Poet's Academy

Welcome to the Poet's Academy

Poet's Academy is a resource for poets on various topics including publishing, writing, and selling their poetry. The publishers of Local Gems Press have toured the country giving live lectures and seminars on many of these topics. The demand of course, exceeds the live supply. So Local Gems created Poet's Academy with the aim of reaching the massively growing audience interested in these topics virtually.

Upcoming Virtual Seminars:

Hosting a Poetry Reading:
6/25/23

There are many different types of poetry readings, and there are many things to figure out when planning one. The publishers of Local Gems Press have hosted poetry readings and tours up and down the East Coast and beyond. They've put together one-off readings, recurring readings, book tours, special events, and more. They are very experienced in advertising their readings and bringing in audiences as high as hundreds of people...yes, for poetry. In this seminar they are going to teach the fundamentals of planning a poetry reading and how to get people to attend. This seminar will be good whether you are planning your first event ever, or have been a veteran host for a dozen years looking to make your readings even better.

Looking to start a reading in your area? Host one for a school club? Maybe you are a librarian looking to bring poetry to your library? This seminar is for you.

Putting Together a Poetry Book: 7/6/23

Many poets are eager to release their first book of poetry. But hand in hand with the eagerness comes multitudes of questions. What size should the book be, a chapbook or a full length collection? How should I structure the poems? Is a theme necessary? How do publishers like a poetry book to be submitted? Do I never need to use a traditional publisher? What about the cover?

The publishers of Local Gems Press who have produced over 250 poetry titles are here to answer all these questions and more.

Publishing vs Self-Publishing: 7/16/23

Poets and Authors frequently hear a ton of information about what the best publishing path is. So many have questions, and with so much conflicting information out there it is often hard to navigate it all. Is traditional publishing still the way to go, despite the shifts and changes in the last 15 years? Or is self-publishing a better option? Does this matter by genre, or book size, and is there a way to make use of both? The publishers of Local Gems Press go over all of this.

The Art of the Book Launch: 7/30/23

A book launch is a special time for any author. Publishing a book is a huge accomplishment, and the launch event that follows should be consistent with the level of accomplishment that publishing a book is. The publishers of Local Gems Press have packed out book launches up and down the East Coast and are here to share their tried and true methodology to creating a packed house, a killer show, and increasing book sales.

Poet's Academy has run several live virtual seminars, and are working on hosting more. We run these popular topics every so often.