Wondering what's happening in the land of lit mags? Newpages shares their mini-reviews of the latest print and online publications for August!
A list of the 25 Best Websites for Literature Lovers is up on Flavorwire.
La Femme Folles has a call for submissions of art and writing on their newest theme, The Female Figure.
Great lineup of poets over at Birdfeast's just-released 7th issue, including Arielle Greenberg and Stevie Edwards.
Sarah Griff drools over clothing she can't afford in this delightful series of fashionista fan fiction on Medium.com.
An argument against self-publishing.
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*Got some literary news to share? Send it via Twitter or G+ and/or use the #litshare tag!
Showing posts with label publishing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label publishing. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
New Experiences in Editing
I've been an editor (ok, Founding Editor) for Weave Magazine since a friend and I started it in 2008. We have printed seven issues featuring hundreds of contributors read by even more readers and subscribers. I've read hundreds of submissions, written thousands of emails, and yet somehow I've never been directly involved with the layout of any issue. Until now.
Issue 08 has been a long time coming. It was to be released this past summer, but was delayed six months so I could make some much-needed changes. After finding a wondrous Managing Editor and seriously amazing genre editors, I'm now completely removed from the process of selecting a majority of the work for each issue. While I still solicit work from writers and assist when a genre editor needs another opinion, the majority of my Weave time has been spent on finances, staffing, correspondence, marketing, and moving the business part of Weave legally from Pennsylvania to California. That last part took a lot of my time; California really likes making laws and someone really loves paperwork. These are the things you never think about when you say, "I'm going to start a literary magazine!" I never thought I'd be calculating our total sales tax (which varies from county to county in California) or filing paperwork with the city assessor.
With all that behind me (well, for now), I'm finally able to apply my creative talents to Weave again through the sequencing of Issue 08. This weekend I printed out all of the work for the issue and then read through a majority of the pieces again. It was thrilling to discover a number of themes and subjects emerge: death, aging, and the body; parent-child relationships; magical portraits of women; animals rooting and foraging; explorations of gender roles in a variety of relationships; and a surprising number of ekphrastic poetry (if I broaden the definition to include film and other artistic media). This issue has translations, flash fiction that's short than some of the poetry, a mixture of photography and visual art, and one piece of nonfiction written in the second person. Diversity, indeed.
I know that many of our readers won't sit down with the issue and read it front to back, but I still am taking the sequencing seriously. I really love the idea of each issue being a creation of its own, all the pieces taking turns in dialogue with one another. My favorite part of putting together my chapbook was the sequencing. Soon my living room floor will be covered with words. I'm happy this issue finally taking shape, and even happier that I can take part in its shaping.
Issue 08 has been a long time coming. It was to be released this past summer, but was delayed six months so I could make some much-needed changes. After finding a wondrous Managing Editor and seriously amazing genre editors, I'm now completely removed from the process of selecting a majority of the work for each issue. While I still solicit work from writers and assist when a genre editor needs another opinion, the majority of my Weave time has been spent on finances, staffing, correspondence, marketing, and moving the business part of Weave legally from Pennsylvania to California. That last part took a lot of my time; California really likes making laws and someone really loves paperwork. These are the things you never think about when you say, "I'm going to start a literary magazine!" I never thought I'd be calculating our total sales tax (which varies from county to county in California) or filing paperwork with the city assessor.With all that behind me (well, for now), I'm finally able to apply my creative talents to Weave again through the sequencing of Issue 08. This weekend I printed out all of the work for the issue and then read through a majority of the pieces again. It was thrilling to discover a number of themes and subjects emerge: death, aging, and the body; parent-child relationships; magical portraits of women; animals rooting and foraging; explorations of gender roles in a variety of relationships; and a surprising number of ekphrastic poetry (if I broaden the definition to include film and other artistic media). This issue has translations, flash fiction that's short than some of the poetry, a mixture of photography and visual art, and one piece of nonfiction written in the second person. Diversity, indeed.
