Honestly, can you make any money writing poems????

Jump to Last Post 1-7 of 7 discussions (25 posts)
  1. mary615 profile image95
    mary615posted 12 years ago

    Just wondering...I write poetry because I enjoy it, but I wonder if it's possible to make any money with them.  The advice I get is to write "evergree" stuff that will attract readers for a long time.  I don't think my poetry is evergreen!

    1. IzzyM profile image89
      IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I'm probably the wrong person to answer this, because I'm not a poet, although I do still have a copy of a poem I wrote 20 years ago that I am still half-considering publishing.

      The title of a poem is traditionally obscure.

      Sometimes the title is perfect for the poem.

      But how does the average internet user find it?

      To make money, you need traffic, to get traffic, you need to title your article using search friendly terms.

      Poems do not generally have search friendly or evergreen terms in their title.

      If they have search friendly and evergreen titles, most users will bounce quickly away, unless they were actually looking for a poem using those words.

      And that is where it is possible to make money.

      Write hub titles that contain a collection of poems about a certain topic that people are searching for, so when they land on your poem it becomes what they were looking for and not something they fell upon accidentally.

      Does that make sense?

    2. SimeyC profile image83
      SimeyCposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You could make $500 this month!big_smile

      1. mary615 profile image95
        mary615posted 12 years agoin reply to this

        I wish, I wish....

  2. Richieb799 profile image76
    Richieb799posted 12 years ago

    I wrote a few poem hubs just because I enjoyed it, but I think generally they don't earn.. you will probably see the lone '$' in the hub stats for a poem...indicating it doesn't have high earning potential
    I suppose you could try keyword optimizing them LOL

    1. IzzyM profile image89
      IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I bought a Rolex watch,
      its shine it made me shimmer
      I sold it to a pal
      (he was a little dimmer)
      he said he loved that Rolex watch
      and wanted to be married
      I said hey mate  - he wanted rid of that
      excess weight that he carried
      and so my friend he felt obese
      and wanted to be thinner
      but y'know he wore that Rolex watch
      and it made him the winner
      he found this chick I know not how
      but Dolly bird she was
      and so my friend, who I defend
      became her Santa Claus.

      The end.

      I'm into rhyme and rhythm, can you tell? Apart from that, my poetry is exceptionally bad, but I think if this rhyme was exported into a hub, it chases more than one keyword.

      Took me 10 minutes to write, personally think it's the worst ever poetry in the world, and explains why I don't write poetry.

      Anyone want to buy it? Only $10,000 and its yours smile

      1. Lisa HW profile image63
        Lisa HWposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        I don't have the $10,000; but I'm thinking, maybe, you should post it as Hub.  Maybe there'll be ads for Rolex watches.  (Do they sell them on Amazon?  smile  ).    (Oh..   maybe make the title, "The Rolex Watch", and maybe take the "the end" off it.  smile ).  (Better still:  "Lose weight with a Rolex Watch".  )

        1. IzzyM profile image89
          IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          God but I love you!!

          You got the 'thingummy-ism' in it!!   [exchange for word I am looking for]

          Yes aimed for at least two keyword phrases, hit them, bounced out, over to Google.

          I would imagine though, that most genuine searchers for either keyword would also bounce out immediately.

          That's what makes this idea so worthless, but at the same time so educational for poets.

          Question Master (or is it wrylilt?) said it so well.

          Title your poetry hubs under a search phrase - ie Poems About Rolex Watches or Poems About Weight Loss, that way the searcher won't feel cheated.

          Fools Google all the time though. That's what happens when you rely on bots.

          1. Lisa HW profile image63
            Lisa HWposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Not that I plan to write too many poems, but I was worried about that thing with any searchers (as if there would be any on two of my three poems anyway) getting angry if they got to the poem.  So, I did a very third-grade kind of thing:  "Blah Blah Title - A Poem".    I like Question Master's way better.  (I've just kind of assumed my few poems won't get any outside readers anyway.  I just threw in them into the mix to add a little variety.  lol  )

      2. mary615 profile image95
        mary615posted 12 years agoin reply to this

        IzzyM, that little poem wasn't all that bad!

        1. IzzyM profile image89
          IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          LOL, not all bad, just most of it! I'm not a poet..

          1. jfay2011 profile image60
            jfay2011posted 12 years agoin reply to this

            No.  It was good and had q catchy little tune.  You should publish it.

    2. Lisa HW profile image63
      Lisa HWposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      This probably doesn't mean much (if anything), but I just went to check two of the, maybe, three poems I have on here.  The one I just wrote has one $.  The one I wrote awhile back has $$$.  I don't have a lot of hope for it, and maybe it's only the weird title; but just thought I'd mention it.

