Marketing Appears Insurmountable for the Introvert

by Leland Jamieson
(East Hampton, CT, USA)

After submitting 21st Century Bread to 13 poetry publishers without a nibble, I devoted seven months to the closest editing job I have ever undertaken, and published it myself using Lulu Press (June 2007).

I've a website full of favorable reviews and comments by editors and readers, but that does not sell the book. I write literary poetry in meter and rhyme. It tells stories readers can understand, yet sense there is something deeper there between the lines. Reviewers liked it. It bears no resemblance to MFA poetry taught at colleges and universities. For this reason, I can't "sell" it, or workshops on writing it, on the campus either.

Reluctantly I have concluded that nothing will sell poetry except poetry performances, or at the least readings in person. (I've put readings up on my website, but that doesn't sell books either.)

Since childhood I've been an introvert, and though I can handle a reading, it is stressful. In addition, at 73 my hearing loss is enough of a problem that I cannot hear intelligibly questions or conversation with soft-voiced people in a room, especially women's, and women are the primary buyers of poetry.

I've given Facebook an embarrassing amount of time marketing the book, but months of that effort have sold only one copy. That brought total sales from all marketing efforts for 9 months to 46.

It seems to me that people don't buy the poetry but rather the poet. One has to become a celebrity of sorts to sell poetry. It takes an extrovert to carry that off, because only an extrovert generates energy from that kind of activity.

I've tried Google ad words to no effect. Ditto Facebook ads. If you Google my name or the book's title it will come up on the first page, but that doesn't sell poetry in my experience.

So what to do? It's out there. If it is of value to anyone, someone will discover it. If not, so be it. I am returning to full-time attention on writing poetry and getting the next book out. That's where my strengths lie, not in marketing.

Visit Leland's website.