Just what is 'published'&;#063;

What is Published ?
(First written for Internet Poetry Magazine: Issue 2)

The first time I ever saw some of my work in print I was thrilled. I
was not paid any money, and it was nothing earth-shattering, but
someone else deemed my writing worthy of including it in their
'newsletter' publication. It encouraged me enough to want to repeat the
experience. Over a period of time I saw my poetry, and a wide range of
'articles' accepted and put into print to be read by others. I
diversified by submitting my work to several different non-paying
publications and soon had a 'portfolio' of work. What was very
encouraging was also seeing letters from readers, commenting on my
work. So I KNEW that my work was appreciated by others!

With encouragement from some professional writer friends I had, I
eventually took the plunge and found my way into several different
magazines and got paid for the work! I had joined the ranks of
'professional writers'! This had become an addiction and in fact a
career. It finally dawned on me that I was viewing my work in an
entirely different way. At this point, then, I am going to suggest what
some would consider quite controversial and probably upset 'purist'
writers, in particular - Poets!

Have you ever stopped and thought how publishers, as in main-stream
(Hard-copy) publishers, really look at writing to form a book? It is
simply a money making 'product' and a money making venture. Publishers,
for the most part are simply an 'assembly', marketing and sales process
line. The 'raw' material is produced by the writer, which the publisher
then packages, promotes and sells. In truth, unless the actual
individuals within a large publishing organisation have themselves
written stories and or poetry, you can hardly expect them to see or
understand the 'creativity' and 'emotional investment' - that "It's my
baby" feeling - that a writer experiences. If you are fortunate enough
to 'get in' with a large publisher, make no mistake about their
world-view. Whilst you, the writer, are proud of the content and all
you put into creating, the publisher is thinking bottom-line profit and
(maybe) long term investment. CASH.

And another thing - on the whole I am not convinced that most
publishers are really risk-takers. Not when it comes to unknown authors
who knock on their doors directly. In fact, to get anywhere near a
decision- making 'editor' in the big organisations is almost nigh
impossible. Hence the world of 'literary agents' and the world of 'who
knows who'. If you don't believe me, try simply phoning and asking to
speak directly to an editor. Chances are some secretary will tell you
someone will get back to you, or an overburdened answer-machine will
faithfully record your message for a secretary to ignore and
erase.

As far as poetry in particular goes, it is the small-press publishers
and poetry magazine publishers that have really kept poetry alive over
the recent years. In almost every instance (from my experience) these
editors, publishers and all those involved, have a genuine interest in
the content and quality of the material. Many of those
publisher-editor-owners, that I have spoken to, are happy if they
simply financially 'break-even'. This applies the world over !

Repeatedly I have been asked by newcomers to poetry and short stories,
"How do I get published?" (and they mean 'in print' as opposed to being
posted on the internet) The question I have to ask is "How much effort
do you want to make, and how seriously do you want to get published
?"

It really is about time a certain myth was dispelled. The chances of
putting a 'book-sized' quantity of poems or short stories together,
sending them with an accompanying letter to a publisher, and expecting
an offer of cash in return, is less likely than winning the lottery! So
perhaps if you viewed your writing as a 'product', and then applied
various 'business principals' you might make some progress.

On making a 'new product', it requires 'investment and marketing
costs'. On the whole, magazines and small press publishers will
consider the work of their own subscribers first. That does not mean
that, because you subscribe, you can automatically expect your
submitted work to be accepted. But by subscribing, you have the double
benefit of reading and learning about what sort of material and quality
you need to work towards. Also you have a better chance of seeing one
or more of your submissions accepted and published.

There is an exception to that rule and it is a different category of
'publisher'. The 'Vanity' publisher who I loathe and despise with a
passion. They are easy enough to spot with some experience. And it
should also be understood that vanity publishing is not the same as
self-publishing.

You submit a poem and they write back ecstatically telling you how
marvellously wonderfully talented you are. All you need to do to
actually see the poem in print is to pay a large amount of money for
their 'expensive' anthology which it will appear in. For more money
they will print your bio. For more money they will present it in a
framed plaque. For more money you can get a musical toilet-roll holder,
complete with a roll, whereby each sheet will have your masterpiece
printed on it. (OK - the toilet-roll holder product, I haven't seen
advertised..... YET). Does any particular organisation, you have come
across, sound like this? If you want to test out an organisation who
you suspect is a vanity publisher, simply write the worst possible
piece of writing you can manage. If you want to avoid embarrassment,
submit it under a false name (two can play dirty !) and watch the
response. You will still be heaped with praise and the promise that you
also stand to win additional large cash prizes, when you KNOW it was
not fit to be printed on that toilet paper for the musical holder. (I
have written a separate article about this titled " Help needed -
desperate for a rejection slip.")

Another route, which some mistakenly think of as 'vanity' publishing,
is self-publishing. This is where you pay someone to print your book as
you want it to be laid out and presented. How reasonable a quality, and
what quantities you want printed, will determine the cost. Then it is
down to you to promote the books and sell them. Many good authors, who
have gone on to become independently published, have taken this route.
Before you consider such a thing though, I would still strongly
recommend you start with the magazine route. If after a reasonable
period of time and persistence, you never get any magazine to accept
your work, perhaps it time to be honest with yourself about how good
your writing is.

In just about any walk of life, any career, rarely does success come
over night. It takes effort, persistence, investment, time, and being
good at what you do. In fact it also means being better at what others
do IF there is a lot of 'competition'. Like a job application, if
twenty apply, the selector will choose the best, based on a whole
number of factors. The first obvious factor will be that the applicant
can do the job! As for poetry.. well everyone who can put a number of
lines on paper thinks they are a poet..... right ? or should I say
:

Everyone who (line break)
thinks (line break)
they can put (line break)
a number of lines on paper thinks (line break)
they are (line break)
a poet.... (line break)
right ?

Copyright David Taub UKpoet@aol.com), 1999

If you enjoyed reading this piece and/or have any comments, you are
welcome to email me at UKpoet@aol.com

David Taub is a member of
The British organisation 'National Union of Journalists' (NUJ);
Columnist for the UK magazine 'Poetry Now';
Freelance writer for various UK and USA magazines;
Co-author of Language of Souls (listed on amazon.com)
Website: www.ukpoet.cjb.net