Jen's book recently was reviewed on CutBank Poetry's blog. Check it out...
--AB
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Post Card Printing
Speaking of post cards, we had ours printed at www.clubflyers.com. They'll print 5,000 post cards with full-color on both sides for under $200. That's a great deal.
A lot of online printing companies will offer one product at ridiculously low prices as a loss leader, hoping you'll like the quality and service so much that you'll buy other products, like business cards, brochures, etc. from them. You could do that, or you could shop around and find the printers that use business cards, etc., instead of post cards as loss leaders and get great pricing on those products.
Here's a list of just a few online printing companies I know about that specialize in small orders. I can't speak specifically about all these companies, except to say that people I know have used them for various projects and been satisfied with their work:
1. www.postcardpress.com
2. www.48hourprint.com
3. www.mimeo.com
4. www.vistaprint.com
--AB
A lot of online printing companies will offer one product at ridiculously low prices as a loss leader, hoping you'll like the quality and service so much that you'll buy other products, like business cards, brochures, etc. from them. You could do that, or you could shop around and find the printers that use business cards, etc., instead of post cards as loss leaders and get great pricing on those products.
Here's a list of just a few online printing companies I know about that specialize in small orders. I can't speak specifically about all these companies, except to say that people I know have used them for various projects and been satisfied with their work:
1. www.postcardpress.com
2. www.48hourprint.com
3. www.mimeo.com
4. www.vistaprint.com
--AB
No Contests, No Reading Fees, No Excuses
Here's a copy of the post card we're distributing at AWP and elsewhere. It looks blue on my browser, but the actual card is red and black. The other side has more copy on the back, but it's too light and obscure to read on my browser. It says "Red Morning Press will never fund itself through contests or reading fees./ Truly independent publishing demands it./ If you believe in the mission, then buy a book.../...or start your own press./ Ask us how."
If you want some to distribute, email me and we'll mail you some.
The longer we run RMP, the more convinced I am that writers should take a serious look at self-publishing. We receive so many manuscripts that deserve to be published, but we simply can't publish them all. It's a shame that those authors will have to keep searching for a publisher or hoping to win a contest. One of the messages we wanted to communicate on the post card is that if anyone wants to self-publish or start their own press, we're here to help. If you want tips or advice on navigating the process, we're more than willing to share what we've learned.
--AB
Friday, February 23, 2007
Self-publishing Resource
If you're thinking about self-publishing, I recommend this site, which is maintained by a company called RJ Communications. More specifically, I recommend their newsletter, Publishing Basics, which you can sign up for by clicking here.
The information is extremely practical. When CP, DC and I first talked about starting the Press, one of the hardest things to find out was how much it would cost to print a book. The pricing I researched was all over the map. But I had been getting the newsletter, and one of the articles (very timely) was basically a matrix showing how much it cost to print a book according to quantities, type of printing (offset versus digital), etc.
Now I work for a magazine that covers the printing industry, and all that information is second nature, but at the time, it was a critical resource, because the printing cost for us is the greatest expense, and we couldn't budget realistically until we knew what it would be.
--AB
The information is extremely practical. When CP, DC and I first talked about starting the Press, one of the hardest things to find out was how much it would cost to print a book. The pricing I researched was all over the map. But I had been getting the newsletter, and one of the articles (very timely) was basically a matrix showing how much it cost to print a book according to quantities, type of printing (offset versus digital), etc.
Now I work for a magazine that covers the printing industry, and all that information is second nature, but at the time, it was a critical resource, because the printing cost for us is the greatest expense, and we couldn't budget realistically until we knew what it would be.
--AB
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Did Poetry Win the Lottery?
Check out this piece in the New Yorker about the massive amount of money that the Poetry Foundation has and how they're spending it. Here's the Poetry Foundation's response.
