Jeannine Hall Gailey's Blog, page 85

How Poetry is Like the Hunger Games

(And since you asked, yes, this post was inspired by a dream in which I was in a Survivor/Hunger Games-esque game show, in which I turned earnestly to my love interest and said "I will do what it takes to survive.")

A few posts ago I talked about lessons we can learn as writers from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Today I'm going to talk a little bit about how the poetry world is like the Hunger Games.

1. The most important thing you can do is survive. (And by that I mean, keep writing.) In The Hunger Games, Katniss wasn't the strongest, the smartest, or the best fighter. She won the game by being likable enough, by being strong enough, by being persistent and wily enough, by being a genuine friend to some of the people in the game...and some luck as well. The same is true in poetry. You do not have to be the best. Most people in the "game" of poetry -  including the thousands of  MFA students paying thousands of dollars to study it - will stop writing within five years. That is the reality. If you keep writing, and you keep reading, and you keep getting better and sending your poems out and your book out, and you are a good friend to people, and you have enough resources to keep yourself going long enough, you will probably make it to "real poet" status (whatever that means.) No, this does not mean tomorrow you will wake up with your picture on the cover of Poets & Writers, but if your dream is to publish a book of poetry with a good small press, that is a very achievable goal if you send out long and hard enough, get a few breaks, and just...well...don't give up.

2. Don't Get Distracted from the Goal, and Pay Attention to Those Parachutes. It would have been easy for Katniss to just slow down long enough to get killed, or to play the game poorly enough that she might have become an easy target, or ignore the help she was getting in those little parachutes because she wasn't paying attention, or to become so interested in Peeta that she lost focus. When she was injured and in pain, she didn't stop trying to win. Bad things will probably happen to you along the "life of poetry" - you will be rejected, you will get sick or have family or money or job things interfere with your writing, you will feel discouraged or cynical - so pay attention to those little parachutes from the sky when they appear. Those rewards will be enough to keep you going - a publication in a journal you've loved forever, a good review of your book, someone writing you a note about how your work changed their life. (Those of you who've read the books, please don't talk about the parachutes from Mockingjay...obviously that would be a different kid of metaphor.)

3. The Capital May Be Corrupt, and Set Against You; Be So Good They Have to Pay Attention. Remember the scene where Katniss gets the game designer's attention when they are ignoring her by nailing the apple in the pig's mouth with an arrow? Remember how President Snow wanted to kill Katniss but couldn't, because the head game designer and the audience were all cheering for her? If you're a female writer and have paid attention to things like the VIDA numbers, you know the deck is stacked against you. If you remember Foetry, you know that a lot of book contests - not all of them, but probably a good amount - are fixed. If you read a recent experiment where a story published by the New Yorker was sent to the New Yorker from the slush pile and rejected and feel like - well, no one can get published in the big names from the slush pile - well, you may have a point. Most poets will be ignored, their work forgotten, their books unread and unnoticed. But you know what? Be so good at what you do they can't ignore you. Write the most excellent poems, reviews, fiction that you possibly can. Get your name out there when you get the chance. Don't shrink from the limelight. Wear the flaming dress.

LA Review Visits Redmond tonight at Soul Food Books

In case you are looking for something fun to do on a Friday evening in Redmond, Soul Food Books is hosting a Poet Laureate Event called "Freaks and Geeks: LA Review Vists Redmond!" Here's a little bit about it in the local paper:
http://redmond.patch.com/articles/freaks-geeks-poetry-event-los-angeles-review-to-visit-redmond
LA Review Editor Kelly Davio and I will host several local contributors and we'll have a celebration and refreshments! It'll start at 8 PM.

How to Get Your Small Press Poetry Book Some…Well…Press

I just read some statistics that showed that most small press poetry books sell less than 1000 copies – less than 500, even. With my own third book coming out in, er, moments, I feel like I want to give the book its best possible shot. I like this book, I think it’s pretty good, and I hope other people get the chance to read it too. So how do we small press authors help make that happen?

You all already know that a book’s work is not done the minute it’s written, the moment it’s sold, or the moment it appears in bookstores or Amazon. You already know you can’t just say: I wrote this book, and it’s the publisher’s job to sell it.

I also read that most books that “make it” have at least 10-25K of publicity money behind them in a publishing industry mag, that social media still can’t do the work that old-fashioned paper and radio publicity does. That may be true, but as you know, most poetry books – or most small press books – aren’t going to get 10-25K in publicity behind them – or even $1000 – so what can we do?

