Thanks for joining us for this interview. We’d like to
talk frankly about your new book, Life on the Halfshell and we
really want to get into the meat of it. You won an EP Featured
Poet award to get started on this project how did that feel?
What a riot! (Ron chuckles and rolls his eyes skyward.) First
of all you’ve got to understand that I’m one of those souls that
flashes multiple scenarios in my head the instant that I’m
engaged in any situation. So, how did I feel? I was
overwhelmed. First off, I never expected it. I mean, a part of
me thought I deserved the award, but another part was adamant
that it was my ego overstepping reality’s borderline. If you
understood a more intimate portrait of my life, which I won’t go
into here, you’d appreciate the polarity I experienced. But to
cut to the chase, I felt like the kid with a new bag of marbles
in one pocket, a Carl Yastremski Rookie Card in my wallet, and a
wad of Bazooka Joe bubble gum tucked inside my cheeks. I guess
that dates me. Suffice to say, I was good to go.
When you found out you had the opportunity to put a book
together what was the first steps? Did you have something in
mind already?
Here we go again! Oh, Yeh, yeh, I had something in the works. I
mean, think about it. This February, I’ll be 52. A lot of track
had been laid already. Perhaps too much. First and foremost I
wanted a book that reflected my experiences in life to this
point. But I also wanted it to be a thank- you book to those
that inspired me both artistically and personally. I wanted it
also to have a theatrical voice, by that I mean both
entertaining and thought provoking. The last thing I wanted was
a book that was dry and overbearing or ponderous. I could never
produce a book of mere disconnected metaphoric meanderings
either. I wanted truth and substance, love and frolic, fun and
games. I thought about... and I can’t tell you why...
Shakespeare’s “Seven Stages of Man,”from his “As You Like It.” I
didn’t want my book to reflect so much the step by step
progression of life, as much as I wanted to travel on the road
of the many compartments or diverse parts that encompass the
whole of life’s experience. In each of us is the solitary soul,
the societal witness, the lover, the teacher, the student, the
clown or magician, the parent and child. How we are exposed and
react to each of these parts forms the axis of who we ultimately
become. So I decided to look at my work with this in mind.
Thus, the reason behind the book having seven parts. It’s more
of an episodic blend than a linear progression, but each part
divulges a part my creative and experiential life as an artist.
So the creative/artistic side of the book was pretty much
covered. It had been tapping about my brain for some time. So,
yes, I had something in mind.
Was the process what you thought it would be? Better?
Worse?
I think the first time around between publisher and author with
any project is a revelation. As a writer, I pretty much know my
game but as an author the requirements expand ten-fold. So I
can’t say better or worse. It is both what it is and what you
make it. From my perspective the pre-press aspect of the
process was covered. In the future I would pay more attention
to some of the editorial aspects, and be more engaged with my
readers. I would also request that the publisher have more
involvement, either directly or through a reliable rep, albeit,
editor. But it’s hard to find an editor that speaks the same
speak of the artist. And if you think that you can wear both
hats, hats off to you and the best of luck. Another competent
ear is mandatory. It keeps the fires of inspiration at a
constant. So initially there has to be both trust and respect
running from both camps. I was fortunate to have a solid base.
In hindsight I should have taken greater advantage. I don’t
feel as though the work itself suffered any setbacks, however I
do believe the overall outcome would have benefitted. It’s just
a question of streamline and details that differentiate a common
book from a solid read. The jury it out.
Initial problems with the printer aside, how was it working
with EP to get this done? Any suggestions to make it better?
In all seriousness and deep respect for both EP and myself, we
are amateurs. This is not a derogatory statement. At this
juncture we do it for love and not money, and certainly not as a
full-time professional career. Publishing is not our day job.
That said, and from that perspective, I believe we did a damn
fine job! I am both proud and pleased with the outcome
considering our disadvantages. What Jim went through dealing
with Doubleday was a virtual roller-coaster and I have nothing
but admiration for him. The fact that this book is in print at
all is a testimonial to his complete dedication to both his word
and the honor of EP. I count myself fortunate that this book
fell into his hands. Suggestions to make it better? To me
that’s a matter of how far EP wants to go in the future. Would
I like to see EP take its books to the New York Book Fare or any
gathering of potential buyers? Absolutely. Would I like to
participate in such an endeavor? Without a doubt. Do I think
other authors from EP would do the same? They’d be foolish not
to. I also think that Emerging Poets should seriously look into
a magazine news-stand format. Perhaps not today but in the
future. Exposure is the name of the game, and poets need every
drop of it. I know these things take time and planning but a
worthwhile venture makes worthwhile friends and supporters. My
wishlist would be for EP to latch onto an editor and readers for
the book award publications. As this is what is done in this
realm to the benefit of both publisher and author. Firstime
authors truly need this and realtime authors require it. It’s
all part of the package. Publishers print but rely on editors
for artistic and literary quality control. Pre-Press layout and
graphic advisors should also be available to assist in the
visual presentation. And finally pre-press copy editors should
also be available prior to final printing. As it stands ALL of
these hats is the author’s sole responsibility and one which
most may handle but not truly excel at. Something to keep in
mind as EP grows.
How did you go about laying out the book?
And which layout would that be? Let’s see there was the full
color, full bleed. That one nearly gave Jim a heart attack.
Then there was the full bleed grayscale layout. That one gave
me a heart attack. And then the final scaled down framed title
pages which I like but would have played with them forever if it
hadn’t been for the deadline.
To tell you the truth, at first I looked at books that I liked
to get an idea of what would be possible and then I went from
there. Most of all I wanted a readable type and solid, but not
overbearing font.
For the cover design I wanted eye-candy. Something that was
visually enticing since I have no name recognition. If you
can’t lure a fish with a known scent, you try to come up with a
variation on a theme that targets a wide array of possible
candidates. So I went for visual warmth and contrasting depth.