I know that many of our readers won't sit down with the issue and read it front to back, but I still am taking the sequencing seriously. I really love the idea of each issue being a creation of its own, all the pieces taking turns in dialogue with one another. My favorite part of putting together my chapbook was the sequencing. Soon my living room floor will be covered with words. I'm happy this issue finally taking shape, and even happier that I can take part in its shaping.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Marginalized Writers vs. Marginalized Voices
One of the first questions to come up in the Submission Bombers group was "How do you define marginalized?" At first I was irked because I didn't want everyone to get weighed down with spiraling political discussions that won't have a resolution. However, after I got over my deep-seated fear of debates, (what if I say something wrong!? what if I sound stupid?!! what if I forget how to spell words?!?!) I knew it was important to discuss this topic. Since, you know, the whole basis for the group is to help the marginalized.
I started with definitions. The dictionary is usually a good starting point, even if the definition is problematic, it gives people a framework to push on and examine. Here's a few:
I started my lit mag, Weave, with the intent of showing off the diverse voices of my peers and mentors. I solicited a lot of women. People outside of academia. People who didn't call themselves writers, but who wrote the occasional poem. It was important to me that we be as diverse as possible and to feature at least half women. Last year I created a Google Form for my contributors about their demographic (and other) information. I realized that we were doing really well in certain areas: more than half of our contributors are female writers, a large percentage of LGBT writers, and a handful of emerging writers. Areas in need of improvement were writers of color and writers of age (Weave is mostly white, with the next largest racial demographic being Asian/Pacific Islanders; we also lean heavily toward writers under 35).
I wondered, how do I improve in these areas without wandering into affirmative action territory? The only solution I'd come up with was to advertise Weave in journals that feature only people of color. But, should it matter whether a black writer or an octogenarian wrote this poem or that story? It's about birds! That doesn't have much to do with their race or age. Besides, what I really care about is the writing itself. Is the writing solid, nuanced, boundary-pushing? Is it discussing topics we don't see addressed that often? Is this a story that we haven't heard yet?
Then I began to think, does marginalization mean minority? Are they synonymous? That seemed wrong, because at some point it gets exclusive, rather than inclusive. By that theory, a young, white, able-bodied, heterosexual, middle-class male would not be allowed in Submission Bombers. It felt weird to draw the line somewhere and say, "You aren't welcome here!" Mary Stone Dockery, a lovely poet, who's been helping me promote and motivate the Submission Bombers, had some great points to make about marginalization and minority status:
I don't think marginalized is synonymous for minority. When I think of "margainalized voices," it makes me think of anyone who has a particular kind of writing style, or ...who writes [about] certain subject matter, and [their words] not being out there for everyone to read, or this kind of writing is suggested as only for a particular kind of publication (for example, writing about women is only for women's magazines). So, to me, a margainalized voice is one who has something to say that's different somehow, or someone saying something in a different way and who rarely gets the chance to be heard.
I was hesitant at first. If the writer's (gender) identity isn't what's marginalize, but rather her voice, the writing, why all the fuss about numbers? What's the point of the VIDA count? And if it does matter, shouldn't we be counting everyone? If the writer's gender matters, why wouldn't other things such as race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, ability, age, etc. matter? But those numbers aren't as easy to obtain. (Neither is gender, for that matter, though we can make assumptions based on names. Anyone know how VIDA gets their numbers? I've always been curious).
Eventually I began to sway. To bring my point back around to that first definition, the discussion should be about our concepts or ideas. Obviously it's about the writing. We (editors) say this all the time, but before, in the back of my mind I couldn't reconcile the part gender plays in the writing itself. And helping women is important to me. Sometimes gender is addressed in our writing. Some of the time, it's not. At times, a writer of color tells a story that deals with race. Sometimes a writer who's a grandparent writes poems about grandparenting. Sometimes a writer who is blind writes an essay about living without sight. But those same people also write about other things. And maybe they write about them in new and fresh ways. Maybe not. But as an editor, I want to publish new voices writing about new ideas/experiences AND publish high quality writing. I'm not going to publish a story about erections just because a queer person wrote it and I need to up my stats (unless of course, the story nuanced and fresh, though, erections are rarely subtle). But I'd publish a well-written, compelling poem about single parenthood or mental illness by a young, white, able-bodied, heterosexual, middle-class male. Those subjects interest me and, quite frankly, their gender and all of the other labels shouldn't matter. The writing matters most.
So as writers, how does this affect us? Obviously our identities affect our writing and its themes, subject matter, structure, syntax, etc. These areas often overlap. But I think when we talk about being marginalized as writers, we're really talking about the marginalization of our voices, our ideas, our words. Or, at least we should be. Sometimes our words directly address our marginalization; after all, our writing is a part of us. But not the whole of us. And if we writers let the part of us that is marginalized keep us from saying what's on our mind, they truly nothing will change.
