I felt it best to tell you what I know, I have been published and I am concerned about young beginning poets who haven't been published yet as well as those who are well on their way to becoming a national hero. More over I felt it imortant not only to post peoples poems but to keep them informed as well. So below is information on what rights you have as a poet.

COPYRIGHT: This is the legal right to exclusive publication, sale or distribution of a literary work. If you are the writer or the creator of your works, all you need is to include the appropriate (c) copyright symbol followed by the year of copyright and by and (your name). Example: (c)2001 by Valerie Desilets. this will copyright your works. However these copyright notices are usually considered to be unnecessary.. (there are many editor's that are actually offended and consider this to be the work of an amateur who is distrustful of the industry). I do, however still do this. Some feel however that in today's world it is difficult to prove copyright. In this way you can do the old mail it to yourself trick where you mail a copy of your written work to yourself on the day or soon after it is finished and when you recieve it you simply keep it sealed. I have done this and have actually mailed three copies to myself, (in case I had to open one in a copyright dispute.) Some still feel this to be not enough and wish to register their works at the copyright office which still can be done for a minimal fee of $20.00 a poem or a compilation of poems may be put together and copywritten as a whole work for the same $20.00. The fees may have changed but to recieve application forms they are available online if you have acrobat reader. Visit th copyright office at http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright .

ALL RIGHTS: Do not, I REPEAT DO NOT, under any circumstances as a poet publish your poems with anyone who maintains all rights. This means they are either buying or taking your poetry. It means you no longer have any rights over your poem whatsoever. Not even reprint rights.. it simply is not yours any more. Yankee Magazine buys your poetry and if they maintain all rights they'll give you $50.00, man as a poet, please never do this, in the long run, you'll hit yourself. You may make more money in the long run if you keep your poem.

ONE TIME RIGHTS: This means that the company publishing your poems has permission to publish your poem once, and only once.

FIRST RIGHTS (a.k.a. First Serial Rights): This means that you need to allow a publishing company to publish your poem first, it gives them the exclusive right to publish your poem before anyone else. This is exactly why SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS are a bad idea. See, if you have submitted the same poems to more than one publishing company hoping for a hit, and one accepts wanting FIRST TIME RIGHTS, now you have to write all of the other companies and tell them, they no longer can publish your poem, or simply that they have to wait, and frankly editor's don't want to hear this.

SECOND SERIAL RIGHTS (reprint)rights: Editors that are perhaps seeking out second serial rights are usually editors who do not mind previously published poetry, (providing you have maintained all your rights) and many times they are only asking for the right to reprint a poem that has already been printed, (don't forget to tell them it was previously published though and where is important to, they want to know who to give credit for the first appearence of your work.)

More useful information:
PUBLISHING: A poem is considered published as soon as you sell a copy of it. I printed up a chapbook, and sold it. That makes it self-published. Note: If you are planning on self-publishing, yes it gets expensive, but it may be worth it, then please sell it before you copyright it with the copyright office, I know it doesn't make sense, but there is something on the paperwork "Application Form TX", that says, "If this application gives date of publication in space 3, do not sign and submit before this date." This indication is if you plan on publishing you must do so before submitting copyright forms.

For more information on copyrighting your material or simply getting forms to copyright materials, write to: Copyright Office, Library Of Congress, Washington DC 20559, call The Copyright Public Information Office at (202)707-3000 weekdays between 8:30AM and 5:00PM, or visit this website: http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright