The neglected poet François Maynard spent his life unsuccessfully seeking lucrative patronage, before publishing his Œuvres shortly before his death in 1646. This paper considers Maynard's final struggle for literary success as evidenced through the poet's letters, poetry, as well as his unpublished personal manuscripts. Especial attention is paid to the circulation of Maynard's poetry in manuscript form leading up to the publication of the Œuvres to which these sources attest; whether amongst trusted friends for critical comment, or within a wider, public sphere of readership. I conclude by considering the overall character of the Œuvres, why Maynard may have excluded many of his earlier poetry from this edition, and the tensions that often existed between such ‘officialised' publications and unprinted manuscript poetry.