I think the VIDA count is one piece of the puzzle, but certainly not the whole. And since we can't count every part of us that gives us "marginalized" status, maybe counting isn't the answer. Perhaps it's time to stop counting and start writing. And when we're done writing, we must turn off all those voices in our minds that tell us, "Who's going to care about this story or that poem?" because we all can come up with a million reasons not to send our work out into the world. We must refuse to accept the marginalization of our voices and shut off the noise. Because we only need to listen to one voice - our own voice that whispered the words we've written down, labored over, tweaked and edited and rewritten. That voice deserves to be heard. So what if 20 journals reject you? Take their feedback and constructive criticism into consideration if you want, show it to a friend, workshop it some more, polish the rough edges and send it back out there. Because you put those words on paper for a reason. Trust your own creative impulse. Don't allow yourself to merely count from the margins and instead say, "Listen to me!" Make us listen. Tell us what you have to say.
I started with definitions. The dictionary is usually a good starting point, even if the definition is problematic, it gives people a framework to push on and examine. Here's a few:
- Treat (a person, group, or concept) as insignificant or peripheral.
- Completely or mostly left out of the predominant economic and cultural power structure in a society.
- Excluded, ignored, or relegated to the outer edge of a group/society/community.
I started my lit mag, Weave, with the intent of showing off the diverse voices of my peers and mentors. I solicited a lot of women. People outside of academia. People who didn't call themselves writers, but who wrote the occasional poem. It was important to me that we be as diverse as possible and to feature at least half women. Last year I created a Google Form for my contributors about their demographic (and other) information. I realized that we were doing really well in certain areas: more than half of our contributors are female writers, a large percentage of LGBT writers, and a handful of emerging writers. Areas in need of improvement were writers of color and writers of age (Weave is mostly white, with the next largest racial demographic being Asian/Pacific Islanders; we also lean heavily toward writers under 35).
I wondered, how do I improve in these areas without wandering into affirmative action territory? The only solution I'd come up with was to advertise Weave in journals that feature only people of color. But, should it matter whether a black writer or an octogenarian wrote this poem or that story? It's about birds! That doesn't have much to do with their race or age. Besides, what I really care about is the writing itself. Is the writing solid, nuanced, boundary-pushing? Is it discussing topics we don't see addressed that often? Is this a story that we haven't heard yet?
Then I began to think, does marginalization mean minority? Are they synonymous? That seemed wrong, because at some point it gets exclusive, rather than inclusive. By that theory, a young, white, able-bodied, heterosexual, middle-class male would not be allowed in Submission Bombers. It felt weird to draw the line somewhere and say, "You aren't welcome here!" Mary Stone Dockery, a lovely poet, who's been helping me promote and motivate the Submission Bombers, had some great points to make about marginalization and minority status:
I don't think marginalized is synonymous for minority. When I think of "margainalized voices," it makes me think of anyone who has a particular kind of writing style, or ...who writes [about] certain subject matter, and [their words] not being out there for everyone to read, or this kind of writing is suggested as only for a particular kind of publication (for example, writing about women is only for women's magazines). So, to me, a margainalized voice is one who has something to say that's different somehow, or someone saying something in a different way and who rarely gets the chance to be heard.
I was hesitant at first. If the writer's (gender) identity isn't what's marginalize, but rather her voice, the writing, why all the fuss about numbers? What's the point of the VIDA count? And if it does matter, shouldn't we be counting everyone? If the writer's gender matters, why wouldn't other things such as race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, ability, age, etc. matter? But those numbers aren't as easy to obtain. (Neither is gender, for that matter, though we can make assumptions based on names. Anyone know how VIDA gets their numbers? I've always been curious).