1. Well, you can try using Facebook and twitter as much as possible (I have found twitter in particular a wonderful way to connect with new readers) which only takes time, not money. Try thoughtful posts that offer something of you and your personality to your readers, with a little bit of promotion in between. I hope that’s what I’ve been doing, anyway! Go on guest blogs and interviews if you get a chance.

2. Enlist help. This time around, I employed the services of a new little company called “YouDoPR,” which for a small fee helps writers get out their own press releases, puts our books in NetGalley, etc. (A little more about this here: ) Befriend book bloggers and ask for some aid. I mean, I have friends who blog about books because, you know, I tend to like those kinds of people, but I’m usually too ashamed to ask them to do anything for my book. Do you feel the same way? Is that good/modesty, or bad/getting-in-your-own-way? Do you ask your friends and family to help get the word out about your book? Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don’t. This time, I’m going to make sure I ask.

3. Readings. I’ve talked about this before, here and here. If you can get a reading on the radio, do it. Readings make poems come alive for people. They help you connect to an audience – it’s a small audience that might care about poetry, true, but it’s out there.

4. Book cards: send them out if you’ve got a mailing list put together of people who have actually asked to find out about your work. And you have a mailing list, right?

5. Reviews. Well, as a reviewer, I’m not sure it drives sales, but it’s important to send out review copies, as many as possible, to the big reviewers and the small reviewers, to people you’re sure will like your book and people almost as sure won’t. Word of mouth does drive sales, and if one extra person looks at your book because of a review, it’ll be worth it.

What else would you all suggest? Keeping your web site and blog updated (yes, I’m getting ready to launch a completely overhauled site soon!) What about book trailers? Bookmarks? Skywriting?

How to Get Your Small Press Poetry Book Some...Well...Press

I just read some statistics that showed that most small press poetry books sell less than 1000 copies - less than 500, even. With my own third book coming out in, er, moments, I feel like I want to give the book its best possible shot. I like this book, I think it's pretty good, and I hope other people get the chance to read it too. So how do we small press authors help make that happen?

You all already know that a book's work is not done the minute it's written, the moment it's sold, or the moment it appears in bookstores or Amazon. You already know you can't just say: I wrote this book, and it's the publisher's job to sell it.

I also read that most books that "make it" have at least 10-25K of publicity money behind them in a publishing industry mag, that social media still can't do the work that old-fashioned paper and radio publicity does. That may be true, but as you know, most poetry books - or most small press books - aren't going to get 10-25K in publicity behind them - or even $1000 - so what can we do?

1. Well, you can try using Facebook and twitter as much as possible (I have found twitter in particular a wonderful way to connect with new readers) which only takes time, not money. Try thoughtful posts that offer something of you and your personality to your readers, with a little bit of promotion in between. I hope that's what I've been doing, anyway! Go on guest blogs and interviews if you get a chance.

2. Enlist help. This time around, I employed the services of a new little company called "YouDoPR," which for a small fee helps writers get out their own press releases, puts our books in NetGalley, etc. (A little more about this here: ) Befriend book bloggers and ask for some aid. I mean, I have friends who blog about books because, you know, I tend to like those kinds of people, but I'm usually too ashamed to ask them to do anything for my book. Do you feel the same way? Is that good/modesty, or bad/getting-in-your-own-way? Do you ask your friends and family to help get the word out about your book? Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't. This time, I'm going to make sure I ask.

3. Readings. I've talked about this before, here and here. If you can get a reading on the radio, do it. Readings make poems come alive for people. They help you connect to an audience - it's a small audience that might care about poetry, true, but it's out there.

4. Book cards: send them out if you've got a mailing list put together of people who have actually asked to find out about your work. And you have a mailing list, right?

5. Reviews. Well, as a reviewer, I'm not sure it drives sales, but it's important to send out review copies, as many as possible, to the big reviewers and the small reviewers, to people you're sure will like your book and people almost as sure won't. Word of mouth does drive sales, and if one extra person looks at your book because of a review, it'll be worth it.

What else would you all suggest? Keeping your web site and blog updated (yes, I'm getting ready to launch a completely overhauled site soon!) What about book trailers? Bookmarks? Skywriting?