      (I just looked it up.  It's had 69 views since Sept 20.  It's kind of funny, because it's a sentimental poem; but the title (which includes "fence", "porch" and "stairs" has ads for stuff like building new fences and stairs.    I don't know...   Maybe the advertisers wouldn't mind if a poem presents a "warm, fuzzy" memory about something as otherwise non-sentimental as porches and stairs.  hmm  )

      OK...   I just looked up the only other one I have.  It has 141 (not good, of course) views since July and one $.   Maybe there's something in the "weird title" of that one that has $$$.  Maybe the thing is to aim for a title that someone might see something to advertise on (as opposed to the other two I have; of which one is about writing, and the other is pretty much a one-word title that doesn't apply to the subject of the poem.)   I may test out these limited "theories" on a couple of more poems.

      Maybe the key could be, though, "tons" of poems with really, really, carefully constructed (but appropriate and applicable) titles.   

      There are a lot of people who wouldn't think the kind of stuff I tend to write would get traffic or earn, but I've been doing fairly well.  Maybe what poetry people need to really do is figure out how to make poems earn some money, rather than just accepting or assuming they can't.  (Or, if all else fails, throw in some non-poem Hubs to get an audience, and let them carry the account as far as money goes.  smile  )  (Keep in mind that (like Izzy said) I'm not a poet either.  I only dabble, and I keep it really basic and simple when I do.  Someone who is seriously into poetry might have some better ideas. )

    3. mary615 profile image95
      mary615posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I hate to show my ignorance, but:  where are you guys finding $ signs??

      1. mary615 profile image95
        mary615posted 12 years agoin reply to this

        I found the $ signs, thanks.  on my most viewed poem, I have potential $$ , so I guess that encouraging, huh??

        1. QuestionMaster profile image75
          QuestionMasterposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          The $$$ signs are based on approximate earnings based on your keywords. If you never get traffic or never get clicks, you'll never get earnings.

  3. QuestionMaster profile image75
    QuestionMasterposted 12 years ago

    You'd either need to use directly searched titles such as:

    Poem About Bread
    Poem About Happiness

    Or try publishing a collection of poems in a form that requires payment before reading, such as eBooks or Kindle.

    1. Lisa HW profile image63
      Lisa HWposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I missed your post here (at the bottom of my screen) earlier.    Do you have thoughts on using a more "literary type" title as the sub-title, with the basic "poem about bread" as the main title?

      (I actually do have a little collection of poems/verse pretty much ready to send to one of those.  I don't have a lot of hope for making any money with it.  A couple of people keep telling me to put a couple of the ones they like on something like a tile or a decorative plate (something like that), but I don't even know where to begin with that (except for something like Cafe Press, in which case what would stop someone from re-typing the poem they see and doing whatever they want with it.)

      1. QuestionMaster profile image75
        QuestionMasterposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        I don't know about posting in other forms - in fact anywhere you publicly post your work puts you at risk of losing it. If you're most worried about the copyright side, this hub may help with with copyright protection:

        http://fictionfactory.hubpages.com/hub/ … -Copyright

        When posting for search engines, I don't think there'd be an issue with having a title such as:

        The loaf of life - Poem about Bread.

        It may bring in some other longtail keywords if your poem title is loosely related to the poem topic (synonym wise etc.)

  4. Bard of Ely profile image76
    Bard of Elyposted 12 years ago

    I never have with my poems but if I include songs, which are poems with music, I would say, yes!

  5. saddlerider1 profile image57
    saddlerider1posted 12 years ago

    As the Epigramman oftens says, write from your heart and soul and the mind will follow. When you do this, readers will follow and be attracted to your scribes for a very long time. Look at history, we read of great poets and remember for how they stirred our souls then and today. Keep writing you have a voice and a talent, use your gift and let your inner Muse guide your quill. Hugs

    1. mary615 profile image95
      mary615posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      What good advice, saddlerider1, when I first started on HubPages, I could have cared less about the money.  Even now, it's secondary to me. I'm just happy I have a "home" now to have my  creations published.  If I make $, that's good, if not:  so be it.

  6. saddlerider1 profile image57
    saddlerider1posted 12 years ago

    Oh and I forgot to answer your question, YES poetry does sell, just find the right vehicle to advertise your poetry in and it could sell, it's a slow process but it happens. I have two books of poetry now and the sales are starting to pick up, but more importantly to me is getting my pen name Vincent Moore out there and thankfully it's starting to stir some folks. Hugs

  7. couturepopcafe profile image59
    couturepopcafeposted 12 years ago
    1. Jean Bakula profile image88
      Jean Bakulaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I have also just published a book of poetry based on the Tarot (Rider-Waite, the most well known one). I am going to use it to teach a beginner's course. I will let you know how it does money wise, I don't expect much. But I think it was a unique way to explain the meanings of 78 cards, and am excited to see if it helps others learn. As for the writing, the cards cover each experience you have in life, and I was going through an intense part of life. So I needed the outlet!

 
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)