Can you help me find a reputable publisher for my poems?

Question:

Can you help me find a reputable publisher for my poems?

I used to write poems and have quite a few that I think are pretty good. It's been suggested to me to try to publish them. Just recently, someone again suggested that I at least send them to a publisher to get comments/suggestions. Do any of you know a reputable company that could help?

Thanks!

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Publishing collections of poetry is tough if you haven't established a reputation by publishing your individual poems in magazines. Because the competition is so tough, most publishers want to see your work vetted by other editors. Buy a copy of Poet's Market and check out www.duotrope.com and figure out where you can send your poems. You should aim for at least 30 to 40 percent of the collection to be published in magazines.

Some people are going to tell you to self-publish with the likes of lulu.com and iVerse.com or others. That's fine if you don't have any interest in being read by anyone outside of your immediate circle of friends and you have the money to spend. It will be pretty tough to convince people who book poets for readings to take you seriously, and so your book really isn't going to sell, even though the self-publishing outfits will tell you your book will be listed on Amazon, it really won't matter because no one will buy it. So unless your dying or not planning on sticking around long, you don't need to go the self-publishing route.

Your best bet is to do the work. Get established in the literary community and do it the right way. Impatience is never a writer's friend.