Then for title coloring I went for an off-white to make the
title and sub-title stand out. I had several versions before a
consensus was reached.
My attention to the back cover came from complete futility. The
two authors I had hoped to flash some words of blurb, never got
around to it. So I decided to put something viable about who
and what I was about. I then decided to take a chance and print
“The Seed Forsaken,” below the blurb. I agonized over this as
it can be death if the poem doesn’t catch the mind of the
reader, so to speak. I finally recalled what a friend told me
at a clothing store when I was agonizing over what suit to buy
as my first real suit, “hey, look, it’s not going to be the last
suit you ever buy.” Little did she know that it would be ten
years before I bought another. In any case I went with it, and
there you have it.
Where did the title come from?
That was easy. As many know, one of my avocations is oyster
farming. As a life form, I find the oyster fascinating. I
won’t go into it here, but the oyster is a phenomenal being.
But I will say the fact that what appears to be inactive but is
actually incredibly active and prolific had something to do with
it. I was also fond of the oyster’s participation in creating
the pearl which many people are aware of and relate to when the
oyster is brought into conversation. The idea that beauty
sometimes evolves from places, persons, and situations we least
expect, and the experience attached to the evolution gave rise
to the title, “Life On The Halfshell.”. In my mind the title is
all about experiencing food for thought.
What are your marketing plans for the book? The book will be
available forever, how do you mount a sales program? How are
your sales going? What seems to work best.?
At first, I thought about holding up a convenience store by
pointing a copy of the book at the cashier and demanding a full
and passionate reading of the work, along with a pack of camels
and a copy of the local newspaper. I thought the eventual
arrest and the media exposure might lead to an Oprah interview,
and the rest would take care of itself. But I’m kinda shy and
the thought of millions of people pawing over my book made me
skiddish. So I dropped that idea for the “Slow and Steady,”
philosophy of unknown poets getting exposure one bookstore at a
time and readings.
There are many hard nuts to crack for an unknown POD poet. What
you have to realize is that the media very rarely reviews an
unknown POD poet. Most make the point that they do not and will
not review such works. This is a great disadvantage to the
poet. If you have connections, do not be afraid to bend an ear.
So how does one move the book? My philosophy is that you take
the book to the reader. I have placed my book in three
bookstores on the Cape. And each weekend I take the book
traveling to the next bookstore. I started in Provincetown and
am now in Provincetown, Orleans, and Yarmouth. As more
bookstores open and as time allows I plan to have the book in
every town on the Cape. I will be having a reading shortly that
is primarily a sales and placement reading. This is a private
invitation reading being put together by a dear friend of
Annie’s. I have also made a concerted effort to hit
publications and contests sponsored by mags that have a
circulation of 1000+, as any exposure in these markets will put
forth my name and book into a large enough stream that in the
end will pay dividends for the future. Once the name is
recognized, doors will open easier. Each town on the cape has a
public library that offers rooms for free, so the next step is
to set up readings there for exposure and sales. I have not
ruled out advertising in low circulation mags with a blurb on
the book with testimonials, but that takes a little cash.
All in all I’ve sold or placed 60% of my first printing. Sounds
pretty good as a percentage but the real numbers have me
secretly sniggerng to myself. In any case I love doing this and
have met some great people along the way. So the pleasure is
all mine. And I expect to request a second printing soon.
Let’s talk second book, would you and what would you do
different?
The second book is already being hatched. I would give you
details, but then I’d have to shoot you. Seriously, I think
I’ve pretty much mentioned some of things that I’ve learned and
the direction I’m leaning as far as what I will do with the next
run. One thing to keep in mind is that in all probability there
will always be a wrinkle in every publishing venture. So when
making plans it is best to have contingencies and outs worked
into the fabric to make it easier to smooth out the wrinkles
should they occur. All things have their time, make plans, but
don’t be premature with commitments. You can not go forward
with a sales plan until the book is in hand. I did that, and it
was a serious problem. The one thing that is a plus with the
second go round, is that you’ve made contacts from the first
book and in all probability those contacts will lead to others.
So you are one step up on the game. I have become a hardened
veteran as to what to expect of others and of myself. The
planning stages encompass not only the book’s release but also
its journey from printer to public. In many cases the journey
to public is the most important link. Pricing and margins also
play a giant role. Realize that any store that takes your book
has a customary 60/40 split in mind. That’s 60 percent to the
author and 40 percent to the store. So if a book costs you 4.00
and you want to pay for the book and have capital for new runs
and promotion, you have sit down and figure out just how the
book should be priced to give you a chance of keeping the book
on shelves. Figure that you will need 8.00 a book to cover the
previous print and future printings. At a 60/40 split you have
to get 15.00 for the book to have an even chance of the book
breaking even and keeping itself afloat. 15.00 for a 100 poem
book is about the going rate. This is all feasible. In my
case, for me to attain a 4.00 per book price, I would have to do
a run of about 1000 in my first printing. That didn’t happen
for me, so from the outset the book was a serious disadvantage
from a bookstore perspective. The only way now to bridge that
gap is by direct sales from readings or personal contact. That
means a lot of scheduling, planning, and promotion before I even
step up to the podium. These are all costs that have to be
accounted for. So I’ve learned a bit, have adjusted a bit and
am moving on. Always keep in mind that the love and passion
that you have for your craft will be continuously tested.
Accept that as part of your passion and deal with it accordingly
and you will be able to know the beast and share the road. I
hope that members read and absorb what I’ve mentioned. It’s a
good road map to what lies ahead. I wish a you smooth and
prosperous journey that I highly recommend.
Thanks so much Ron, we loved talking to you.
The pleasure has been and will remain all mine. Tidings.