tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054268164897459544.post6235218847618639930..comments2023-10-16T10:44:57.162-04:00Comments on No Tells: No Tell Books Supports BlazeVOXRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11664518356375046609noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054268164897459544.post-21716643977186023492011-09-13T14:19:20.363-04:002011-09-13T14:19:20.363-04:00Now that I'm no longer dirt poor - when I go t...Now that I'm no longer dirt poor - when I go to a reading I buy the author's book as an appreciation (unless I can't stand it or it's fifty bucks). Sometimes I get it signed, partly because it's flattering to the writer. <br /><br />The reading is usually free so buying a $20 book isn't a bad deal. <br /><br />To get a book I could see pitching in on the cost of publication, sure. Like you say, the contest racket can suck hundreds of dollars from your pocket pretty fast. <br /><br />I've self-published chapbooks; if they're cheap and if you aren't afraid to accost your adoring fans they're not a hard sell - and the "no thanks" is really not more painful than a rejection slip. <br /><br />I'm now helping research poetry for the library where I work so I get to be a part of putting money into the hands of poets & their publishers. That's pretty cool.Glenn Ingersollhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10674475308395975995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054268164897459544.post-83863804152465912122011-09-12T10:05:31.030-04:002011-09-12T10:05:31.030-04:00I'm a firm supporter of self-publishing. Of c...I'm a firm supporter of self-publishing. Of course, there's no reason that you can't do both, if you like. I've been published in a lot places, some pretty big and I *also* self-publish.RLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11664518356375046609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054268164897459544.post-59264485959331768992011-09-12T06:42:56.339-04:002011-09-12T06:42:56.339-04:00I am with Susan, I buy poetry books and am a poet,...I am with Susan, I buy poetry books and am a poet, because I want to support my fellow poets and enjoy reading the work!<br /><br />However does this mean I should never pay to have my work entered in any journal? They are disappointing in many ways because most of them you never hear if you were even rejected, just nothing, money gone *poof*<br /><br />Seems like the 'small press vs self publish' here is a no brainer. I say if we are required to pay some of the publishing costs self/help promoting would be a requirement, cutting back costs, time and energy...Seems I am heading in a self publishing direction because this scares me. I am being published by journals...Chef Ehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11198603107302675448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054268164897459544.post-5258720287607834022011-09-09T01:04:31.511-04:002011-09-09T01:04:31.511-04:00Club Touch of the Crazy is Hawt. More people shou...Club Touch of the Crazy is Hawt. More people should join.RLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11664518356375046609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054268164897459544.post-15771807715574904222011-09-09T01:02:26.373-04:002011-09-09T01:02:26.373-04:00I must be one of the crazies... I would imagine I ...I must be one of the crazies... I would imagine I buy 20-25 books of poetry per year. That includes anthologies, chapbooks and collections by poets known and unknown. I am further bonkers to say I read much more poetry than fiction. However, I think people don't read modern poetry because they don't understand the language and because poets have forgotten their roles as story-tellers in verse.Susan Sheppardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11870910274627111448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054268164897459544.post-10801721044800879142011-09-07T12:11:06.942-04:002011-09-07T12:11:06.942-04:00>>what are we left with if we self-destroy s...>>what are we left with if we self-destroy small-presses who exist by contest capital alone?<br /><br />That's a good question. Maybe, if there is a tiny readership for poetry, we don't need hundreds of markets that can't legitimately support themselves by providing their product to interested consumers. Maybe there's a bigger problem in having 10,000+ poets strugging to publish to a market that can't support them, who are so desperate that they will support scams and thinly-veiled vanity publishing schemes (I'm NOT commenting on the BlazeVOX discussion here) while pretending that everything is okay. <br /><br />I agree with a previous comment: poetry needs some innovative marketers. Americans are used to being TOLD what to consume and SOLD on it. If you wait for them to come find you on your own merits, you will be waiting a very long time indeed.Michael C. Rushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11300622174153812004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054268164897459544.post-69564485041967053182011-09-07T11:17:08.708-04:002011-09-07T11:17:08.708-04:00Playwrights joined together and boycotted contests...Playwrights joined together and boycotted contests that asked for fees. My playwright mentor(s) all separately told me never to send to fee based contest;only in solidarity would the boycott work. I am, primarily, a poet, though. And wonder: what are we left with if we self-destroy small-presses who exist by contest capital alone? I am not sure the publishing status quo is acceptable, for sure, but how far do we cut off our own noses? <br /><br />Internet publishing is gaining ground; we are in cultural transition--maybe this is a key?