Eventually I began to sway. To bring my point back around to that first definition, the discussion should be about our concepts or ideas. Obviously it's about the writing. We (editors) say this all the time, but before, in the back of my mind I couldn't reconcile the part gender plays in the writing itself. And helping women is important to me. Sometimes gender is addressed in our writing. Some of the time, it's not. At times, a writer of color tells a story that deals with race. Sometimes a writer who's a grandparent writes poems about grandparenting. Sometimes a writer who is blind writes an essay about living without sight. But those same people also write about other things. And maybe they write about them in new and fresh ways. Maybe not. But as an editor, I want to publish new voices writing about new ideas/experiences AND publish high quality writing. I'm not going to publish a story about erections just because a queer person wrote it and I need to up my stats (unless of course, the story nuanced and fresh, though, erections are rarely subtle). But I'd publish a well-written, compelling poem about single parenthood or mental illness by a young, white, able-bodied, heterosexual, middle-class male. Those subjects interest me and, quite frankly, their gender and all of the other labels shouldn't matter. The writing matters most.
So as writers, how does this affect us? Obviously our identities affect our writing and its themes, subject matter, structure, syntax, etc. These areas often overlap. But I think when we talk about being marginalized as writers, we're really talking about the marginalization of our voices, our ideas, our words. Or, at least we should be. Sometimes our words directly address our marginalization; after all, our writing is a part of us. But not the whole of us. And if we writers let the part of us that is marginalized keep us from saying what's on our mind, they truly nothing will change.
I think the VIDA count is one piece of the puzzle, but certainly not the whole. And since we can't count every part of us that gives us "marginalized" status, maybe counting isn't the answer. Perhaps it's time to stop counting and start writing. And when we're done writing, we must turn off all those voices in our minds that tell us, "Who's going to care about this story or that poem?" because we all can come up with a million reasons not to send our work out into the world. We must refuse to accept the marginalization of our voices and shut off the noise. Because we only need to listen to one voice - our own voice that whispered the words we've written down, labored over, tweaked and edited and rewritten. That voice deserves to be heard. So what if 20 journals reject you? Take their feedback and constructive criticism into consideration if you want, show it to a friend, workshop it some more, polish the rough edges and send it back out there. Because you put those words on paper for a reason. Trust your own creative impulse. Don't allow yourself to merely count from the margins and instead say, "Listen to me!" Make us listen. Tell us what you have to say.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Submission Bombers Seek New Target! Calling All Lit Mags & Editors!
UPDATE 6/22/12: I've added a page with more info on the Submission Bombers, how you can join as a writer, and how the group works in general. Check it out.
A few weeks ago I started a little experiment on Facebook called Submission Bombers. The concept is simple: get a bunch of writers who all feel marginalized in some way and get them all to submit to the same market at once. Much like yarn bombing or seed bombing, the idea is to give editors what they claim to not get: submissions from us, the marginalized.
It took a few days to shape the specifics. Once I started inviting people to the private group, I told members to invite anyone that might be interested. I also made a public post about the group, telling people to comment if they wanted to participate. I didn't want to be the gatekeeper of who and who isn't marginalized.
Questions arose: Won't this just overwhelm the already thin-stretched staff of most publications? Will we piss of the editors? What does "marginalized" mean? Is this just a way to get revenge after a rejection? What publications will we bomb? All good questions, and I tried my best to answer them. I also developed a statement of purpose, parts of which are here:
What is the purpose of Submission Bombers?
To take positive action on a large scale.
LARGE SCALE = Big Facebook group of writers!
ACTION = writing awesome stuff! sending awesome stuff to editors hungry for your words!
Since other "bombings" like those above are centered around being stealthy, many people had concerns about stressing out editors. That shifted our definition of bombing to being about large scale action.
Based on those initial concerns, we decided to seek out an editor who was willing to collaborate on our first bombing, rather than stealth bombing an editor with tons of submissions. After two weeks of submission bombing our first target, I know at least four writers from the group got acceptances.
However acceptance isn't the goal of Submission Bombers. Submitting is the goal. Additional perks emerged including group discussions about marginalization, publication rates, frequency of resubmitting, and the airing of general frustrations or concerns about diversity in literary publishing.
But the most positive thing to come out of this group so far is something so obvious, I couldn't believe I didn't predict it. Motivation and accountability. So many members thanked me for giving them the boost they needed to submit their writing. Much like exercising with a buddy, we're all in this submission game together. It should become part of the routine. This normally solitary, hidden process of gathering together a manuscript to submit is now something we are doing together, as a community, for the sake of submitting and supporting one another as we each try to make our way as writers.
BTW: Writers, if you are interested in joining the Submission Bombers just request a FB friendship and message me for an invite.
