Tips for Writing and Printing a Poetry Book

April is National Poetry Month!

Poetry continues to be a popular genre printed at 48 Hour Books, with no signs of slowing down. Since poetry is a diverse form of writing, you really have the freedom to conceptualize your book in a way that best represents your collection of poems. This can range from structure and formatting choices to visual aesthetic. Learn more about printing a poetry book with these pro tips:

Organization & Structure

There are multiple ways you can choose to organize your poetry book. Organization and structure can depend on whether or not you have an underlying theme to your poems. For example, you may organize your poems into sections based on the content and tone of the selected works. These sections can simply be numerical or be based on seasons, emotions, etc. For example, fall, winter, spring, and summer could be used to group your poems. You may choose a more traditional structure without sections, using a corresponding Table of Contents or Index. Think about what makes sense for your poetry and go for it! There is plenty of room for creativity in the poetry genre.

Formatting

As with structure, you also have the ability to take liberties with formatting for poetry books. Formatting may sometimes differ from poem to poem. The way you format your poems can affect the way the reader interprets the meaning of a poem, and just as importantly, how they read it.

Justifying your text may be a decision based on individual poems. If the way you justify your text on the page, (for example, choosing to center your lines), adds to the interpretation of the poem, then that’s fine.  If you want your poetry book to look more uniform, then you may choose to keep all your poems left justified, which is the cleanest formatting choice. Larger margins are also common in poetry books because of the way stanzas are condensed and formatted.

Need help with formatting? Download our Formatting Tools and Tips or use one of our free book templates.

Cover Design

The cover of your book is what people are going to see first, so make it eye-catching. Whether you have a fully illustrated cover or solely text, there are multiple ways you can make your books stand out. Here’s a look at three different poetry book covers we have printed below!

48 Hour Books can help you design a captivating cover with our cover design services. Already have a design? Make it stand out even more with our Diamond 3D printing to really catch the eye.

Regardless of the subject matter of your poems, poetry is a whimsical, evocative genre. Feel free to take creative liberties with your book.  We have seen poetry books that have collaborated with different artists in one book, ranging from abstract illustrations to photography, paired with the author’s poems. We have also seen anthologies with just text and no visuals, so really think about your approach to your work and how you want your readers to experience it.

Once you’re ready to share your poems, partner with 48 Hour Books. Contact us today – we’re happy to help!

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