Can I pitch in here, as having a foot in both camps ....
Roger C. and I run Arrowhead Press, as many of you will know, and the
distribution problem is one of our biggest headaches. It is by no means a
question of not bothering, and I wish it were because then we could do
something about it.
The trouble is, we and other small presses simply cannot match the criteria
the distribution networks require before they'll take on a press, and chain
book stores will only buy in from them. If we had the time, we could flog
books to independent booksellers around the country, but that would mean
giving up the day job, and of course there's no way Arrowhead would make
enough to keep us. Most of our books are ordered by post, or come via the
poets themselves, some of whom are incredibly proactive. And incidentally,
this is probably the place to state that the press costs us money rather
than making us any, in spite of what seems to be a comparatively minimal
grant.
As for my other foot (see above), I went to Arc for my first full length
collection, at least partly because it seemed invidious to spend energy and
funds 'in-house', as it were. That book seems to be doing reasonably well;
but then Arc is a rather bigger publisher than we are, and has certainly
been going much longer.
And just in case anyone was wondering, no, I didn't win the Forward, but
being shortlisted was great, and will be good to have on that CV!
joanna
----- Original Message -----
From: "Douglas Barbour" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, October 10, 2007 3:34 PM
Subject: Re: A Question for Lurking List Members
> Now that often happens with small presses, here too, Max. But I don't
> recall you even mentioning this event to us. So tell us about it, eh? Hey,
> always a new book deserves congratulations, even so late.
>
> Doug
> On 9-Oct-07, at 3:35 PM, Max Richards wrote:
>
>> My own second book came out last year from Ginninderra Press, Canberra,
>> neatly done and managed, except for lack of distribution.
> Douglas Barbour
> 11655 - 72 Avenue NW
> Edmonton Ab T6G 0B9
> (780) 436 3320
> http://www.ualberta.ca/~dbarbour/
>
> Latest book: Continuations (with Sheila E Murphy)
> http://www.uap.ualberta.ca/UAP.asp?LID=41&bookID=664
>
> and this is 'life' and we owe at least this much
> contemplation to our western fact: to Rise,
> Decline, Fall, to futility and larks,
> to the bright crustaceans of the oversky.
>
> Phyllis Webb
>
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