Today marks the end of our first bombing. Our community is emboldened by the individual acceptances and overall participation rate. The group has almost 400 people and while a small fraction told the group about their submission, I'm sure a few others still did and kept it a secret. I imagine that with each bombing we'll have varying levels of participation, but I expect the next few to grow significantly.
Editors, this is where you come in.
We need a new target. We have work we want to submit. We are a diverse group and hopefully getting more so as we grow. We are the writers you might not hear from as often: women, writers of color, lgbtqia writers, writers of age, emerging writers, non-academics, varying socioeconomic backgrounds, writers with varying/different abilities, writers who want to be heard.
If you are an editor and you're interested in a participating in a Submission Bombing in the very near future, please leave me a comment below with your contact info and a link to your publications website. We're especially interested in publications that accept poetry and prose submissions and have some online content to help our writers become familiar with the work you publish.
SO, who wants to hear from us? Who wants some explosive writing? Who wants to read the freshest stories and cutting-edge poems? That's us. We have our words ready for you. We've got stamps. We're waiting to hit send.
BOOM.
A few weeks ago I started a little experiment on Facebook called Submission Bombers. The concept is simple: get a bunch of writers who all feel marginalized in some way and get them all to submit to the same market at once. Much like yarn bombing or seed bombing, the idea is to give editors what they claim to not get: submissions from us, the marginalized.
It took a few days to shape the specifics. Once I started inviting people to the private group, I told members to invite anyone that might be interested. I also made a public post about the group, telling people to comment if they wanted to participate. I didn't want to be the gatekeeper of who and who isn't marginalized.
Questions arose: Won't this just overwhelm the already thin-stretched staff of most publications? Will we piss of the editors? What does "marginalized" mean? Is this just a way to get revenge after a rejection? What publications will we bomb? All good questions, and I tried my best to answer them. I also developed a statement of purpose, parts of which are here:
What is the purpose of Submission Bombers?
To take positive action on a large scale.
LARGE SCALE = Big Facebook group of writers!
ACTION = writing awesome stuff! sending awesome stuff to editors hungry for your words!
Since other "bombings" like those above are centered around being stealthy, many people had concerns about stressing out editors. That shifted our definition of bombing to being about large scale action.
Based on those initial concerns, we decided to seek out an editor who was willing to collaborate on our first bombing, rather than stealth bombing an editor with tons of submissions. After two weeks of submission bombing our first target, I know at least four writers from the group got acceptances.
However acceptance isn't the goal of Submission Bombers. Submitting is the goal. Additional perks emerged including group discussions about marginalization, publication rates, frequency of resubmitting, and the airing of general frustrations or concerns about diversity in literary publishing.
But the most positive thing to come out of this group so far is something so obvious, I couldn't believe I didn't predict it. Motivation and accountability. So many members thanked me for giving them the boost they needed to submit their writing. Much like exercising with a buddy, we're all in this submission game together. It should become part of the routine. This normally solitary, hidden process of gathering together a manuscript to submit is now something we are doing together, as a community, for the sake of submitting and supporting one another as we each try to make our way as writers.
BTW: Writers, if you are interested in joining the Submission Bombers just request a FB friendship and message me for an invite.
Today marks the end of our first bombing. Our community is emboldened by the individual acceptances and overall participation rate. The group has almost 400 people and while a small fraction told the group about their submission, I'm sure a few others still did and kept it a secret. I imagine that with each bombing we'll have varying levels of participation, but I expect the next few to grow significantly.
Editors, this is where you come in.
We need a new target. We have work we want to submit. We are a diverse group and hopefully getting more so as we grow. We are the writers you might not hear from as often: women, writers of color, lgbtqia writers, writers of age, emerging writers, non-academics, varying socioeconomic backgrounds, writers with varying/different abilities, writers who want to be heard.
If you are an editor and you're interested in a participating in a Submission Bombing in the very near future, please leave me a comment below with your contact info and a link to your publications website. We're especially interested in publications that accept poetry and prose submissions and have some online content to help our writers become familiar with the work you publish.
SO, who wants to hear from us? Who wants some explosive writing? Who wants to read the freshest stories and cutting-edge poems? That's us. We have our words ready for you. We've got stamps. We're waiting to hit send.
BOOM.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Chapbook Rookie: Braiding the Storm Cover Art Revealed!
