RECESSION, POETRY-WAY

E.g., the confluence of seeing poetry sales figures drop while the submissions and submissions-queries to Meritage Press rise as other poetry presses disappear...

Well, one can look at the bright side. As someone who sees a lot of fabulous unpublished works, I share that your audience (if you care to do some xerox or .pdf distribution to friends) ain't that different from many who have managed to release poetry books.

I don't speak bitterly, by the way. Just....matter-of-factly.

And in the This-Just-In-Department re Barnes and Noble, go HERE. Gee -- maybe that explains why B&N is one of only three booksellers for which I refuse to give credit, i.e., I only sell them Meritage Press books if they send a prepaid check....since they consistently take forever to pay for books, and consistently behave as if one should be lucky to receive the attention of Barnes & Ignoble. Last time I dealt with them, it took months....AND MONTHS for them to send a check and all along I'd take these disbelieving phone calls that I won't take their word for it that they've sent the check...? When they finally sent payment, they sent TWO CHECKS, yet again showing how arrogance is really another form of incompetence. I was tempted to sit on returning that second check for months AND MONTHS but, hey, I'm a nice person. Sip: morning coffee...

And in recent snailmail -- a notice from the otherwise wonderful SPD on having to increase its fees to publishers. And so the world goes on....Well, on that note, I go off to continue the day....

You have a good one too, ya hear!