[New-Poetry] Re: Recommending Poetry Presses?

[David Baratier]

Thanks for the good words on the press Bob! 
   
  I disagree tho that those helped by contests were "well on there way already" as Hoagland was pretty much unknown, had one book out on a university press that had hardly been reviewed, he was one of at least 1000 university poetry titles published that year. Bob Hickok too, he was a tool and die maker up this way, no university connections, won a prize and became a professor. I take this as being beyond "help;" it is a whole different occupation and experience.  
   
  all for now--


Bob Grumman <bobgrumman at nut-n-but.net> wrote:  A few quick comments back to Dave:

I'm sure there are a few contests that have helped poets, but those 
they've helped were almost always already well on there way or already 
there. As for POD-users, sure, most of them are bad at marketing, I one 
of them. But not because of lack of interest but because marketing is 
difficult and we don't have the time or connections necessary to do it 
right, especially those of us not in a big city. Dave does an excellent 
job of this, and maybe his enterprise's contests help some poets, but 
his press is a rare exception--do to all the work he puts into it. 
Pudding House does good work, too.

--Bob G.

David Baratier wrote:
> A few things to mention on this thread--
> 
> At Iowa they have agents that come in and sign up the poets.
> I have heard from an unreliable source that they have started this at 
> Houston also; that they do this for fiction is accurately confirmed tho.
> 
> I can think of many whose "literary reputation" was established by 
> contests. Anyone who wins the Whitman Award or the James Laughlin 
> Award has 5,000 books given away to Academy of American poets members. 
> Like Tony Hoagland. The National Poetry Series contest places at least 
> one book a year on Penguin. That has helped out various friends I can 
> think of, probably Terrance Hayes is the best recent example.
> 
> The traditional route that Bob mentions of publishing poems in 
> journals then sending to publishers still works. We have had a few 
> titles sell over 1,000 copies which makes them best sellers in the 
> poetry world. For us our Simon Perchik collected, the Will 
> Alexander book, Tony Gloeggler (a first book), a few others, all were 
> chosen from appearing in our journal first.
> 
> Outside of our first book contest, we primarily publish first books, 
> with some collected or selected (but some of the selected poems have 
> been first books also). 
> 
> For an author, I find the disadvantage of a publisher who uses POD is 
> a lack of interest in marketing the books. They do not have a garage 
> full of them they wish to empty out. For Pavement Saw, it has been a 
> good year; I can park my car this winter. I've had one or more reviews 
> appear in the last year for six titles that were published from 1998 
> to 2003. I do not see POD publishers as having a vested interest in 
> pushing their mid- or back-title lists.
> 
> Larger publishers remainder their stock for .50 cents to $1 a copy to 
> Half-Price books and other chains to inflict their titles on an 
> uninterested public. For them, poetry only has value if it sells 
> within nine months, otherwise it is immediately excised from print.
> 
> As for publishing yourself, I can see it for chapbooks, the expense is 
> not there. For books, the book of poems "exists," but only if bought, 
> if they are never printed then the audience is theoretical also. In 
> nearly all instances self publishing a physical full length 
> collection seems an ego inflating measure of being able to quip "I 
> have a book" rather than a serious attempt to connect with an entirely 
> unknown readership that your work would be important to.
> 
> I cannot think of any self published books of poems composed of words 
> (not PDF's, or e-books or so on), that have made substantial impact in 
> the last 10 years. Some vispo collections (maybe those are smaller 
> potential fields to begin with) but not poetry. Maybe I have missed 
> that boat, are there any that come to mind for you'all?
> 
> 
> 
>
> 
>
>
>
> Be well
>
> David Baratier, Editor
>
> Pavement Saw Press
> 321 Empire Street
> Montpelier OH 43543
> http://pavementsaw.org
>
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Be well

David Baratier, Editor

Pavement Saw Press
321 Empire Street
Montpelier OH 43543
http://pavementsaw.org

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