Poetry Anthology Voices of the World

One of the things that I always wanted to do was put together a poetry anthology that featured poets from different parts of the world who wanted to be heard and dreamed of having their work in print. It was always on the back of my mind, yet I never got around to actually going through with it.

I finally decided it was actually time to put together and publish my first poetry anthology. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get enough poets interested to be able to publish a book. With the help of a friend and fellow poet I succeeded and Voices of the World was born.

Since I did not want to have a specific theme for this anthology I left it up to the poets to decide what they wanted to write about and in what poetic style their work would be. This resulted in a diverse anthology of poetry with something for everyone to enjoy.

Voices of the World is a wonderful collection of poetry featuring forty-six poets from around the world (me being one of them). These poets come from such countries as United States, Canada, Ireland, France, Romania, India, and Russia, among others. They showcase their work to the world by sharing two of their poems written in their own unique voices and writing styles.

The poets that are featured in Voices of the World are very passionate in their craft. When they write they leave themselves on the page and it shows through in their work. I think their poetry leaves a lasting impression and leaves us with something to think about.

Every poet deserves the chance to be heard, to be in the spotlight, and my poetry anthology lets them do just that.

I am very proud of this anthology and am happy that I brought the book to life. I will treasure it for a lifetime. I got my own copy and have read it many times. I enjoy the book each time I read it. There is always something new that I discover when I dive into the book. I can't wait for people to get their own copy so they can enjoy all the treasures that lie inside.

For those interested in obtaining a copy of Voices of the World, the poetry anthology is available in paperback format on lulu.com, amazon, barnesandnoble.com, and in other online retailers. Happy reading!

Poetry Anthology Whispers in the Wind

Giving poets the chance to be published in print and among other talented poets is a great feeling. Having put together and published the first poetry anthology called Voices of the World I decided to do another anthology.

While I chose to have the first anthology contain poems on any topic the poets chose to write about, I wanted the second one to have a theme. Nature was the first thing that came to mind as I love nature so much, and write nature poetry myself on many occasions. And that is how Whispers in the Wind was born.

I feel that nature poems can be very captivating with lots of beautiful imagery that readers can vividly picture in their mind. It's like looking at a painting without actually having it in front of you. It lets people, with their unique imagination and visualization, bring the poetry to life in their mind, interpreting what is being described in their own unique way. Nature poems can also prove to be inspiring, refreshing, and can lift the spirits of people too...

Just like the Voices of the World, Whispers in the Wind also has poets from different countries around the world. In this poetry anthology, the poets showcase two nature poems a piece for the enjoyment of readers, sharing their experiences, visions, and connection to nature in their own unique way. With each poetic creation, they paint memorable images with their distinctive vision and creativity, in turn bringing to life enjoyable treats that will engage at least some of the five senses of readers, as well as make readers feel and perhaps be inspired and uplifted in the process.

For poetry lovers and those that enjoy nature this poetry anthology is a great addition to your poetry collection. Reading this book once you will surely want to pick up the book again for another read time and time again. I am proud to have put together and published this wonderful anthology, and to have shared two of my own nature poems in it as well.

Every time I read this anthology I feel my emotions soar, which to me is very important. I also am able to get lost in the words and picture in my mind what the poets bring to life with their words. My creativity soars, and I feel inspired, having a burning desire to write more nature poetry, and poetry in general.

For those interested in obtaining a copy of Whispers in the Wind, the poetry anthology is available in paperback format on lulu.com, amazon, barnesandnoble.com, and in other online retailers. Happy reading!

My 7th book, New Book of Poetry

I am very excited to be working on my seventh book. It will be a book of poetry. I came up with the concept for the book at the time when I was working on my first poetry book Pieces of Me and can't wait to finally bring it to life.

Just like Pieces of Me this new book will be divided into sections, with each section featuring poetry on similar topics. I already have a lot of poetry previously written that will go into this book but I will probably write more poetry for it, especially for those sections that don't have a lot of poetry in them at this time.