I'm so excited to finally share my cover art with all of you! I've been collaborating with the amazingly talented Rose Desiano, who took my words and made them a visual feast. I love the whole design, but I'm particularly fond of the thatched leaves and the tape holding down my name in the corner. I could not have imagined this, but I think it really captures the movement and energy of these poems.
I was lucky enough to have Rose create the art and design the layout for my book, both front and back. So some these pretty leaves below will wrap around the spine. One step closer to holding my chapbook in my hands!
I was lucky enough to have Rose create the art and design the layout for my book, both front and back. So some these pretty leaves below will wrap around the spine. One step closer to holding my chapbook in my hands!
 |
Braiding the Storm is forthcoming from Finishing Line Press in September, 2012. |
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Questions, After the 2011 VIDA Count
Does the gender of the readership of a publication affect the gender of its bylines?
Do women primarily read work by women? Do men only read work by men?
What does it mean to write about "women's issues" or "men's issues"?
What about writers who don't identify as male or female? Where is their pie slice?
What if female writers were to gang up and publicly pledge to submit to a publication? Submission bombing, if you will.
What if a submissions system (i.e.: Submittable) collected submitters' demographic data that could later be made available to the editors, perhaps anonymously, after submissions close?
Do women primarily read work by women? Do men only read work by men?
What does it mean to write about "women's issues" or "men's issues"?
What about writers who don't identify as male or female? Where is their pie slice?
What if female writers were to gang up and publicly pledge to submit to a publication? Submission bombing, if you will.
What if a submissions system (i.e.: Submittable) collected submitters' demographic data that could later be made available to the editors, perhaps anonymously, after submissions close?
That's what's on my mind. What questions do you have?
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Chapbook Rookie: Marketing Resource Roundup!
In my search for help with promoting my chapbook, I've found a number of articles, interviews, and chapbooks (yes, chapbooks about promoting chapbooks. meta-chaps.). I've amassed said resources below for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!
Great interview with poet Heather McNaugher over at LDP Distro. McNaugher covers so many topics, including one that I feel is super important, yet often overlooked: ask yourself, what have you done to promote someone else's poetry lately?
Jennifer Bosveld, President of Pudding House Publications, discusses, from an editors perspective, how to promote a poetry chapbook, among other things, in her article, Chapbooks—Flying Like Hummingbirds Exciting the Air Around Them: Marketing Your Chaps with Limited If Any Help From the Publisher. Longwinded title and the article does wander into some of Bosveld's personal opinions, however, it is still incredibly useful.
WordClay talks about building an audience based on your geographic location, as well other other things like subject matter of the poetry. For example, if your poems are about gardening, you might do a reading at your local gardening center or gardener's club. Other aspects covered include book signings, book tours, reviews, and online marketing.
I have found a handful of places that review chapbooks: Prick of the Spindle, The Chapbook Store, Fiddler Crab, and NewPages. There is also this low-key website, but I can't tell how often it's updated. Also, none of these promise to write the review when you send a review copy.
My publisher recommended two books; Guerrilla Marketing for Writers by Jay Levinson and The Frugal Book Promoter by Carolyn Howard-Johnson. If I have time, I'll do some reviews of these books.
So far, the takeaway I'm getting from most of the resources I've found is this: readings sell chapbooks. Readings seem to be the most important factor in terms of building a new audience. Of course, if you have a pre-order phase like I do, you'll want to have a plan that taps into your current network. I'm feeling pretty good about that though. But thinking in advance, I've already begun to create a spreadsheet of readings. But that's a whole other blog post.
Next time on Chapbook Rookie: Cover Art!
Great interview with poet Heather McNaugher over at LDP Distro. McNaugher covers so many topics, including one that I feel is super important, yet often overlooked: ask yourself, what have you done to promote someone else's poetry lately?
Jennifer Bosveld, President of Pudding House Publications, discusses, from an editors perspective, how to promote a poetry chapbook, among other things, in her article, Chapbooks—Flying Like Hummingbirds Exciting the Air Around Them: Marketing Your Chaps with Limited If Any Help From the Publisher. Longwinded title and the article does wander into some of Bosveld's personal opinions, however, it is still incredibly useful.
WordClay talks about building an audience based on your geographic location, as well other other things like subject matter of the poetry. For example, if your poems are about gardening, you might do a reading at your local gardening center or gardener's club. Other aspects covered include book signings, book tours, reviews, and online marketing.
