When Things Fall Apart: A Few Sad Announcements
- At August 21, 2012
- By Jeannine Gailey
- In Blog
13
You may wonder what kind of sad/bad news I’ve been alluding to over the past month. This news has put me in a bit of a tailspin, I’ll admit. I didn’t want to make the announcement too soon, or talk about things that weren’t my business, but the fact is that, for reasons beyond anyone’s control, my wonderful press, Kistune Books, is closing at the end of the year and so my second book She Returns to the Floating Worldis going out of print in December and my third book of fairy tale poetry and art, Unexplained Fevers, which was going to come out in 2013, is now orphaned, cancelled, all the terrible words. (And Yes, I am actively looking for presses who might welcome sassy fairy tale collections with ready-to-go art and slamming blurbs AND a press that will put my second book She Returns to the Floating World back into print…If you are interested, e-mail me Jeannine dot Gailey at live dot com and I promise I will work like crazy to make your adoptions successful ones!)
Anyway, this is what a lot of poets are facing these days. Tiny presses who rely on one main publisher/editor are always in danger, for the reason that these people – for health, financial, or other life reasons – aren’t invulnerable, and so these presses disappear. Even university presses – as I discussed in a recent post – aren’t protected. Even if you land a big press, your editor might quit, they might decide to quit publishing poetry for financial reasons….yes, I get it, universe, poets and their books are vulnerable. We are. We can be on top of the world one second and desperately searching around for a hero(ine) to ride in on a white horse the next. It’s a riches-to-rags fairy tale, in which all the things you hoped for suddenly come crashing around you. And it’s happened to better poets than me for less noble reasons (remember, for instance, the Zoo Press fiasco?) before in the last few years.
So it’s been hard for me to be rah-rah and chin-up about poetry. Even writing this post is making me tear up. I don’t want to be one of those bloggers who pretends everything is always great; part of the journey of being a writer is the hard stuff, the stuff that knocks you back and makes you want to quit. And in the long run, things aren’t so bad – I still have great opportunities ahead (she says optimistically.) I do wish I could wave a magic fairy wand and make the problems behind Kitsune Book’s closure (a very sad situation on its own) go away. If only. But we can go only go forward and try to make the best of the situation.
Jeannine Hall Gailey served as the second Poet Laureate of Redmond, Washington and the author of Becoming the Villainess, She Returns to the Floating World, Unexplained Fevers, The Robot Scientist’s Daughter, and winner of the Moon City Press Book Prize and SFPA’s Elgin Award, Field Guide to the End of the World. Her latest, Flare, Corona from BOA Editions, was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award. She’s also the author of PR for Poets, a Guidebook to Publicity and Marketing. Her work has been featured on NPR’s The Writer’s Almanac, Verse Daily and The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror. Her poems have appeared in The American Poetry Review, Poetry, and JAMA.
Celia Lisset Alvarez
This is horrible. Horrible, horrible. “I’m so sorry” doesn’t even begin to cover it.
Mary Alexandra Agner
HUGS!
christina
Hi, Jeannine:
I’m so sorry to hear this! If it makes you feel any better: you are not alone. It was only a year and a half after my book came out that the editor(/press, since it was a one-woman show) called me to say the press was shuttering, and she’d mail me the 20 or so books in backstock. It was particularly tough timing because I had some really great people who had stepped up to use it as a classroom text, so I had an order of 146 books to fill and, uh, 20. 21, if you count my own copy.
Anyway, long story short, I actually did the reissue myself and it wasn’t too brutal. Maybe that’s an option for you, especially with your technical skills?
I know that doesn’t help much in the case of the forthcoming manuscript, but I have no doubt that it will find a great home and be out in the world one day. Hang in there!
Marie
I’m sorry to hear this, Jeannine! After Zoo Press closed, there was a press or two (ahem) that stepped up to adopt a couple of the orphaned books. I hope the same happens for you! xo993
Karen J. Weyant
So sorry about all of this! Sending good thoughts your way!
Big Hugs
Karen
Jeannine
Thanks so much for your kind responses – and yes, I’m keeping my hopes up for some way to keep She Returns in print and finding a new home for Unexplained Fevers…
Sandy Longhorn
Condolences, Jeannine. Hang in there!
Collin Kelley
I would also seriously consider putting “She Returns…” back out yourself… even if it’s just in eBook format. A couple of presses to contact: Bloof Books and Coconut Press. Surely there is a press that will step up and help!
Kathleen
So sorry! I hope one of these other good things happens for you, and it’s lovely to see all this support!
Mary Alexandra Agner
I enjoyed the two poems just out in The Pedestal, especially the second one with its genetic implications. Thanks!
NancyT
I’m sorry to hear this news. I hope you’ll find a way to publish your new book & keep the other in print.
marybid
I am so sorry, Jeannine! I will keep my eyes out for publishers. Hugs!
January
Sorry Jeannine. When you’re ready, I would definitely shop your new book around, and buy the remaining books (at a steep discount) from your publisher if you can.