Date Set for New Collection of Poetry + Reading

 

My eighth collection of poetry how we hold on from Broadstone Books, will be in print in April! Cover art will be a magnificent time-suspended photo by Chris Hubble that was shot on the cliffs of Negril, Jamaica.  Check out his work at http://www.chrishubble.com/daytime-long-exposures

 

 

My first reading is May 19 at 7 pm in the Poets vs the Pandemic series. Use this link to register for upcoming programs for Café Muse and Poets vs the Pandemic: https://sites.google.com/view/cafe-muse-events/home 

Choosing a Book Cover

 

How does one pick an image for a book of poetry?

 

Keep in mind that poetry books are judged by their covers and often the purchase of a collection of poems is an impulse buy. What will make a buyer reach for your book of poetry?

 

These elements can help:

 

—Color or dramatic black and white contrast

 

—Novelty

 

—Something that speaks to a basic need or yearning

 

 

Next: what is the thematic core of this collection? How does your image speak to the title and overriding theme of this collection?

 

 

Don't forget to try out your image on trusted advisors.

Published in Written in Arlington

Written in Arlington edited by Katherine E. Young has launched from Paycock Press. It’s a handsome 254-page anthology of poetry by approximately 90 or fewer poets. Overall the work is accessible and often connected in some way to Arlington, Virginia, where Kate Young has served as the Arlington Poet Laureate.  

Steiny, a.k.a. Karren Alenier, has one rather long poem (three pages) in this collection entitled “You Can Tell ‘Em I’ll Be There.” The poem is a letter to the poet’s step-father and makes reference to her half sister Nancy who at some point learned that Dad was not her biological father, but, worse, he and other family members over the years had the gall to die on the anniversary of her birth. “Pick another day,” she complains. The poem is pinpointed in time by the politics of the day. It’s a poem of memory like the poems by Susan Mockler and the late Karenne Woods that flank it. Alenier reads her poem on the Spoken in Arlington YouTube website where you can sample poems  by others, such as Miles Moore, Jacqueline Jules, and Henry Crawford. 

On Flnding Other Writers to Blurb Your Book

 

One of the critical tasks in preparing a new book for publication is finding appropriate writers to blurb your book. I have written on this subject before but this post fine tunes the process.

 

After the new author determines who would be ideal to provide a short written comment, the question is what if I don’t know this person who is expert on my style of writing or my subject matter (or whatever your criteria is for selecting this person)? Assuming you can find a way to reach out to this writer who you don’t know personally, I suggest that your approach might be something like this.

 

Dear X,

 

While I don’t know you personally, I have been following your work for years. Recently Publisher X has selected my full-length poetry manuscript for publication in 2021.

 

Would you consider writing a blurb for my forthcoming book titled X?

 

Enclosed are 12 poems taken from the manuscript that best represent the work as a whole. If you like what you read and want to see more, I would be happy to send the entire manuscript. I need the blurb by X date.

 

Thank you so much for your kind consideration. I will understand if you prefer not to write a blurb for me.

 

All best wishes,

Your name

 

It’s possible that a blurb writer has everything needed to write something based on those 12 poems. The most important part of your request is making sure you have given a reasonable time frame. 3-4 weeks is not an unreasonable ask. If the person queried asks for more  time and you have that option, go for it. Three blurbs are usually enough. Good luck!

 

Book Publication!

The crowning award in the writer’s life is book publication. I am thrilled to say my manuscript how we hold on has been accepted for publication by Broadstone Books of Frankfort, Kentucky.This is the manuscript that contains my poems about Jamaica as well as family poems, including a mini-series on my great grandfather who died in the 1918 pandemic known as the Spanish Flu.

 

Broadstone is a press that people who read poetry will be hearing more about because they are increasing the number of books they will publish over the next several years. The publisher, Larry Moore, is an editor of the old school in that he cares deeply about excellence. Therefore he makes suggestions for how to improve a manuscript. The publication date has not yet been set but will occur in 2021.

 

Some of Broadstones authors are: Susana Case, Richard Carr,  Judith Kerman,  Lynn McGee, and Mervyn Taylor. I am proud to join the Broadstone family and can recommend this community of fine authors. I encourage you to buy their books directly from the publisher, They are also distributed by Small Press Distribution.