LITERATI: The Advent and Impact of POD on Poetry by Hex'm J'ai

 

Then: There were the large established publishers.  There were University Presses. There were Journals and Magazines.  There were the small independent and underground publishers and press.  There were self-published ‘zines’ and chapbooks (the route I typically went with limited resources- gutter punk publishing a la photocopier and hope).  There were even what was termed Vanity Presses which were predatory in nature. 

To be published, these were options or avenues open to the hopeful poet/artist.  Yet, there was the issue of accessibility. Would your work meet the aesthetic taste or sensibilities of those reviewing it?  Was your work marketable (concerning the larger entities)?  Did you have access to a university press as either a student or as faculty (and would said press even consider publishing something that wasn’t ‘academic’)?  If there was an independent or underground press that would potentially publish your work, were you even aware of it or have a way to connect with it?

To be published, these were options or avenues open to the hopeful poet/artist.  Yet, there was the issue of accessibility. Would your work meet the aesthetic taste or sensibilities of those reviewing it?  Was your work marketable (concerning the larger entities)?  Did you have access to a university press as either a student or as faculty (and would said press even consider publishing something that wasn’t ‘academic’)?  If there was an independent or underground press that would potentially publish your work, were you even aware of it or have a way to connect with it?

Now: With the advent of publishing on demand, we are presented with an entirely different environment and therefore a different set of, both, advantages, and concerns.  Granted, many of the above entities still exist and continue but in a much different landscape.

The Central Question- “What is the impact of “Print on Demand” on poetry now that EVERYONE can publish a book?”

Well, before answering this, I conferred with a few other poets/artists I know.  As this is a potentially double-edged blade, I wanted in-put.  That said, the responses I received were remarkably similar!  Before getting to that, though, let us explore the potential ‘cons’ and ‘pros’ of the “Print on Demand” phenomenon.

The Cons:

Market Saturation- Now that everyone can publish a book, regardless of skill, talent and caliber, everyone does.  Those gems, those shining stars of the poetic, literary and artistic worlds are at risk of being lost in the crowd.  Their ethereal light being drowned out or muted by the cacophony and echoes of the dross.

Exposure/Promotion- A vast amount of the work being endorsed and promoted by the entities that provide the POD service, those that are reaping the financial benefits outside of the corporations as well as additional promotion and distribution are not those who necessarily have merit or skill as an artist or poet, but those who draw attention and have notoriety via social media.  This has become a new facet of the cult of personality or celebrity.  Ultimately, as one poet pointed out, these “insta-poets” will probably be forgotten in a decade or so.  But as that may true, those who are of higher caliber but not as marketable, are being lost in the shuffle and perhaps, could be lost altogether in time as well.  This brings us to the next…

Corporate Sellouts- “If you can’t beat’em join’em” goes the adage (as I type this, the little crust-punk version of Hex’m J’ai just threw a beer bottle at and tried to head-butt me!).  Most proceeds from POD go to the printing costs and to the corporate overlords and therefore ‘feed the machine’ not the artist.  If you attempt to get a reasonable sum for your creation you ultimately jack up the price for the customer and therefore alienate many who may purchase your work.  The bottom line, if you are not a social media sensation but want a paycheck, you will have to get a job.

Well, enough gloom and doom (well, the boring kind anyway).

The Pros:

Format- So, with many versions of POD you can manifest your work in either a hard copy or digital version!  From an environmental perspective, as pointed out by another poet/artist, this is a huge win as we are not harvesting acres of trees and sacrificing resources for unwanted or terrible manuscripts to be overstocked, end up warehoused as surplus, go to the bargain bin and then the trash.  The only hard copies created are those requested.  Having a low-cost digital version of your creation also makes your work more accessible both physically and economically.

Community/Collaboration- So the flipside of ‘Promotion/Notoriety’.  Through POD coupled with social media you can get the word out!  You can build rapport with other poets, artists, musicians, and creative folk that you would not have been able to reach in decades past due to simple logistics.  The corporate overlords may have their darlings, but they can piss off because now you can collaborate with those of like mind and sensibility!  This, of course, can lead to…

New Forms/Experiments:  Having the ability to interact with and present/receive work to/from others that we could not before promotes evolution of form and further experimentation.  I can now interact with another poet/artist who is in NC, CA, CO, the UK, or Nigeria while on a bus in upstate NY.  We can then take our collaborations and experiments and publish them in the format(s) of our liking to present to others.  We can also continue to be educated by those we interact with as we are exposed to other cultures and styles.  This is ultimately the result of…

Accessibility- This word/concept has appeared in this diatribe repeatedly for a good reason.  Because it is a “Good Reason”.  With POD, those who could not create and present their work in a book format before can.  Those who could not access an appropriate venue for their creative endeavors now can create their own.  Even when kickin’ things gutter-punk, harvesting letters a la serial-killer or ransom note, there were still incidental costs in both money, time, and resources.  Those who could not afford or sacrifice for such an endeavor now can pursue it.  They have the opportunity to present and possess a creative voice of their own and share it with others without having to worry if their particular aesthetic is the correct flavor of aesthetic for the publisher. 

Saturation?  Are you concerned that your gilded letters and verse will be lost in the murmur of thousands?  Are you worried that there will be an onslaught of ‘bad’ poetry? Perhaps, it is a viable concern, in my humble opinion an elitist concern, but valid enough.  Yet, like most terrible art it will erode and vanish in time.  But, that said, what of the poets or artists of excellent quality or of unique experience that would never have been noticed, shared, or experienced due to lack of access? Consider that, for just a moment.   

Consider the work of a young Genesis P-Orridge.  Prior to their projects like Industrial Music or Throbbing Gristle they embarked on an act of guerrilla poetry called Beautiful Litter. In this act, Gen and high school friends (called “Knights of the Pentecostal Flame”) essentially left stacks of cards with random words and phrases on them at pubs and other public places.  The intent was that whoever found them could read them and therefore create poetry/become a poet! 

In this sense, everyone is or can be a ‘Poet’.  That’s right my elitist friends, EVERYONE CAN BE A POET!

In Closing:

So, the input I requested basically echoed all the above, the real concern being the topics listed as the Cons (obviously), specifically the fact that POD is corporate by nature and that the market is essentially saturated.  Otherwise, the resounding response was that this overall, the POD phenomenon, is positive, the benefits of accessibility strongly outweighing the negative aspects. 

For me, it does not matter if what you are creating is good, bad, beautiful, ugly.  I will gladly sift through the dross to discover that one star, that one gilded spark.  I implore any of you to take this opportunity.  Create!  The phenomenon of Print on Demand is apparently here for the long haul, so as other poets and artists have done in the past, adapt!  Make this phenomenon a creative weapon of your own!

Can you hear that?  That faint crackle in the back of your brain?  

GOOD.

With my sincerest encouragement:

Get to it.

-Hex’m J’ai

[Special thanks to Wolf Kevin Martin, R.M. Engelhardt, Matthew Bowers and Belinda Subraman 

for providing input.]