Radical Poets who Publish questionnaire: please send your answers!

For my article “Visible Invisibilities : Radical Poets who Publish” for the October conference Poètes et éditeurs : comment diffuser la poésie d'avant-garde ? (1945-2010) in Le Mans, France, I seeking any responses by “avant-garde/experiemental poets” and poet-publishers to a few questions about your writing, publishing and distribution issues and perceptions regarding the distribution and availability of avant-garde poetry (your own and that of others) since 1945. I appreciate any time you may give to me for this short form interview. If you do not have time for all of the questions, feel free to just answer a few!!! THANK YOU! Jennifer K Dick Please send your responses to fragment78 at gmail.com or fragment3 at yahoo.com with “questionnaire response” in the subject heading! If you would prefer to receive this in a word doc, email me for the survey and I will send one by WORD to you! (Vous pouvez répondre à ces questionnaires en anglais ou en français!)

POETS QUESTIONNAIRE
(This set of questions is for non-publishers, if you are both a poet and a small press book publisher see questionnaire 2 below. Thanks!):

Your name : _____________________________
Author of approx. how many book-length works (48+ pages): ________
How many of these books are with small presses? __________________
How many are with major presses, or have been republished with large presses? _________
Are you also the author of artbooks or any collaborative books? ____Yes ____No
Year your first book was published, and name of the press? _________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Is your first book still in print? _________ If so, is that a reprint with another press? _______
Which? ____________________________________________________________________
Have any of your books been translated? ____ Yes ____ No. If Yes, into what languages? _______________________________________________
Have any of your books been awarded major prizes? Which prize(s)?__________________
_________________________________________________________________________

1) If you have the option to have your next book come out with a small press, a major/ mainstream press, an electronic book only press or an art format press, which would you choose and why?

2) What has been the greatest obstacle to the diffusion of the works you have written? (ie: Money? Readership? Marketing? Publicity? Not being taught at University? General disinterest by your press in getting the works into the world? etc )

3) Do you try and promote your books, or are those books primarily distributed among a close circle of friends or by the press? Why/How?

4) Do you feel that the avant-garde is being further marginalized by limited access to mainstream, recognized works, (those found in Borders/Amazon/Barnes & Noble, for example), or are spd and online formats opening visibilities for more non-mainstream authors?

5) The majority of “avant-garde”, experimental/postmodern works are published at small presses. Does this decrease their recognition in national and international prizes? How does this have an effect on you as an author? Can something be done to rectify this, and if so, what might that be?

6) Are you or have you ever been part of a collective? A movement?
If so, which? (and, if pertinent, when?)
If so: Did or does this help you and your work get greater readership, diffusion, distribution? What were the greatest benefits of being part of this collective/movement?

7) Today publishers and authors continue to talk about their fears regarding the “end of the book”, and thus the complete monopolization of electronic formats for books, publishers, etc. Do you have an eBook in print, and if so, what do you perceive as the benefits for your readers and for you of this format? Are there any disadvantages you would note?

8) When we talk about diffusion, publication, etc, we are also often talking about readership. Could you comment on some of the questions or topics here regarding your own reading habits, purchasing of books, the availability of avant-garde works from the past as well as the present: (For example, do you feel that you as a reader read widely? Do you read exclusively contemporary “avant-garde” or more non-traditional works? Do you buy books or do your prefer to read online?

9) Do you financially donate to any small presses or magazines, and if so, what motivates you to select one press over another (the authors it publishes, that it is run by a friend, that is it local, that it distributes well or needs funds for greater visibility…? etc)

10) From your viewpoint, have small press publishing practices created not only domestic webs of contacts in the USA, thus co-publishing opportunities and readership, but even international ones? How has this been experienced by you, (if you have experienced this)?

* + * + * +

POETS WHO ARE ALSO BOOK PUBLISHERS QUESTIONNAIRE:

Your name : _____________________________
Author of approx. how many book-length works (48+ pages): ________
Are you also the author of artbooks or any collaborative books? ____Yes ____No
Year your first book was published, and name of the press? _________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Is your first book still in print? _________ If so, is that a reprint with another press? _______
Which? ____________________________________________________________________

What press(es) do you run (or ran—if now defunct presses, please include start and end dates):
___________________________________________________________________________
Websites/blogs for your press(es):_________________________________________________

On average, how many full length books of poetry/hybrid work does your press publish per year?
____________ What is your general print run per book? ___________________
What is the average price of a book you publish (or price range of books): ______________

Does your book press have a print magazine as well? ____Yes ____No
An online magazine? ____Yes ____No
A chapbook series or artbook series? ____Yes ____No
Does your press publish translations? If so, what percentage of the book run is translation?

1) What motivated you to decide to create your press, or join your press collective?

2) What is the greatest obstacle to the diffusion of the works you publish that you feel your press faces? (ie: Money? Readership? Marketing? Publicity? Not being taught at University?)

3) Do you try and promote the books you publish, or are those books primarily distributed among a close circle of friends or by the authors themselves?

4) Do you feel that the avant-garde is being further marginalized by limited access to mainstream, recognized works, (those found in Borders/Amazon/Barnes & Noble, for example), or are spd and online formats opening visibilities for more non-mainstream authors ?

5) The majority of “avant-garde”, experimental, postmodern works are still published at small presses. Does this decrease their recognition in national and international prizes? How does this have an effect on you as both author and publisher? Can something be done to rectify this, and if so, what?

6) Are you or have you ever been part of a collective? A movement?
If so, which? (and, if pertinent, when?)
If so: Did or does this help you and your work get greater readership, diffusion, distribution? What were the greatest benefits of being part of this collective/movement?

7) Today publishers and authors continue to talk about their fears regarding the “end of the book”, and thus the complete monopolization of electronic formats for books, publishers, etc. Are you an eBook publisher, and if so, what do you perceive as the benefits for your readers and authors of this format? Are there any disadvantages you would note?

8) As an author: Are any of your books in eBook format? If so, what are the benefits and the disadvantages of this format as you have experienced it?

9) When we talk about diffusion, publication, etc, we are also often talking about readership. Could you comment on some of the questions or topics here regarding your own reading habits, purchasing of books, the availability of avant-garde works from the past as well as the present: (For example, do you feel that you as a reader read widely? Do you read exclusively contemporary “avant-garde” or more non-traditional works? Do you buy books or do your prefer to read online? Do you financially donate to any small presses or magazines, and if so, what motivates you to select one press over another (the authors it publishes, that it is run by a friend, that is it local, etc)

10) From your viewpoint, have small press publishing practices created not only domestic webs of contacts in the USA, thus co-publishing opportunities and readership, but even international ones?

Thanks Ron...

I must say, being cut off from all things internet and phone here in the land of Alsace is hard. But when I got online today in this little hole-in-the-wall web booth space I was delighted to have received a few messages regarding Ron Silliman's blog posting on Sept 11th of the interview I did with Cole Swensen a few years back about her work. If you have not had the pleasure of all the other fab postings at Silliman's blog of late--Olson reading, etc--go now! And if you have not seen the cole & I vid from The Continental Review (an online poetics video review), it is here too: http://ronsilliman.blogspot.com