I have found a handful of places that review chapbooks: Prick of the Spindle, The Chapbook Store, Fiddler Crab, and NewPages. There is also this low-key website, but I can't tell how often it's updated. Also, none of these promise to write the review when you send a review copy.
My publisher recommended two books; Guerrilla Marketing for Writers by Jay Levinson and The Frugal Book Promoter by Carolyn Howard-Johnson. If I have time, I'll do some reviews of these books.
So far, the takeaway I'm getting from most of the resources I've found is this: readings sell chapbooks. Readings seem to be the most important factor in terms of building a new audience. Of course, if you have a pre-order phase like I do, you'll want to have a plan that taps into your current network. I'm feeling pretty good about that though. But thinking in advance, I've already begun to create a spreadsheet of readings. But that's a whole other blog post.
Next time on Chapbook Rookie: Cover Art!
Monday, December 26, 2011
Inside the Gray
Today I woke up at noon. Christmas was exhausting yesterday and I didn't get much sleep the night before. I think I'm a pretend extrovert. I had to go hide in my old room in my parents' house after I helped clean up dinner. I just needed a break from noise.
At work I wear noise canceling headphones and I play gray noise. It's not as high pitched as white noise. It's awesome. I'm using it right now. The TV is on playing some kind of reality show drama, but I can only hear the calming sound of water falling.
Sal is in New York with his family. I leave to see him on Wednesday. This will be the last Christmas we spend apart. It's been my least favorite holiday. My family is wonderful. I got lovely gifts. I just wish Sal could have been here for it.
I have only five submissions outstanding right now and zero desire to submit new work. I'm just not excited about it at all. I want to start fresh. I didn't meet my goal of 100 submissions this year; I stopped at 64. I'm finishing with pretty great numbers for the year though.
Acceptances: 8 journals/10 poems
Overall Acceptance: 12.5%
Last year I had a higher acceptance rate, but I also submitted to much more difficult markets this year. That acceptance also includes the contest I won. It doesn't include my chapbook though. I don't know how to think about that. It was a total shock to me. Still is.
I have written a lot during this second half of the year, the darkening half. Now that the planet has begun it's slow turn back toward the sun, I'm hoping to discover my poems again. This is what I have to say to gray.
Gray, is that a poem inside? I will unwrap the spine of it. Swindle and spring. I will ravish every shade.
At work I wear noise canceling headphones and I play gray noise. It's not as high pitched as white noise. It's awesome. I'm using it right now. The TV is on playing some kind of reality show drama, but I can only hear the calming sound of water falling.
Sal is in New York with his family. I leave to see him on Wednesday. This will be the last Christmas we spend apart. It's been my least favorite holiday. My family is wonderful. I got lovely gifts. I just wish Sal could have been here for it.
I have only five submissions outstanding right now and zero desire to submit new work. I'm just not excited about it at all. I want to start fresh. I didn't meet my goal of 100 submissions this year; I stopped at 64. I'm finishing with pretty great numbers for the year though.
Acceptances: 8 journals/10 poems
Overall Acceptance: 12.5%
Last year I had a higher acceptance rate, but I also submitted to much more difficult markets this year. That acceptance also includes the contest I won. It doesn't include my chapbook though. I don't know how to think about that. It was a total shock to me. Still is.
I have written a lot during this second half of the year, the darkening half. Now that the planet has begun it's slow turn back toward the sun, I'm hoping to discover my poems again. This is what I have to say to gray.
Gray, is that a poem inside? I will unwrap the spine of it. Swindle and spring. I will ravish every shade.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Literary Roundup: Online Lit Edition
I've been submitting a lot lately, which means I've been reading a lot too. Particularly online journals that I never seem to have the time to read. Well, I have the time, but not right kind of time one needs to read. When I'm on my computer, I have multitasking time, but that's not the right kind of time to have for reading delicious literary works.
The latest issue of Corium was posted last week. I'm absolutely in love with this very short fiction piece by Elizabeth Wade. My prognosis? Lovely + Superb. And "clavicle" is my new favorite word.
I found this cool lit mag through my friend Kayla Washko, who's essay "Unlosing Your Virginity" was published on Paper Darts. Not only is this essay hysterical, the editors also create original graphics to go with the pieces, which give the site a playful look and feel. I'm really digging on their aesthetic.
