Have you ever heard of a rich page poet? No, me neither. But somehow we accept that there’s no money in writing poetry, unless one ends up in the higher echelons doing book tours, popping up on TV and radio and winning big money prizes for your ‘body of work’. Poetry is seen as a charming, if slightly eccentric hobby, such as playing the accordion or Morris dancing.

Poetry for sale

How often have you been a guest reader? What did you earn? Did it cover your transport costs? Did you sell enough books to make it worth your while? How many people were in the audience? Did they all read at the Open Mic?

I’ve made a minimal amount of money from my work, although to be fair, I’m still a relative newcomer. I’ve driven a couple of hours to a gig, at my own expense (petrol, parking etc)…