Self-Publishing Goons: Yep, people buy it!

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Creative Convention > Self-Publishing Goons: Yep, people buy it!

tokyo_vamp: Jan 17, 2015; poisoned by cowboy killers

does anyone here have any experience with self-publishing poetry collections or chapbooks? I'm curious about any resources specific to publishing it, how it sells and where it does best, and what amount of content you need before something like poetry becomes viable.

I've sadly gotten too few opportunities to talk to well-known/successful self-publishing poets like Steve Roggenbuck to really get any substantial advice. I'm kinda just looking to be pointed in the right direction, I guess.

# ¿ Jan 8, 2017 08:19

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# ¿ Apr 26, 2024 08:56

tokyo_vamp: Jan 17, 2015; poisoned by cowboy killers

Sundae posted:

For the purpose of this response, I'm going to assume that you are not a famous author, songwriter or poet posting on SomethingAwful under an alias.

Unless you are already famous, poetry collections are literally never, ever viable sales products in self-published form (or honestly, in industry-published form either) through the standard book or e-book means. If you want to publish it as a personal project, go hog wild. If you want to publish it for monetary gain, you will never even recoup the $100 spent purchasing an acceptable cover, let alone compensation for the hours you spent writing it.

You may have better (still horrible) odds of doing the 'free reads and become my patron to get stuff sooner / videos' thing Steve R seems to be doing based on a quick google search (I'd never heard of him and he's not selling anything on Amazon or B&N), but that's so far outside of my expertise that I can't really comment.

It's definitely something that has gains in ways other than purely from book sales. He makes most of his money doing poetry reading tours / selling his books through his own press I think. It's something that, thinking about it, you definitely do for reasons other than making money from the book itself. It's more of an exposure thing I guess.

# ¿ Jan 8, 2017 10:30

tokyo_vamp: Jan 17, 2015; poisoned by cowboy killers

Sundae posted:

Yeah, if you're going to do this, it's almost certainly going to be through channels other than what this thread thinks of as standard sales channels (Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Google) with different tactics as well. I just don't know enough about other approaches to offer any advice with them, I'm afraid. Sorry.

nah that's chill. thinking about it more its def a thing that, while technically the same thing, functions way differently and has a completely different purpose overall (since making a living from poetry requires a bigger variety of sources than just book sales)

thanks though

# ¿ Jan 9, 2017 06:36

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Creative Convention > Self-Publishing Goons: Yep, people buy it!