If you’ve always heard that it’s impossible to get paid to write poetry, we’ve got some good news for you: that’s simply not true.
With a little creativity, ingenuity, and good old-fashioned hard work, it’s entirely possible to make some decent money as a poet.
Sure, making a full-time living from your words might prove challenging, but as a side-hustle or a part-time gig, there really are some great income-generating opportunities out there.
Don’t believe me? Here are 21 unique ways to get paid to write poems, all of which you can start today.
21 Ways to Get Paid to Write Poetry & Make Bank
Contents
Getting paid for writing poems can be straightforward, but it does not mean you cannot be creative about it. Below are 21 ways to make money from your poems, which includes self-publication, submitting to existing magazines or creating your very own online magazine.
1. Submit to Poetry Magazines
Let’s start with the most obvious first, shall we? There’s a large number of poetry magazines and literary journals out there that will pay to publish your poems.
While payouts vary greatly and can start from as little as $10 per poem, the best poetry magazines often pay upwards of $100.
The popular Chicken Soup for the Soul publishing company frequently solicits submissions for their books on various topics and will pay $200 for each one selected.
Other top-paying poetry magazines include:
- Three Penny Review – Pays $200 per poem. Only accepts submissions from January – April.
- Boulevard Magazine – Pays between $50 per poem. Accepts submissions from November – May
- Epoch Magazine – Pays a minimum of $50 per poem. Accepts unsolicited submissions from September – April.
A quick Google search for “poetry magazines that pay” will bring up scores of publications where you can submit your poetry.
2. Enter Poetry Contests
Many poetry magazines will also run occasional contests with some big prize money.
Other competitions such as the annual Saturnalia Books Poetry Prize, the Poetry Nation poetry contest, and The Peseroff Prize Poetry Contest also offer huge cash prizes of between $1,000 and $2,000.
OK, so this isn't the easiest way to make money from poetry, but if you're confident in your own talent, there's no harm in giving it a shot and going after that serious money.
3. Self-Publish Your Collections
If you’re looking for a more sure-fire way of making money as a poet than entering contests, self-publishing, your own book of poetry may be one of the best ways to do just that.
The best part is that it’s a pretty easy process. Platforms like Amazon, CreateSpace, and Barnes & Noble Press all have their own tools which enable you to create, publish, and make money from your own books.
If you'd like to learn more about this option, we also recommend the book Make Money From Kindle Self-Publishing by Sally Miller, an insightful and informative read which we recently featured in our guide to the best side hustle books to make money from home.
4. Start Your Own Poetry ‘Zine
While getting published in an existing poetry magazine is a great way to earn money, there’s no reason why you can’t also start your own.
It may take a little work to get established and build up from a small ‘zine to a respectable publication, but it’s an exciting way to not only publish your own work but support other poets and the poetry scene in general.
There’s money to be made from selling copies of your magazine as well as selling advertising space.
5. Monetize Your Poetry Website
If you’re serious about establishing yourself as a poet, then you’ll no doubt want to get your own website up and running.
Even if you’re not that technically-minded, it’s easy to start a WordPress website from scratch, which you can then use to link out to your self-published books and advertise all of the other ways you make money from your poems.
The website itself can also be a valuable money-maker by signing up to Google Adsense and placing ads on your blog, which earn you money every time somebody clicks on one.
As a word of caution on this one, if you’re thinking of also submitting to poetry magazines, you may find that most won’t accept poems that have already been published on your website, so ensure that any poems you do post on your blog are those you won’t want to submit later.
6. Sell Your Creations on Etsy
If you’re crafty or at least know someone who you can team up with, you can turn your poems into beautiful works of art and sell them for a profit via online stores like Etsy or even start your own Shopify website.
7. Local Fairs
There’s no reason why you have to limit yourself to selling your poetry-as-art creations online. Booking a stall at local craft fairs and other events can also be a great way to earn some extra cash from your work.
Of course, this has the added benefit that you can also sell copies of your books and talk to people about any bespoke poetry-writing services that you offer, more of which we’ll talk about later.
8. Sell Poems to Greeting Card Companies
While the major names like Hallmark already have their own in-house writers, some companies such as Designer Greetings, The Greeting Card Shop, and the Christian-based Warner Press do accept small poems for publishing inside their cards.
Some pay a flat fee, while others will pay a small royalty for every card sold.
9. Write Poetry for Special Occasions
Remember those bespoke poetry-writing services we just mentioned? Here’s one way to offer that.
Pitch yourself as a poet-for-hire offering unique poems for weddings, birthdays, funerals, and other important occasions.
You could offer these services directly to customers via sites like Fiverr or even connect with local wedding planners and the like, perhaps offering them a small commission on any work they send your way.
10. Attend Poetry Readings and Open Mics
Poetry readings and open mic nights rarely pay performers, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t money to be made here.
Performing your work at such events is a good way to get yourself known and establish an audience to whom you can then sell your books, artworks, and poetry-writing services.
