Writing Problems: Small Presses, Distribution, & Poetry Economies

It is both difficult and impossible to get poetry into the hands of readers. When poetry does get into their hands, it’s nearly impossible for small publishers to compete with bigger ones. Small presses do their best. But the capitalist system is not regulated, and making 50,000 copies of any widget will cost less to produce per widget than making 1,000 copies. If you sell a lot of widgets, you’ve won capitalism.  

In the recent Chicago Review (Volume 66, Issues 3/4 and Volume 67, Issue 1), there is an illuminating dialogue between Hilary Plum and Matvei Yankelvich on small press economies, which I recommend everyone read.

Lack of distribution is a form of censorship. There is an ecosystem where big publishers have access to distribution channels because they have mega-sized sales records—therefore, they have the capital to buy books that will sell; these well-selling books get attention from reviews, syllabi, libraries; and it’s round and round the mulberry bush.

Small presses are up against the wall in so many ways: difficult texts have limited audiences, small presses don’t have the budgets to do much if any publicity, and small presses can’t get access to the same distributors.