Kittens, Kooks & Shady Operations

Taking that Ben Franklin "penny wise, pound foolish" quote to heart.

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Earlier this week someone who runs a book review site inquired to why I was doing things in a certain way. I explained my reasoning and he explained some of his concerns, which were valid. Got me thinking -- about reviews, why they're important (even if they don't often directly bring in any sales), and how the changing landscape of poetry publishing is making more work for review pubs.

Personally I think the rise of micro-presses and online magazines was a long time coming and am heartened to see so many folks pursuing these projects, taking up the huge piles of slack by bigger publications that have cut back or cut out poetry entirely. The breadth of poetries I'm coming across is staggering -- and that's just English-language, mostly American works. My knowledge of what else is out there is minimal.

But for the handful of review publications that consider independent/small press titles -- review publications that have been around for a while and are used to the way things were done -- the rise of micro-presses, POD and self-publishing complicates their process.

For one thing, it's more difficult to quickly distinguish between a new indie press title and say, oh I don't know, a self-published book about kittens. On the outside and a quick flip through -- they could look pretty similar. The number of "legit" publishers is growing, as are the number of "legit" authors self-publishing. Should a Lulu book be listed next to a Coffee House or Graywolf or Curbstone? is a question the review site editor is asking himself.

Now I have little sympathy for those hung up on "legitimacy" -- it's the same thing as shopping only designer labels -- well, I don't much care for it, and it's not flattering to my build, but it's _______. There's nothing wrong with liking or consistently prefering clothing from a certain label, but if you need the label to know if it's any good or not, well, you're a label whore and know nothing of fashion.

But without branding -- the mark of "quality" that let's others know quickly what's "worthy" and what's kittens - these freedoms many poets are undertaking or perhaps retaking, shunning these brands, putting out their own work, causes havoc for editors receiving 50 review titles and week and having to quickly decide which 5 or 6 books to forward on to their volunteer, unpaid reviewers, which ones to list on their received pages -- it's time intensive and can quickly become unmangeable.

And I do have some sympathy for that -- these review publications that consider independent press titles are few and far between, are doing it out of love for the work -- receiving even less "glory" than the poets and books they're reviewing. Their time and budgets are limited too, they want to do good a job, highlight good books -- and the system they've been using to distinguish the worthy from the kittens is being spun upside down.

This is probably the point where I should apologize to all the kittens.

I'm not helping the review publication situation. I'm a new press using the same printing service as thousands of kittens authors. Hell, as far as I'm concerned, kitten authors have the right to put their books out too -- I'm not going to turn my nose up and spend a lot more money (that I don't have) on traditional printing and distribution for fear of association -- and let's be real here, those traditional printers and distributors print kitten authors too, maybe fewer but that's not because they're too good (they'll take just about anyone's money), but because their cost is prohibitive.

I further blur these established lines by publishing one of my own titles. I'm risking kook status. Perhaps some already consider that to be my status.

Plus I didn't put the press's address on the books -- it's my home address -- I don't want anyone mailing manuscripts and queries or showing up at my doorstep trying to pitch his idea. You might think that's a silly concern, but you should see some of the e-mails I get in the No Tell Motel box -- some of these people think I'm salaried, work in an office and lunch with Judith Regan. It's weird.

And yeah, I could get a PO Box -- and may eventually, but that's another cost and I'm trying to keep costs down -- and besides, the only postal correspondance I do is with signed contracts and mailing books. Postal mail is expensive and slow and inefficient -- I don't want to encourage it.

But apparently not including an address may be considered shady -- and I'm told there's a lot of shade being sent out. So can't dismiss these concerns entirely.

At least not until book reviewing catches up -- and it's starting -- over half the review copies I've sent are to individuals who write about books on their blogs.