HOW TO MAKE YOURSELF
“KNOWN” AS A POET!
No one’s going to ask you if you’re a poet. You’ve got to make
self-promotion plans and stick to them.
Rod McKuen pursued publicity relentlessly. He had sold 9 million
poetry books at my last communiqué with him back in the ’70’s.
(He had made LP records before the days of tape decks and CD’s).
You can make You Tube videos easily today, even give voice readings
on web sites, which you can advertise, or try to get free publicity
for in free classifieds on the internet.
You’ve got to think up ways to connect with people and publishers.
It’s what every famous poet of the past did with a lot more difficulty
than this electronic era. Focusing on a theme helps. Hosting and
promoting your own web page in social media really helps.
Of course, you want to be published in the most treasured hard cover
anthologies of our era. It is something the classic poets did to become
known in their era.
When you become a member of Today’s Poets, we’ll publish an optional
link to your profile and email address in our POETS MEETUP.
Everyone who owns and reads J. Mark Press anthologies loves them.
Their contents is beautiful. Every 2nd page is a full illustrated page…
with rare, archived museum fine art, (not clip art). Memorable contributors
are noticed from book to book and at other respected journals.
J. Mark preserves a time honored art of “iconology;”
(where the artist captions a poem with his painting and adds a detailed
caption). Instead, J. Mark captions a poem with art.
“Iconology” is nearly lost today due to the cost of permission
art and the time required to locate appropriate pictures. That’s all
the more reason people love our anthologies. We donate the time due
to our devotion to preserving delightful poetry.
HERE’S HOW to promote yourself….
LOCAL NEWSPAPERS LOVE TO GET NEWS ARTICLES
I used to supply our poets with letters (News Releases) to their newspapers
and to their libraries about being published in a J. Mark Press
anthology. Soon you can access a copy online when we publish you.
In the release I mentioned that the anthology could be located through
local bookstores or libraries or on Kindle.
Poets who faithfully sent out news releases I wrote for our poets (but
with space for their own name). They became “known” as a poet in their
communities.
It’s the first step toward becoming known. People will read the news
release in their newspaper and ask at the librarian for the book you
appear in. The librarian will have a reason to order the book, though
they seldom to never add new poetry books.
Other people will see that book on the shelf in their library.
They will definitely borrow a J. Mark anthology. They’ll be
reading YOUR poetry!
They’ll notice in the index that you’re from their neighborhood.
Now you can understand how news releases are published about
achievements. You are able to get your own published.
SUCCESSFUL BOOK SIGNINGS or READINGS
START WITH DOING FOR OTHERS
Invite area poets to bring their poems to read, and their guests!
Don’t expect people to show up in any satisfying numbers just because
you (an unknown) are going to appear somewhere “peddling” your book.
You need to motivate strangers to show up by targeting their
self-interest. Offer a combination of a compelling topic, and their
chance to express themselves, and buy a signed copy of your book
and perhaps get free coffee for coming.
High schools, colleges, libraries, Writer’s groups, historic sites, the Y’s,
town facilities, bookstores, even some shopping malls, are all good
bets for places to host readings and poetry events conducted by a
published poet.
Radio or cable TV talk shows are good places to be interviewed to
gain free publicity about your forthcoming book. They love interesting guests.
But you need to impress potential interviewers with a topic. If you
have a theme, especially a controversial one, get the addresses of
TV shows and stations and write letters. Give a seminar on the topic.
HOW TO RAISE SOME MONEY
FROM YOUR POETRY
Sell our “Keepsakes” with your poem. Sell your own book. Don’t you
want to be remembered? Always keep names an email addresses of
attendees at readings and signings to solicit for the next show, book,
keepsake.
Many people who can’t buy your book will gladly give you a few
dollars for one of our gorgeous bookmarks or mugs with your poem
on it.
EXAMPLE:
Our book author, Connie Savage, sold 124 of our bookmarks, for
$3 each, in a week, just telling people outside her church that she’s
raising money to publish her book!
If you have an e-mail address, people can soon link to it from your page here.
We’re advertising our books to publishers, reviewers, libraries and poetry enthusiasts,
so you don’t have to.
The Thrill of Selling via BOOKSTORES?
They’re a problem for the small press and independently published authors.
They customarily get 50% of your selling price. (They may never sell your book.)
People usually go to bookstores for books they saw ads for, or read publicity about,
or for subject information. People generally look for poetry in the library.
The only chance you have in a bookstore is when you use a theme or
controversial topic. Your title has to sell the book!
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