A poem up today on Escape Into Life for Women’s History Month and a Reading in Duvall

Yes, it’s a celebration of Women’s History Month over at Escape into Life, and one of my poems, “Hedy Lamarr Told to ‘Stop Silly Inventing’” is up there. True story: Hedy Lamarr, a beautiful actress known best for her sexy demeanor, invented a frequency-hopping device, but when she offered this device to the US government (along with information about Stalin, whom she had seen at dinner parties for her first husband) she was told basically to shut up and use her looks to go raise money for the war effort instead. Many years later, the Navy adopted her device, but only after her patent had run out. She was finally recognized with a major award for her invention in her eighties, right before she died. 

This evening I’ll be reading in the nearby town of Duvall, at the Duvall Visitor & Centennial Center. There is an open mike along with the reading, which I believe starts at 6:30, and the featured reading will start at 7 PM. Hope to see some of you there! I don’t have my new book in hand yet, but I’ll bring along my lone uncorrected proof (and of course, copies of my first two books.) I might even read some new work!

A poem up today on Escape Into Life for Women's History Month and a Reading in Duvall

Yes, it's a celebration of Women's History Month over at Escape into Life, and one of my poems, "Hedy Lamarr Told to 'Stop Silly Inventing'" is up there. True story: Hedy Lamarr, a beautiful actress known best for her sexy demeanor, invented a frequency-hopping device, but when she offered this device to the US government (along with information about Stalin, whom she had seen at dinner parties for her first husband) she was told basically to shut up and use her looks to go raise money for the war effort instead. Many years later, the Navy adopted her device, but only after her patent had run out. She was finally recognized with a major award for her invention in her eighties, right before she died. 

This evening I'll be reading in the nearby town of Duvall, at the Duvall Visitor & Centennial Center. There is an open mike along with the reading, which I believe starts at 6:30, and the featured reading will start at 7 PM. Hope to see some of you there! I don't have my new book in hand yet, but I'll bring along my lone uncorrected proof (and of course, copies of my first two books.) I might even read some new work!

AWP Survival Guide tips and How to Survive Not Going to AWP 2013

For those of you attending AWP 2013 Boston, there are some great tips for AWP-goers this year at Sandra Beasley here:
http://sbeasley.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-ides-and-awps-of-march.html
and a roundup of survival guides for AWP here at Review Review:
http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=8932d28d7dfbfd59c40907dc7&id=81a3a4a22f

But, for those of you (like me) NOT attending AWP Boston 2013, some survival tips:

1. Try not to spend too much time jealously reading the twitter feeds and Facebook posts about all your friends having a great time at AWP kissing famous poets and drinking with literary idols while ruling their offsite reading. Just remember, they’re not including posts about the bad side of AWP:  bookfair with its inevitable crowding, body checks, odd odors and inevitable dry mouth from making too many awkward conversations with too many strangers, that coughing guy sitting next to them at the bar, how exhausted they are, or how their back hurts from lugging a really heavy AWP tote…not to mention – Boston in March? Brrr….just think of how many layers they’ll be wearing!

2. Do something this week to connect with your local literary community. Go to a reading, or invite some literary friends over for coffee. Visit your local library’s poetry bookshelves – and ask them to order a new poetry book – and visit your local independent bookstore to check out new releases and maybe some lit mags you’ve never read before. (In Seattle, I recommend Open Books, a poetry-only bookstore in Wallingford.)

3. Read something brilliant. Write something brilliant. Send something out. See? You are advancing your career right in the comfort of your own home.

4. Think ahead. Remember, next year’s AWP in Seattle in 2014 will be THE BEST EVER. So, you can look forward to coming, because you are coming to Seattle, right? I will be here to help guide you to the best coffeeshops, bookstores, wine bars, and art galleries as well as cupcakes, and Seattle publishers and poets are some of the most friendly and warm you will ever meet.

AWP Survival Guide tips and How to Survive Not Going to AWP 2013

For those of you attending AWP 2013 Boston, there are some great tips for AWP-goers this year at Sandra Beasley here:
http://sbeasley.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-ides-and-awps-of-march.html
and a roundup of survival guides for AWP here at Review Review:
http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=8932d28d7dfbfd59c40907dc7&id=81a3a4a22f

But, for those of you (like me) NOT attending AWP Boston 2013, some survival tips:

1. Try not to spend too much time jealously reading the twitter feeds and Facebook posts about all your friends having a great time at AWP kissing famous poets and drinking with literary idols while ruling their offsite reading. Just remember, they're not including posts about the bad side of AWP:  bookfair with its inevitable crowding, body checks, odd odors and inevitable dry mouth from making too many awkward conversations with too many strangers, that coughing guy sitting next to them at the bar, how exhausted they are, or how their back hurts from lugging a really heavy AWP tote...not to mention - Boston in March? Brrr....just think of how many layers they'll be wearing!

