Poet Power! The Practical Poet’s Complete Handbook to Getting Published and to Self-Publication

by Thomas A. Williams

In his latest self-published book Tom Williams extols the idea that hard driving self-promotion is the key to a poet’s success. In the first chapter he writes: "Allen Ginsberg, whose poem "Howl" was one of the most important of his generation, became widely read due in large part to a natural gift for self-promotion." This is not the true story, but it does exemplify the basic flaw in Williams’ approach.

While Ginsberg was adept at finding the public spotlight (and was sometimes chastised for this by colleagues), his early successes grew out of his association with contemporaries and more established writers.

Before he became a spokesman for the Beat Generation, Ginsberg and some of his friends from New York joined a number of other young writers in California to form the community of artists who became synonymous with the "San Francisco Renaissance." The key figure influencing this group was not even a member of their generation. He was Kenneth Rexroth, an established anarchist poet and scholar who mentored promising young poets and held a weekly salon at his apartment on Scott Street.

It was Rexroth who encouraged Ginsberg to drop his formal poetic forms and meters, and to write for himself. It was Rexroth who introduced Ginsberg to his earliest publishers, and it was his poem "Thou Shalt Not Kill" which reverberates in Ginsberg’s "Howl." Rexroth was the bow-tied "Rheinhold Cacoethes" in Jack Kerouac’s "The Dharma Bums." He was master of ceremonies at the Six Gallery when Ginsberg first read "Howl." On the strength of his reputation, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, publisher of the City Lights Pocket Series, attended that performance and was so impressed by the poem he sent Ginsberg a telegram asking "When do I get the manuscript?"

You don’t make these types of connections through self-interest and self-promotion. Everyone needs a community of peers to help jostle the brain cells, and at least one mentor who can open doors along the way. That mentor may be a writer, a professor or even a relative who has some connections and offers sound advice. Whether you craft poems or make cabinets, it is important to establish relationships with people who can help get your products to market.

Tom Williams seems to be that breed of independent and clear-eyed American who can see what needs to be done and does it. He has found success and self-sufficiency through desktop publishing, and he promotes this approach with passion. Unfortunately, what might work well for an old pro can be seen as rank hubris in an unproved poet. Self-sufficiency may isolate novice poets from the intellectual interaction and peer review that can help polish their skills. It may even may prevent them from seeking the support of older, better-connected individuals who can help validate their work in the larger community of poets and readers.

Poet Power! does offer some excellent tips about self-publishing and marketing, with more than enough practical advice to launch anyone into the publishing business. However, not every poet wants to be a publisher, and the poetry shelves of used book shops are filled with volumes of unreadable self-published poetry by unknown writers. Better to work harder at gaining respect in a literary community that will help open the doors to publication.

Nearly two decades after Alan Ginsberg performed at the Six Gallery, I finished a reading of my own poetry and was headed towards the door when someone caught my elbow and pulled me aside. It was a much older Kenneth Rexroth. He asked if I would like to join a group of young poets who met regularly at his home on East Pepper Lane in Montecito.

I was astonished that the man who had helped launch the Beats was even interested in my work. And, of course, I jumped at the invitation and the opportunity it represented. As mentor and friend, Rexroth introduced me to a new world of ideas and to a steady stream of brilliant writers -- including Ginsberg, Snyder, Ferlinghetti and others -- whom I had previously known only in print.

Many writers from the salon at Rexroth’s house went on to distinguished literary careers. Some are poets, some are publishers of poetry, and a fair number are mentors to other rising talents. Every one of them knows a thing or two about self-promotion, but none would claim this is the true path to success.

-- DW
©1999 Duane Warren

Duane Warren is an accredited eclectic whose writing career spans many genres. A published poet and award-winning short story writer, he earns a living primarily as a nonfiction writer and editor divided between publishers and the realm of corporate communications. He has served as managing editor for three international circulation magazines, and as writer/editor for over a dozen niche periodicals. Duane has ghosted several books and edited many others on subjects ranging from veterinary history and commodities trading to AIDS therapy and reincarnation.

In the corporate world Duane managed documentation, marcom and education programs. He has written thousands of user guides, manuals, technical papers and grant applications, as well as publicity articles, advertising copy and video scripts. His articles for journals and trade magazines cover topics as diverse as fish habitat and chaos theory. He is currently working on a volume of poetry, writing a scientific book on "sick buildings" and developing educational programs for elementary school children.