Nicelle Davis' poems over there are excellent, specifically her second poem "My Two-Year Old Son at the Five-Year Old Girl’s Birthday Party," which makes good use of an extended metaphor. So often extended metaphors beat the reader to death, but the bird images are just enough here. Nice work.
Since I've got the attention span of a two year-old, I rarely make time to read fiction. Especially when I'm in the midst of submission-reading for Weave. However, while checking out decomP's latest issue, I took the three minutes needed to read "Wasps" by Kristi DeMeester and I was glad I did. Great texture to this story. It surprised me at the end. I like when that happens.
Sweet has a beautiful and funny essay by Brenda Miller called "Our Daily Toast." Read it and find out why Miller won a Pushcart. I also loved these poems from Nin Andrews in their latest issue from January.
Finally, I dug up this poem from > kill author's issue one archives. Thank you, Nicole Elizabeth. I took piano lessons for six years and never really improved, so imagining pianos falling from the sky was nostalgic, sad and a little gratifying.
The latest issue of Corium was posted last week. I'm absolutely in love with this very short fiction piece by Elizabeth Wade. My prognosis? Lovely + Superb. And "clavicle" is my new favorite word.
I found this cool lit mag through my friend Kayla Washko, who's essay "Unlosing Your Virginity" was published on Paper Darts. Not only is this essay hysterical, the editors also create original graphics to go with the pieces, which give the site a playful look and feel. I'm really digging on their aesthetic.
Nicelle Davis' poems over there are excellent, specifically her second poem "My Two-Year Old Son at the Five-Year Old Girl’s Birthday Party," which makes good use of an extended metaphor. So often extended metaphors beat the reader to death, but the bird images are just enough here. Nice work.
Since I've got the attention span of a two year-old, I rarely make time to read fiction. Especially when I'm in the midst of submission-reading for Weave. However, while checking out decomP's latest issue, I took the three minutes needed to read "Wasps" by Kristi DeMeester and I was glad I did. Great texture to this story. It surprised me at the end. I like when that happens.
Sweet has a beautiful and funny essay by Brenda Miller called "Our Daily Toast." Read it and find out why Miller won a Pushcart. I also loved these poems from Nin Andrews in their latest issue from January.
Finally, I dug up this poem from > kill author's issue one archives. Thank you, Nicole Elizabeth. I took piano lessons for six years and never really improved, so imagining pianos falling from the sky was nostalgic, sad and a little gratifying.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Advice for Poets Who Don't Want to Be Published
Are you a poet trying desperately to avoid publication? Who isn't?! But sadly, submissions are just part of the job description. There are, however, some steps you can take to ensure your poetry never sees the light of day. Follow these rules and you'll be on your way to wallpapering your studio apartment with rejection letters.
Before You Submit
- Be sure to write poems that include any or all of the following words: angel, blush, roses, soul, caress, tear, rain, raindrops, wind, memory, heart, death, agony, sadness. BONUS: If you use any of these words as a title, you're platinum, baby.
- Can't think of a way to end your poem? Don't fret. Do what prose writers do: "The End" never fails.
- Never revise your poems. They are perfect the moment they hit the page, spelling errors and all. Spellcheck could not possibly understand your wisdom.
The Submissions Process
- Begin with a long cover letter that addresses the wrong editor, or better yet, the wrong publication, making it obvious that you blindly submitted to ten publications. Mention that you've never read the journal, but you really liked their website.
- Submissions guidelines? Who cares! You need to believe in yourself. Send along at least 10 of your best pieces and be certain you use an eye-catching font like Chalkduster.
- Bios! The longer the better. Brag brag brag. Win the science fair in high school? Tell them. Include every publication you've ever gotten (even the one from junior high when you and your best friend made an "underground" zine called Hooch & Words, written while buzzed on cough syrup). Also name drop. Better yet, include a list of the last five places that rejected you and say something terrible about the editors. Also include lots links to various pages on your blog that you haven't updated since 2007.
The Aftermath
- Email the editors weekly to be sure they received your submission. If you don't hear back, resubmit the same poems again. You can also look for them on g-chat and IM them by saying, "hey editor! didja get my poems? i bet ur gonna luv em!"
- When you finally get your rejection letter, follow up with a casual response in which you tell the editors they must be blind to not recognize the UTTER GENIUS that are your poems. Expletives and name-calling will surely get your email address blocked, thus ensuring you'll never, ever be published in their magazine.
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