 Poetry: July 13, 2016 Issue [#7748] |
  Poetry
This week: Selling Yourself - Sell Your Poetry Edited by: fyn  
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Poetry is truth in its Sunday clothes.~~Joseph Roux
Poetry can be dangerous, especially beautiful poetry, because it gives the illusion of having had the experience without actually going through it.~~Rumi
Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash.~~Leonard Cohen
Poetry is what in a poem makes you laugh, cry, prickle, be silent, makes your toe nails twinkle, makes you want to do this or that or nothing, makes you know that you are alone in the unknown world, that your bliss and suffering is forever shared and forever all your own.~~Dylan Thomas
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Bottom line: the market for poetry books is minuscule. People in general don't want to read a whole bunch of poetry. They don't 'get' it, they want to be entertained, they are afraid they will appear 'stupid' if they don't understand it, they think poetry should all rhyme and be sing-songy or it simply reminds them of the poetry they were 'forced' to read and figure out the symbolism of in school. In short; for many people, poetry does not have many good connotations, does not conjure good memories or do not want to have to work to figure it out.
That being said, there are those of us who enjoy poetry for poetry's sake, who enjoy following metaphors through, who smile at well-turned phrases and can really appreciate a well written poem. Unfortunately, we are a teeny minority in the written world.
I grew up with poetry being an active part of my life. In school we had to memorize poetry and fifty years later, I can still rattle off 'O Captain, My Captain' by Walt Whitman, 'The New Colossus' (the poem at the base of The Statue of Liberty) by Emma Lazarus or any number of poems by Robert Frost. My grandmother personally knew a number of famous poets in the mid 60s and made sure I met them. We kept poetry collections in the bathroom on a shelf! Being able to recite a memorized poem and explain what I thought it meant was good for an additional fifty cents come allowance time. (Back in the day a fifty cent allowance per week was huge!) Edgar Guest, Myra Brooks Welch, Robert Frost and many others were a regular part of my childhood. We were regularly taught poetry in school. Today, this, unfortunately, is not the case. While the grandkids think poetry books in the bathroom is a funny thing, (but then they know Grand is odd anyway) the kids have read some and they all have copies of Shel Silverstein and others. But the generation of folks who grew up with poetry as an active, living, breathing entity is getting older.
So, how to get into that tiny niche and sell poetry? Because you ARE a poet and want your work 'out there!' Right? Yes! There are four major rules that help. Over the years, I have learned that a poetry book must contain high quality work, be well produced, (in other words it must look stellar!) and it must not have a high selling price. The fourth thing (whether online or off) is that sample poetry should be provided. When my authors do a reading or are at a show, they always have one or two poems nicely printed out to give away. People tend to be unwilling to take a chance on poetry without 'knowing' either the poetry or the author.
Writing the poetry, getting the book together ... is just the beginning. When you hold that volume in your hands is when your work begins! It is extremely important to work at the promotion of your work...do poetry reading and poetry slams and have work with you. Talk to local indie bookstores, coffee houses and work the summer art fairs. Contact the newspapers. Contact local indie tv stations...perhaps you can get on one of their shows! Create a video of you reading and do the online thing with them. Talk to local libraries and ask them to set up poetry nights or author nights. Get up there and do the open mike bit...and dress the part...are you the serious literary tweedy type, the Avant guard bohemian or the GOTH writer? Look your part, be the character of your writing or of the poetry you will be reading. Seems to help and help with identifying you with your words.
And a side note on readings. BE prepared. Pick several pieces that 'go' together ... have a theme or style. Read your work out loud at home. Not just once, but numerous times until a) you are comfortable with it, b) you don't stumble over words and have it mostly (if not entirely) memorized and c) have played with the nuances of how you read...which words emphasized, when to raise your voice or lower it and d) so that you have a good reading speed...not too fast or slow. Be confident in both you and your work. Eye contact...connect with your audience. Smile. SELL both you and your work. Now is not the time to be a quiet, shy, scared little mouse!! If those at a reading like you, they will like your work. Encourage comments, discussion.
You need to have your words heard. Heard, even more than read. Hearing leads to folks being interested in reading more. Some of those who buy will be poets, but many will not. They will be the curious, the 'wish I could write poetry' types, the 'I hated poetry in school, but maybe...' sort who may be enlightened by your words. People, non-poets, tend to be scared of poetry because they either don't or are afraid they won't understand it. I usually go for the more story-telling ones at readings because (though they may not admit to it) even adults like to be 'read a story.' Plus, the 'story' type tend to be a bit less intimidating to those who are less familiar with poetry in general. Pick poetry with a high emotional content. Make your audience feel something...whether laughter, sadness, joy or tears. Mix it up though ... not all sad poetry or all light.
Poetry books can and do sell, you just need to find and use the right places, people and times!
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#1971412 by Not Available. |
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A tale of one man's quest for fame - inspired by Don Quixote & the author's photograph.
#2090040 by hughblue  |
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Joto-Kai  says:I cannot say that I think in poetry, the way that you describe; though I certainly do not think in narrative. Forming one is almost a miracle.
I do think in the kind of snapshots that drive my older poems, though it lacks the aesthetic grace you describe, it often manages to be raw and passionate. Like songs, not ballads, just the hooks. The fading glimmer of the cameraman's flash, fading in the darkness.
A decrepit sense of past and future, as wandering through a forest with the flashlight pointed in the wrong direction, perhaps directly up. Each step its own forest. Each moment lives alone, with no connection to past or future.
Not the demon-haunted world of superstition, but a world where the demons hide behind our fancy thoughts, doing their work unbidden and unseen.
Ah, but I am trying too hard.
Never!
Monty  Another fine News Letter Fyn.
Thanking you!
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