To summarize: The Poetry Foundation has a shit-ton of money, way more money than you ever thought poetry would attract. They are using it to publish Poetry, syndicate Ted Koosier's newspaper column, buy an office building, maintain a web site, promote poetry to nationally circulated consumer magazines, etc. A lot of people in the poetry community are annoyed, pissed or outright angry at the way the money is being spent, primarily because the Poetry Foundation takes a "do it our way/go-it-alone" approach rather than redistributing the money to the scores of independent publishers and artists who could use it.
My opinion: I'm not speaking for Dennis and Chris, but my general attitude is "Who cares?" The New Yorker sets up the story as a confrontation--People who favor the Poetry Foundation must believe in A, B, C. People who disagree with the Poetry Foundation must believe in X, Y, Z.
That's a convenient story-telling device, but it misses the point. Both sides have merit. Both sides have weaknesses. Both sides also have proponents with self-serving agendas, so they benefit by dismissing each other outright.
One joy of running Red Morning Press is that our merits and weaknesses don't matter that much. We all have jobs outside poetry, so what other publishers and poets think about our mission, our aesthetic, our fashion sense, whatever--it doesn't really concern us. We're going to publish poetry we regardless of how much money the Poetry Foundation spends or how much people rail against it.
As long as we can afford it, no one can really stop us from putting good books into the world. That's one of the reasons I encourage poets I meet to think about self-publishing. It's not that difficult or expensive, and the freedom to do it the way you want is priceless.
--AB
To summarize: The Poetry Foundation has a shit-ton of money, way more money than you ever thought poetry would attract. They are using it to publish Poetry, syndicate Ted Koosier's newspaper column, buy an office building, maintain a web site, promote poetry to nationally circulated consumer magazines, etc. A lot of people in the poetry community are annoyed, pissed or outright angry at the way the money is being spent, primarily because the Poetry Foundation takes a "do it our way/go-it-alone" approach rather than redistributing the money to the scores of independent publishers and artists who could use it.
My opinion: I'm not speaking for Dennis and Chris, but my general attitude is "Who cares?" The New Yorker sets up the story as a confrontation--People who favor the Poetry Foundation must believe in A, B, C. People who disagree with the Poetry Foundation must believe in X, Y, Z.
That's a convenient story-telling device, but it misses the point. Both sides have merit. Both sides have weaknesses. Both sides also have proponents with self-serving agendas, so they benefit by dismissing each other outright.
One joy of running Red Morning Press is that our merits and weaknesses don't matter that much. We all have jobs outside poetry, so what other publishers and poets think about our mission, our aesthetic, our fashion sense, whatever--it doesn't really concern us. We're going to publish poetry we regardless of how much money the Poetry Foundation spends or how much people rail against it.
As long as we can afford it, no one can really stop us from putting good books into the world. That's one of the reasons I encourage poets I meet to think about self-publishing. It's not that difficult or expensive, and the freedom to do it the way you want is priceless.
--AB
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
DC's Literary Tradition
If you were wondering whether Washington, DC and its Metro area have a literary tradition, Washingtonian magazine provides a very, very, very short and incomplete answer to that question (featuring Charles Wright).
--AB
--AB
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
The RMP Newsletter's Demise
When we started the press, one of our "great" ideas was to start a newsletter. We thought it'd be an easy way to keep in touch with the people who wanted us to keep in touch.
But it never took off. People didn't really sign up for it, and maintaining a clean email list was a pain in the ass. The need to communicate still existed, so that's what led us to blogging. The instant we think of something or make a decision, it can be recorded, and it's instantly available for anyone that wants to read about it.
So after AWP this year, say goodbye to the newsletter. And check back here to learn about our next project: The RMP Poetry Round.
But it never took off. People didn't really sign up for it, and maintaining a clean email list was a pain in the ass. The need to communicate still existed, so that's what led us to blogging. The instant we think of something or make a decision, it can be recorded, and it's instantly available for anyone that wants to read about it.
So after AWP this year, say goodbye to the newsletter. And check back here to learn about our next project: The RMP Poetry Round.
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