2. Do something this week to connect with your local literary community. Go to a reading, or invite some literary friends over for coffee. Visit your local library's poetry bookshelves - and ask them to order a new poetry book - and visit your local independent bookstore to check out new releases and maybe some lit mags you've never read before. (In Seattle, I recommend Open Books, a poetry-only bookstore in Wallingford.)

3. Read something brilliant. Write something brilliant. Send something out. See? You are advancing your career right in the comfort of your own home.

4. Think ahead. Remember, next year's AWP in Seattle in 2014 will be THE BEST EVER. So, you can look forward to coming, because you are coming to Seattle, right? I will be here to help guide you to the best coffeeshops, bookstores, wine bars, and art galleries as well as cupcakes, and Seattle publishers and poets are some of the most friendly and warm you will ever meet.

Things Authors Can Do to Ensure a Great Reading

I promised this post as a follow-up to my previous post on book tours and how to make them successful. So, what can an author do to ensure a great reading?

–First of all, you need to become a great reader, and that is not an automatic skill set most writers are born with. Practice. Try your reading skills out on a friendly audience of family or friends if possible, and have them point out, kindly, how you can improve. Slow down. Breathe. Don’t talk in a weird “poetry voice.” Avoid substance abuse beforehand (seriously, people! I have suffered through too many readings where the readers were dead drunk or stoned or both. It does not improve your performance, though it may enhance the way you feel about the performance at the time…) Have your poems picked out so you’re not shuffling papers into the mic. Time your reading so that you actually read for the allotted time, or preferably an even shorter amount of time. Etc.

–Make friends with professors of giant creative writing classes of 200 students and up, and have them assign going to your reading as extra credit. Ha ha ha. (But seriously, if you can make that happen, you really should.) Think about people in the community you’re visiting whom you would like to hang out with, before or after the reading – that way, you’ll have something to look forward to and will be less nervous. Plus, making friends along the way is really one of the best reasons to go on a book tour. If there’s a restaurant or wine bar or coffee shop you’d particularly like to visit in the city you’ll be reading in, try to meet there – again, try to make the whole experience as pleasant as possible, because, you know, if you end up with a two-person audience, having something to look forward to afterwards will make you feel a lot better.

–Publicize your reading, and help your host (be it a professor, bookstore, or library) do the same. Provide a picture, a bio, a blurb. Social media is fine, but Facebook and twitter will only get you so far. Put up some flyers if you can, contact people in local poetry societies or book clubs. E-mail people you know to invite them personally. If you’re reading with someone else, help them publicize themselves as well – that never hurts! And newspaper/radio coverage – in Seattle, this would include alternative newspapers, which are widely respected here – is great if you can get it.

–If you’re traveling to a distant city, be sure to ask to read with a local. Once again, this person will probably become a friend, and reading with someone local means at least their parents/significant other will be there. I actually prefer reading with someone I like and admire rather than reading by myself – it just makes the night more festive, more social, less focus on me…(I call myself a half-introvert, so that may not be true for everyone, but when I read with someone whose work I specifically like I always feel like the evening was a success.)

–Mix it up. Invite a visual artist friend to display some work with your reading, or a musician friend to play with you. Interact with the audience a little. Give them chocolate, or, if possible, alcohol. (I don’t drink myself, because of some kind of weird genetic trick that keeps me from breaking it down properly, but I have observed it does great things to audiences. Think about the audience in advance, about what might make the night more fun for them.

–Try readings at places like the obvious: your local readings series and libraries and bookstores, AWP offsites, universities, yes. But also consider the unconventional: ComicCon (if you happen to write about comics) or a boat show (if you happen to be writing about boats.) If you’re just starting out, a reading with an open mike will guarantee you won’t be the most nervous person in the room. Slams are really fun if you’re comfortable with competitive performance – but remember to actually perform – slams kind of demand a bit more energy and theatricality than your local book club might. Don’t be afraid to ask a venue about a reading, or to start up a reading series yourself in your neighborhood and see how it’s done. Take chances. Be brave. Yes, get your work out there, but more important, make friends, love your art, try to take in your surroundings whether you sell a dozen books or not. I recommend not trying to squeeze every reading possible into your calender, but saying yes to the ones that feel like a good fit for you and your work (Caveat: one of my favorite reading experiences when I was just starting out was reading at a Cowboy Poet gathering, which would not have seemed like a good fit for me, seeing as how the audience was mostly older men over fifty, mostly in hats. But it was super fun! So sometimes, take a chance.)

