If you're ready to publish your poetry book, there are two main paths ahead of you if you want to get your collection out there: traditional vs self-publishing.

When I put my first debut poetry collection, seven years, together, I was determined to traditionally publish it. I viewed traditional publishers as the stamp of approval and saw it as a milestone that I had to reach to be considered a "real author." I had dreamed of it since I was a child.

So I found some publishers who published po...