11. Record Your Poems
Here’s a unique way to make money from writing poetry that many poets overlook.
Record yourself reading your poetry out loud and set it to music. If you’re a musician (or know one willing to help), then this is no doubt the best approach, but you could also utilize stock music to make your recordings.
When they’re done, publish them on platforms such as Spotify or Amazon Music and earn royalties every time somebody streams one of your tracks. Alternatively, you can also make money reading your poetry on these platforms that have a membership subscription model:
- Patreon for Podcasters– Reading your poetry to your subscribers in a podcast format is a great way to grow your fanbase and make money by doing ads for sponsors
- Mighty Networks– A subscription-based membership websites for creatives like you to bring your community, courses, memberships, and events together in one place under your brand.
12. Start a YouTube Channel
Streaming platforms aren’t the only opportunity to make money from your recordings. You could also combine them with a visual component -either a video of you performing or relevant stock images and videos- and publish them on YouTube.
If your work is good and you build up a sizable following, you can then monetize your YouTube channel and earn money from advertising by joining the YouTube Partner Program.
13. Apply for Grants
Local, national, and state-wide grants are often available to help support writers and poets.
If you live in Delaware, for example, then the Delaware Division of the Arts offers grants of $6,000 for professional writers and $3,000 for emerging artists.
It's always worth looking around to see what's available in your area and, as long as you can put together a compelling application, you may well be in with a very good shot.
14. Teach a Poetry Class
This one is more about making money as a poet than actually getting paid for writing poetry, but it’s such a lucrative opportunity that it’s definitely worth mentioning.
Community groups, schools, and other establishments love to offer poetry classes, but finding a poet who’s up to the task often proves difficult for them. By offering your services and running a class, you can earn a decent second income while also passing on your skills, knowledge, and experience.
Of course, teaching a class also provides a great excuse to write lots of new poems, partly to keep up with your craft, but also to showcase as examples for students. The best places to teach a poetry class includes creating an online course on Udemy, Teachable or Podia.
15. Launch a Poetry Course
If you like the idea of helping others to learn poetry but not so much the idea of standing in front of a classroom, launching your own How to Write Poetry course may prove to be a nice little earner.
As we discussed in our guide to the best side hustles for teachers, creating an online course can be hard work, but it’s also a great way to earn passive income as once you’ve created it, you can continue to resell it to countless students over and over again.
16. Submit to Non-Poetry Magazines
Poetry-specific magazines aren’t the only ones who will pay for your poetry.
The American Journal of Nursing, for example, maybe the last place you’d think of to submit your work, but they actually pay up to $150 if they accept your submission, so it’s a good idea to think outside of the proverbial box when submitting work for publication.
17. Tap into the Valentine’s Day Market
Romantic poetry may not be the thing you love to write about the most, but there’s no denying what a fantastic opportunity Valentine’s Day presents for making some real money from poetry.
This is the time to up your game with selling those bespoke poems, works of art, and other creations, but there’s no reason why you have to limit yourself to just February 14th.
Consider what opportunities there are to sell poetry based on Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and other holidays.
18. Publish your poetry on Medium
Medium is a blogging and publishing platform in which you can publish your own work and get paid when somebody reads it.
While it may take a while to build up enough of a following of your own to make serious money, there are also countless poetry publications on Medium which accept submissions and give you the chance to earn by putting your poems behind a paywall.
19. Become a Lyricist or Songwriter
Though some may disagree, it’s probably not too much of a stretch to say that song lyrics are essentially poems set to music, so if you can write a good poem, you can write a good lyric too.
While this is by no means the most straightforward option on this list, there is money to be made by selling your song lyrics to publishers, independent musicians, and even certain lyric-selling online marketplaces.
Plus, if you can play music as well, you can combine those lyrics with music and make a living as a songwriter.
20. Become a Poet in Residence
Schools, colleges, churches, art galleries, and countless other venues may be interested in hiring you as a Poet in Residence.
The work is likely to involve writing themed poems around any events and activities they have going on and maybe even delivering workshops. This is unlikely to be a full-time gig, but the opportunities for extra cash definitely exist.
21. Establish Yourself as a Poet For Hire
If you don’t like the idea of being tied down to one place, ditch the Poet in Residence idea and set yourself up as a freelance poet. Marketing and advertising companies may hire you to write a compelling or humorous verse for their latest campaign, a community program may need you to pen a few inspiring words, or a local group may want you to come in and deliver a one-off workshop.
The opportunities are practically endless.
The Final Word on Making Money From Poetry
While it’s true that very few people get to make a full-time living as a poet, the 21 ideas listed above prove that it’s definitely possible to make money with your poetry skills.
The best part about poems is that they can be repackaged and resold in multiple ways. One poem could be published in your latest book, made into art on your Etsy store, and then recorded and published as a streaming audio track and video.
So, why not see which of our ideas you can combine and turn your creativity into a profitable side hustle?