I received a call yesterday morning—yes, Easter—before the sun was up—from someone wanting information about publishing poetry and music. I thought you might be interested in some of the resources I gave her.
1: “Writer’s Market” is a directory listing magazines and publishers—some of which publish poetry. You can purchase it at most bookstores for around $30. You’ll also find it in your local library in the reference section.
2: There are online directories. Do a search using keywords, “directory publishers poetry,” “directory song publishers,” “Music publisher” for example
Here are some directories I located:
http://www.mpa.org/directory-of-music-publishers
http://www.songwriteruniverse.com/publisherlist.html
http://www.allureinc.com/music_publisher_directory.html
3: Find books of poetry and magazines using poetry—especially those in the theme of your poetry—contact those publishers. But first, before contacting the magazine or publisher, locate their websites and read their submission guidelines to learn whether they accept submissions and how they prefer receiving them.
4: I recommend two books for those who want to publish their poetry—“Poet Power” by Williams, and “How to Make a Living as a Poet” by Gary Mex Glazner.
5: Join SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network). We are a networking organizations for authors, artists and others interested in getting their work published. When you join SPAWN, you have access to an online discussion group where you can discuss your publishing questions and concerns. We have two newsletters—one is free. Sign up here www.spawn.org. One is for members only. This monthly newsletter is full of industry news, resources and opportunities for authors, artists, photographers, poets and so forth. We also have 22 audio tapes for members to download. These are interviews with industry professionals.
To join SPAWN, go to http://www.spawn.org and click on “join/Renew.” Fill out the form and you can pay the dues ($65 year) online or by check. Follow the instructions.
Good luck with your projects.