The working title for this book is My Every Color but it may very well change. Still, it will be related to the concept of the book that I had come up with. I will keep you updated on my progress.

This book will be released through the same publisher I have used for years - LULU (lulu.com).

I’m a published author… Get your hands on my books at my storefront, on Amazon, at Barnes and Noble (online) and in many other places online.

Publishing Our Poetry in Anthologies...

I've never really thought about this before but now it has hit me full force...!!!

If you are a poet than pay attention to this!

A publisher decides to put together an anthology of poems and is looking for people to submit their work to them. They contact us directly (or via a friend) or we stumble upon them ourselves. It really doesn't matter. We become very excited in learning that we can have our poetry published/featured in a book free of charge and we gladly submit our writing to the publisher. The anthology gets published and finally released to the public. We are thrilled about this and buy ourselves a copy, and maybe a few copies to share with our friends or family. We tell others about the anthology and they buy it too. The book is selling, which is amazing, but what do we get from this?

The only reward that we reap from having our poetry in the anthology, aside from feeling excited and happy, is that we are now published, which can help us in our writing careers. That is great but what about money?

The publisher is getting all of the revenue from the book sales while us poets, who have submitted our poetry for the anthology, are not getting a single penny. The publisher is making money off of us and that is not fair!!! If we hadn't submitted our poetry to the anthology the publisher would have never published the book and hence wouldn't be making their money. So we should get paid for submitting our poetry to the anthology and hence allowing the publisher to publish it in their book. Yes, no one is forcing us to submit our poetry. We do it of our own free will. But that doesn't change the fact that we should be paid for it.

Unless you don't care that the publisher is making money on your behalf while you don't get a single cent, don't submit your poetry to any anthology unless they will pay you for allowing them to publish your work.

And another note here... No one should ever charge us for submitting our poetry for an anthology. If there is a fee don't submit anything! The publisher should be the one paying you. Without you, or others submitting their writing to them, the anthology will never be published.

Some publishers will even tell you that you must buy the book to be published in their anthology. You may go along with this if you were planning to buy the book anyway, but we shouldn't be required to buy the book to be published in it. That is not right!

If publishers can get others to submit their poetry for an anthology, publish it, and make money from it by selling it, while giving us poets not a single penny, then we can do the same thing. We don't have to have a publishing company to do it. But why would we stoop so low and follow in their footsteps, if what they are doing is not right?

Also, you shouldn't have to pay anything to publish your own book. If you are trying to find a publisher for your book of poetry and they ask you for a fee to publish your book, especially a very high one, stay away from them and look for a different publisher. Traditional publishers pay authors an advance when they publish their book, they don't charge them for it. So don't fall into the trap of having a publisher say they want to publish your book but in order to do that you will be required to buy a publishing package and spend a lot of money doing so. If a publisher asks you for a fee than they are not a "traditional publisher" but a vanity press or any other name they will call themselves and you should stay away from them, unless you don't mind burning a hole in your wallet.

I know that it is hard to find a traditional publisher who will actually want to publish a poetry book, unless you are some well-known, popular celebrity or an already popular author. That is why you try to find a "non-traditional" publisher, as chances of getting your poetry book published with them are more likely.  But those will usually charge you a hefty fee for publishing your book with them... Prices can be in thousands... And why would you want to spend so much money when most likely you won't make much of that money back.

I am not sure how many "non-traditional" publishers exist out there who will publish your poetry book for free, but there is one publisher that does just that - lulu.com - Check them out the next time you are thinking of publishing your poetry book. I've published all my poetry/lyric books with them so far and I have to say that I wouldn't want to publish with anyone else... You won't have to pay a penny to publish with them and you will be able to get your book distributed to amazon and other online websites, maybe even to physical stores. And you can even make an e-book of your book as well. It's well worth it to check it out.

I’m a published author… Get your hands on my books at my storefront, on Amazon, at Barnes and Noble (online) and in many other places online.