The Poetteer

Hello Poetteers, As someone who has self published several poetry books my top tip is to diversify your distribution. Don't exclusively publish your book on KDP. They only distribute through Amazon. Smashwords is an ebook retailer and distribution site. They will distribute your book to places such as B&N Nook, Apple Books, Kobo and Scribd. Check out their site for more info. Other Ebook Distributors: Smashwords Kindle Direct Publishing Book Funnel Payhip Smashwords and KDP only distribute ebooks. I used to publish paperback through CreateSpace but that site is now closed. I go directly to Barnes and Noble Press to publish the paperback version. Other Distributors:  Barnes and Noble Press IngramSpark There are several self publishing services out there. Look for familiar authors and transparency on their website before working with them. This website does a great job rating and reviewing different services.  My self publishing guide is now

Bilingualism in poetry is a literary device to communicate the narrator’s cultural identity. One form is to have a side by side translation of the poem in different languages. The other form is code switching. It’s the mix of two languages together in one piece of writing. The first poems I wrote were about culture and hijab. I unintentionally abandoned it and wrote poetry about emotions and nature. I found my way back to writing about culture but I was uncomfortable being vulnerable and sharing my faith. I felt uncomfortable to use words I knew from other familiar languages. I either avoided the topic I wanted to write or replaced the other language with English words. As the voice became louder I stopped holding myself back and filtering my poetry. By letting myself write whatever I wanted I started feeling comfortable with vulnerability. I felt fulfilled in sharing myself and my experiences. When you’re ready let yourself explore language and different topics. If you share bilingual