worth looking at as well.

A recent addition to the self-publishing list is Bookhabit, which is based in Wellington, but has an international reach. Bookhabit is free for the writer to use, pays a significantly higher royalty than most publishers, and the cost of each book increases with its popularity, resulting in benefits for both writer and publisher. See: http://www.bookhabit.com/index.php

www.worthyofpublishing.com provides an online platform for writers to find out how popular their unpublished book is. The writer uploads a blurb and enough chapters of their book to pique the interest of readers who in turn can rate the content. If an Author's work receives high ratings, this could attract the interest of publishers through some of the site's unique relationships. The website viewers who enjoy reading a writer's work may also want to go out and buy their own copy of the book once published. This service is free to writers and people who love reading books. Writers can register and start uploading a blurb and chapters of their book. Contact is Aaron Cook, the Director at A/h: 09 3778583, Wk: 021 612642

Steele Roberts, an independent publishing company with a significant interest in poetry, also supports self-publishing projects.

Here are some well-known NZ poetry publications:

  • Bravado - Poetry ed. Bryan Walpert, PO Box 13 533, Tauranga, New Zealand
  • JAAM — ed. JAAM Collective, PO Box 25239, Panama Street, Wellington 6146, New Zealand
  • Landfall — University of Otago Press, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand
  • Sport — PO Box 11-806, Wellington, New Zealand
  • Takahe — PO Box 13 335, Christchurch, New Zealand
  • Valley Micropress — ed Tony Chad, 165A Katherine Mansfield Drive, Whiteman's Valley, Upper Hutt. Tel: (04) 5288968

On line poetry journals include:

  • Deep South - Submissions can be made by email or by mail to Deep South, Department of English, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin.
  • Trout - an online publishing house for New Zealand and Pacific Islands literature.
  • Turbine - the annual online journal of the International Institute of Modern Letters.

You may find the books listed below to be helpful. If you do not find the books at your local library, try your local bookstore.

  • Getting Published: The Aotearoa New Zealand Guide, Samantha Schwarz
  • Poet's Market (Annual), Chantelle Bentley (Editor)
  • New Zealand Writer's Handbook 5th Edition (Bateman New Zealand, pub.)

Also check our Links page for excellent online resources. Visit our Scamwatch page for information and links on how to judge the legitimacy of a competition.

Finally, best luck with your quest to be published, and remember to keep trying. Some of the most famous poets and writers in the world were rejected many times before succeeding in finding the right publication, and the right editor, at the right time.

Return to top

NZPS Home