What are your best tips for ensuring a great reading? There’s no perfect reading, but doing what you can will at least make you feel like you gave it your best shot.

Things Authors Can Do to Ensure a Great Reading

I promised this post as a follow-up to my previous post on book tours and how to make them successful. So, what can an author do to ensure a great reading?

--First of all, you need to become a great reader, and that is not an automatic skill set most writers are born with. Practice. Try your reading skills out on a friendly audience of family or friends if possible, and have them point out, kindly, how you can improve. Slow down. Breathe. Don't talk in a weird "poetry voice." Avoid substance abuse beforehand (seriously, people! I have suffered through too many readings where the readers were dead drunk or stoned or both. It does not improve your performance, though it may enhance the way you feel about the performance at the time...) Have your poems picked out so you're not shuffling papers into the mic. Time your reading so that you actually read for the allotted time, or preferably an even shorter amount of time. Etc.

--Make friends with professors of giant creative writing classes of 200 students and up, and have them assign going to your reading as extra credit. Ha ha ha. (But seriously, if you can make that happen, you really should.) Think about people in the community you're visiting whom you would like to hang out with, before or after the reading - that way, you'll have something to look forward to and will be less nervous. Plus, making friends along the way is really one of the best reasons to go on a book tour. If there's a restaurant or wine bar or coffee shop you'd particularly like to visit in the city you'll be reading in, try to meet there - again, try to make the whole experience as pleasant as possible, because, you know, if you end up with a two-person audience, having something to look forward to afterwards will make you feel a lot better.

--Publicize your reading, and help your host (be it a professor, bookstore, or library) do the same. Provide a picture, a bio, a blurb. Social media is fine, but Facebook and twitter will only get you so far. Put up some flyers if you can, contact people in local poetry societies or book clubs. E-mail people you know to invite them personally. If you're reading with someone else, help them publicize themselves as well - that never hurts! And newspaper/radio coverage - in Seattle, this would include alternative newspapers, which are widely respected here - is great if you can get it.

--If you're traveling to a distant city, be sure to ask to read with a local. Once again, this person will probably become a friend, and reading with someone local means at least their parents/significant other will be there. I actually prefer reading with someone I like and admire rather than reading by myself - it just makes the night more festive, more social, less focus on me...(I call myself a half-introvert, so that may not be true for everyone, but when I read with someone whose work I specifically like I always feel like the evening was a success.)

--Mix it up. Invite a visual artist friend to display some work with your reading, or a musician friend to play with you. Interact with the audience a little. Give them chocolate, or, if possible, alcohol. (I don't drink myself, because of some kind of weird genetic trick that keeps me from breaking it down properly, but I have observed it does great things to audiences. Think about the audience in advance, about what might make the night more fun for them.

--Try readings at places like the obvious: your local readings series and libraries and bookstores, AWP offsites, universities, yes. But also consider the unconventional: ComicCon (if you happen to write about comics) or a boat show (if you happen to be writing about boats.) If you're just starting out, a reading with an open mike will guarantee you won't be the most nervous person in the room. Slams are really fun if you're comfortable with competitive performance - but remember to actually perform - slams kind of demand a bit more energy and theatricality than your local book club might. Don't be afraid to ask a venue about a reading, or to start up a reading series yourself in your neighborhood and see how it's done. Take chances. Be brave. Yes, get your work out there, but more important, make friends, love your art, try to take in your surroundings whether you sell a dozen books or not. I recommend not trying to squeeze every reading possible into your calender, but saying yes to the ones that feel like a good fit for you and your work (Caveat: one of my favorite reading experiences when I was just starting out was reading at a Cowboy Poet gathering, which would not have seemed like a good fit for me, seeing as how the audience was mostly older men over fifty, mostly in hats. But it was super fun! So sometimes, take a chance.)

What are your best tips for ensuring a great reading? There's no perfect reading, but doing what you can will at least make you feel like you gave it your best shot.