<br /><br />For now though, with over twenty years of grinding out the po' stuff with many, many, live, international performance creds, three one woman shows, and two CDs, I still need to be published in print in order to teach. You just cannot get past the hard print publication qualifications in order to teach; in order to pass on experience and inspiration to a new generation of poetry readers and writers you gotta have a book.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06075227300698168489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054268164897459544.post-2506570383367881962011-09-07T11:11:33.645-04:002011-09-07T11:11:33.645-04:00Any poet who pays a fee to enter a poetry "co...Any poet who pays a fee to enter a poetry "contest" is a fool and part of the problem. Any venue that hosts one should be boycotted until they give it up. It's an appalling scam that preys upon the very people they rely upon.Michael C. Rushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11300622174153812004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054268164897459544.post-38217188571872918142011-09-07T01:42:34.452-04:002011-09-07T01:42:34.452-04:00Be sure about the God part. God texts me all the ...Be sure about the God part. God texts me all the time about small press publishing. I'm in the inner poem circle.RLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11664518356375046609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054268164897459544.post-80793936294219663792011-09-06T15:32:36.237-04:002011-09-06T15:32:36.237-04:00dear reb, "touch of the crazy,"
yes, and...dear reb, "touch of the crazy,"<br />yes, and yes, and yes again.<br />(not sure about the god part.)<br />love and crazy,<br />jill stengel<br />a+bend pressJill Stengelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00419791719616593492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054268164897459544.post-15598880905803885382011-09-06T13:27:10.930-04:002011-09-06T13:27:10.930-04:00"More poets need to be publishing their own p..."More poets need to be publishing their own poems, books, projects, etc. We need to get back to focusing on the poetry itself instead of HOW it's being shared and distributed. Truth is readers don't care if the work was subsidized by the author or not, it's not a factor in what they chose to read or buy."<br /><br />PRAISES to you, Reb, for saying what most won't admit.drewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06509808686782374652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054268164897459544.post-8416404712598687042011-09-05T23:36:51.055-04:002011-09-05T23:36:51.055-04:00I couldn't agree more, and thank you for the t...I couldn't agree more, and thank you for the time you took to so thoughtfully and fully respond.Sally Ashtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17367724242673368567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054268164897459544.post-61794886991412593842011-09-05T23:32:27.722-04:002011-09-05T23:32:27.722-04:00Oy! 25K! But your harp will be fur-lined with moth...Oy! 25K! But your harp will be fur-lined with mother-of-pearl accents! Thanks, Reb. Good points all.<br /><br />PPHartigan - Self-Published and Proud of it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00005587475387261208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054268164897459544.post-45050893217670665442011-09-05T21:23:46.575-04:002011-09-05T21:23:46.575-04:00Yes, fine post. I said as much with this on my bl...Yes, fine post. I said as much with this on my blog and in my first book interview:<br /><br />"I think poets should find other ways to support the small press than rationalizing their contest reading fee as support. Poets should support presses without the ulterior motive of submitting to them. We all should buy more books just to buy and read them. More presses would survive that way."Justin Evanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12161484350184865575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054268164897459544.post-4174525279167289392011-09-05T18:30:45.129-04:002011-09-05T18:30:45.129-04:00Been meaning to write sometime and wanted you to k...Been meaning to write sometime and wanted you to know that what you and some other publishers have written about contests and buying books has changed my behavior.<br />I'm old, but new to poetry and literary publishing. When I started writing poetry a few years ago, all I saw promoted out there--even by well-known literary magazines and presses I vaguely remembered from college long ago--were contests. I thought that was how one got published nowadays. I can't believe I spent even the small amount of money I did on such nonsense. Now I spend it on books and events instead.