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User	FrankBlissett | 2006-03-25 |
Subject	untitled
Message	Thanks for the comments. RealPoet - you read my mind! I had considered the artist/poet thing initially, and really want to do one. We have a lot of really good painters up here and a very active artists guild. I had dropped the idea for my first edition for cost reasons, but will make a note in my business plan to revisit it when I’ve got this volume under my belt. I really think that could open up other venues to market your work too, by making it not just a poetry book, but something of a "coffee table" book. The signing party is a good idea. Maybe I can talk the campus English Club into holding an open mic or something similar, under the understanding that I would hype it as a book signing - that way I can jump onto their PSAs and such. Mae, You’re right, of course, about the local stores. What I meant is that they have very little in the way of chapbooks in stock currently by which I can judge a good selling price. I know the alternative bookstore would sell my books, and the chain store would likely do so (especially if I get an ISBN). We also have a lot of tourist shops here that .i.may.ef. be willing to sell them - they do sell some local history and fiction, but not much. Another venue I’ve been pondering is the regional music fests. I’m pretty sure that I can get into our local fest, and have made that one of my goals for this year. -Frank

User	mae | 2006-03-23 |
Subject	untitled
Message	Frank, don’t count out your local bookstores just because there are only 3 or 4 of them. Most bookstores - especially from smaller cities or towns - just LUV to sell work from local authors. The "local boy makes good" sort of thing, ya know? If your area is anything like mine (northwest Washington state, closest city is about 60k with lots of small towns around), the county sort of claims the author as its own. We also have only 3 or 4 book stores in the main city in our county, but most of the smaller towns - ( repeat, MOST ) - have one or more bookstores as well, who would also like to carry works by local authors. Then there is the neighboring county, who would also consider someone from up here ’local’. The market just keeps expanding. mae

User	realpoet | 2006-03-22 |
Subject	untitled
Message	Why not get the campus artist to paint up some paintings that illustrate some of the poems. These pictures attached to poems are good sellers, plus the fact the artist can gain recognition. For a quasi hardback,why not buy some of those cheap colored plastic folders. For a forty page book of poems, though home made , I would seel the book for a minimum of $10.00. With illustrations I would sell for more. As for backers, I would advertise in the campus newsletter or even in the daily press something like,"Local poet is searching for backers ." Hey! Good luck! As a post script. You could hold a signing party with readings from one or two of your pieces. Then ask for the attendees to input what they got out of the poem just read. Then have some chapbooks available with the notation that these are first limited editions. Didn’t Poe go door to door selling his works?

User	bitterlily | 2006-03-21 |
Subject	used books
Message	Hey, sorry for the delayed reply here--- You should also check out the used bookstore and see if they have a poetry section. Like I said, the only chapbooks I have are pre-read, so it possible you might be able to find some guides at a used book store. --Jasmine

User	FrankBlissett | 2006-03-19 |
Subject	untitled
Message	For the most part I plan on one poem per page, with some of my longer ones needing multiple pages. Unfortunately, we only have three book stores in town (four if you count the campus book store) - a chain store, an alternative store and a used book store. None of which has much poetry other than the classics. What data I do have comes from Amazon.com. You did give me an idea I had not thought of though - our libraries. I know that the campus library has a decent poetry section, and the public library has some regional chapbooks. If they have any short poetry books that have been published over the past several years then I may be able to get some prices off of them. It’ll be a good project for tomorrow afternoon. -Frank

User	bitterlily | 2006-03-19 |
Subject	chapbooks
Message	Why not just go to your local poetry store and see how much they charge for chapbooks? I think $7 is reasonable, though I think like $5 is better. I usually buy chapbooks used (because I’m cheap and if I’m buying something by someone I don’t know, I might as well pay less) and pre-read the are usually one or two dollars. It’s like buying candy that lasts a long time =) But then, the books I have don’t look homemade, so ... I dunno. 40 pages sounds good. Are you planning on doing one poem per page or what?

User	Rokhal | 2006-03-16 |
Subject	untitled
Message	Well, excuse me for being a philistine capitalist consumer. I mean, I’d never buy a book of poetry unless it had a shiny leather cover with gold embossed designs on it, by Keats or somebody, so I could put it on a coffee table. Good luck, though.

User	FrankBlissett | 2006-03-16 |
Subject	untitled
Message	Thanks for your comments. Rokhal, ~40 pages is not uncommon for poetry books or for local books of stories. The reason is more technical than cosmetic - multiple pages are printed on one sheet of paper at the printer (or even on your PC), thus large books are more cost-effective to produce in multiples of 4, smaller books in multiples of 8. Also, much more than 40 pages gets into multiple signatures (groups of pages), which requires binding - thus a bit of added cost. Mae, if the kid next door gave me a quarter from his piggie bank, I’d try to write a half-way decent poem in thanks too! ;) Thusfar I’ve been looking to charity cook-books (you know, like local service organizations produce) for guidance, but the numbers seem all over the place. Although, I just had a brainstorm. A local arts group puts out an arts/letters calander every month and solicits patrons. Maybe that would be a good baseline, adjusted for the size of their readership. I’ll have to tumble over it a bit. -Frank

User	FrankBlissett | 2006-03-16 |
Subject	untitled
Message	Thanks for your comments. Rokhal, ~40 pages is not uncommon for poetry books or for local books of stories. The reason is more technical than cosmetic - multiple pages are printed on one sheet of paper at the printer (or even on your PC), thus large books are more cost-effective to produce in multiples of 4, smaller books in multiples of 8. Also, much more than 40

User	mae | 2006-03-15 |
Subject	untitled
Message	A chapbook is a small book, paperback only, not bound, but stapled. I think $7 is too high, personally, but then, I’m kind of a cheapskate. Regarding patrons, how much will it cost to print up 100 books? I should think that would help you determine an amount for an acknowledgement. Personally, if your next door neighbor kid gave you a quarter from his piggy bank, I think he deserves a thank you or an acknowledgement. I mean, why not? mae

User	Rokhal | 2006-03-15 |
Subject	untitled
Message	What is a "chapbook"? The price depends if it’s any good. If it’s not, you’ll have a hard time giving them away. 40 pages is pretty short. I’d say $5.