In this week's issue of New York Rachel Friedman offers a look at Livelihoods of the Poets, showing that it's hard to rake in the big bucks penning verse; 'representative paychecks' even from top-tier publications are not exactly overwhelming, and there aren't too many other opportunities to make a killing (or even a steady income).
Nevertheless, some poets are able to earn a pretty penny, and don't even have to win the Nobel Prize to do so -- though winning a prize of some sort certainly helps.
Case in point: they've just announced the 2011 Montreal Prize Winner -- "Walking Underwater" by Mark Tredinnick -- and he pockets a cool C$49,980 (the C$50,000 prize money, minus the C$20.00 entry fee). At 451 words -- you can read the whole thing at the official site -- that works out to a decent C$110.82 per word -- a rate any writer could live with.
Nevertheless, some poets are able to earn a pretty penny, and don't even have to win the Nobel Prize to do so -- though winning a prize of some sort certainly helps.
Case in point: they've just announced the 2011 Montreal Prize Winner -- "Walking Underwater" by Mark Tredinnick -- and he pockets a cool C$49,980 (the C$50,000 prize money, minus the C$20.00 entry fee). At 451 words -- you can read the whole thing at the official site -- that works out to a decent C$110.82 per word -- a rate any writer could live with.