<br />I had a parallel with running as well--rarely do big commercial races anymore. With small homegrown events there's no swag, no tank of Gatorade, mostly volunteers who really do the trail conservation. It requires more self-responsibility. Yet I still get to share the dirt with elite runners who leave me hours behind. <br />The contest model's a monster, as you say, and those trying to do it another way are up against lots of promotion--some people, like me, don't realize there are alternatives. I still get lots and lots of emails about contests. I think that means they really care.Sally Wildehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14818000777385527996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054268164897459544.post-4634333552350452822011-09-05T17:20:24.782-04:002011-09-05T17:20:24.782-04:00I'm glad some very thoughtful discussions are ...I'm glad some very thoughtful discussions are going on about the business of poetry publishing. You hit on one of the core issues I have with "poets", the ones who come up to you after a reading and either ask you to read their work for free or want to know the personal info for your publisher while walking out without buying a book ... Any book * sigh*Jessie Cartyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181286764480973423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054268164897459544.post-48817424723188061832011-09-05T16:29:03.061-04:002011-09-05T16:29:03.061-04:00Great post, Reb. Here's my two cents:
http:/...Great post, Reb. Here's my two cents: <br /><br />http://collinkelley.blogspot.com/2011/09/blazing-away.htmlCollin Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03777180960376039699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054268164897459544.post-19345777532469357702011-09-05T15:53:58.899-04:002011-09-05T15:53:58.899-04:00Steven, sounds like your first book did really wel...Steven, sounds like your first book did really well at BlazeVOX. Too bad you were scammed. :PRLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11664518356375046609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054268164897459544.post-67906637895121639612011-09-05T15:28:37.399-04:002011-09-05T15:28:37.399-04:00P.S. My number excludes direct BlazeVOX website sa...P.S. My number excludes direct BlazeVOX website sales and SPD sales, which I don't know offhand. I do get royalties on those as well, which I simply convert into additional author copies at cost.Steven D. Schroederhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13485188072556490050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054268164897459544.post-7687955412985149792011-09-05T14:52:46.553-04:002011-09-05T14:52:46.553-04:00Thanks for posting this, Reb, and thanks for expla...Thanks for posting this, Reb, and thanks for explaining to people a little bit about how poetry book economics work. My book has sold somewhere between 100 and 200 copies, and I saw way more of that than if I had published with a contest press (or even that rarest of unicorns, non-fee-charging, non-alternative-publishing-model poetry press).Steven D. Schroederhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13485188072556490050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054268164897459544.post-59708463214488153482011-09-05T14:52:20.073-04:002011-09-05T14:52:20.073-04:00I think you're right, Shann. While I may not ...I think you're right, Shann. While I may not like certain tactics some presses use to raise money, there aren't any bad guys here.RLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11664518356375046609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054268164897459544.post-58461322953905514092011-09-05T14:48:58.323-04:002011-09-05T14:48:58.323-04:00I buy as many books as I can (which right now isn&...I buy as many books as I can (which right now isn't many, but that should change as the year comes-I hope). If I knew up front I needed a 'donation' to publish with BlazeVox or Reb or someone who does quality work I would probably try to come up with it- I do my own small chapbooks and even THAT is work and a cost investment-in the end I give away far more than I sell.<br /> <br />I don't think there are any bad guys here- we're all working to get poetry in front of people who are NOT poets- if we could do that better it would certainly help!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14067576860660881139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054268164897459544.post-90876157758477192972011-09-05T14:41:52.720-04:002011-09-05T14:41:52.720-04:00Maybe they should spend another few hundred thousa...Maybe they should spend another few hundred thousand dollars on a focus group. That last one was so very helpful.RLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11664518356375046609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054268164897459544.post-67596447088145709712011-09-05T14:37:26.951-04:002011-09-05T14:37:26.951-04:00Too bad the Poetry Foundation isn't doing anyt...Too bad the Poetry Foundation isn't doing anything useful with its vast sums - like funding poetry publishers, lit mags, or poets!Jeanninehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16419593830749483323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054268164897459544.post-43008422736258445772011-09-05T14:26:11.643-04:002011-09-05T14:26:11.643-04:00I sell a lot of books when I offer Tarot readings ...I sell a lot of books when I offer Tarot readings -- but it's an hour investment per order (usually only one book). It takes weeks and it's exhausting. Every idea I've come up for selling books is a huge time/energy commitment. Not only is there limited money, there's limited energy and time.RLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11664518356375046609noreply@blogger.com