Publishers assess tricks of poets’ trade in indie press

For many young poets, the fear of a future spent suffering for their art appears to be a… For many young poets, the fear of a future spent suffering for their art appears to be a common theme.

Big publishing houses are often severely discriminating and even publication itself is, in most cases, a gamble.

The English department held a publishing panel yesterday afternoon which introduced poets with some inspiration and a viable – albeit, not a fortune-promising – alternative.

Bringing in four editors from four independent publishing firms to discuss various aspects of independent publishing in poetry, the event focused on the financial impact of being a poet and working for an independent printing press.

The panel, which was held on the fifth floor of the Cathedral of Learning, drew an audience of over 30.

The panel was comprised of Martha Rhodes, editor of Four Way Books; April Ossmann, editor of Alice James Books; Janet Freeman, editor of Paris Press; and Allison Joseph, editor of the Crab Orchard Review.

Each of these publishing houses, with the exception of the Crab Orchard Review, are independent presses without sources of funding other than grant money, donations and the sales revenues from their books.

The Crab Orchard Review is associated with Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

All four panelists noted the general lack of economic incentive that comes with being a poet, especially for an independent publishing house.

The advantage, though, of sending work to an independent publisher is they are able to take writing that larger publishers overlook.

The average number of books sold by a poet at an independent press, according to the panelists, is usually between 500 and 1000.

This is why love and commitment to the art is important for a poet.

“Writing poetry for an independent press is certainly not a way to make lots of money,” Freeman said. “Your passion for poetry has to carry you through.”

In addition to the financial strain often associated with poetry writing, Rhodes has noticed several psychological side effects in her writers.

“I have seen many writers becoming very ill, both physically and mentally, because they couldn’t get published, and because of the implications of that,” Rhodes said.

So what does an aspiring poet do to supplement his income?

Freeman waited tables for 15 years before getting her first work published, and she presented aspiring poets in the audience with a sobering look at the facts of the poet’s life.

“Our poets, in addition to writing for us, also do a good deal of free-lance writing. One of our poets was a boxer as his other job. Many people simply find ways to make it work,” Freeman said.

Nonetheless, there are many benefits of working in an independent publishing firm, especially for younger people.

Joseph drew from her experience working with students at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

“The undergraduate students that work with us [at The Crab Orchard Review] learn many non-poetic skills from working at a press that help them in the real world,” she said, highlighting grant request writing and general organization and communication skills.

All panelists emphasized that in order for someone to work for independent publishing presses such as their own, he or she should have – above all else – a passion for poetry.