Thursday, October 31, 2024
Suffering from major writer's block (see my writing blog) which is so severe, I haven't written in this blog for over a year, and haven't written serious poetry since before that. I kind of gave up poetry temporarily, thinking that so few people actually read it, but it could be that it's so good for the soul that one should never give it up for any reason like that, and it could also be that people actually do read it, they just never pay for it, or never let you know that they're reading it. This blog is a good example. It has lots of poetry, experimental, avant-garde etc., and it actually has lots of readers. Lots. So I'll throw you my favorite one.
THIS IS TO SIGNIFY*
that you, the reader
are aware that everything
going on around you
is made possible through the cooperation
of everybody, mind you, everybody
who is involved, including
me and you, both of us.
Even though we might not be together,
we are here at the same moment
of time and space
on this very page, at this very point
in the power of language.
And you, the reader, are in control
of when and where we go
in your mind and the poem's.
You are the leader in this world.
I can only follow,
pushing for what it's worth.
*by Dave Morice, from The Actualist Anthology, edited by Morty Sklar and Darrell Gray, 1977, Spirit that Moves Us Press, Iowa City IA.
I leave this here as an inspiration, mosty for myself, as I need to read it often. And write more poetry!
THIS IS TO SIGNIFY*
that you, the reader
are aware that everything
going on around you
is made possible through the cooperation
of everybody, mind you, everybody
who is involved, including
me and you, both of us.
Even though we might not be together,
we are here at the same moment
of time and space
on this very page, at this very point
in the power of language.
And you, the reader, are in control
of when and where we go
in your mind and the poem's.
You are the leader in this world.
I can only follow,
pushing for what it's worth.
*by Dave Morice, from The Actualist Anthology, edited by Morty Sklar and Darrell Gray, 1977, Spirit that Moves Us Press, Iowa City IA.
I leave this here as an inspiration, mosty for myself, as I need to read it often. And write more poetry!
Monday, October 30, 2023
Poetry Trains
New Poetry Trains on a site to help authors develop readership.
As it happens, if a few people read your poetry every year, you'll move pretty high in the poetry ratings. You can ask kindle unlimited how much poetry is actually read, cover to cover, and they'll tell you, much less than romance novels for example. They keep track. They have a formula for how much a page of poetry is worth, compared to, say, a page of romance novel. Do they each count as the same page? The poetry has far fewer words, but you have to think more to read it.
But I maintain that whoever reads your poetry, it doesn't matter. A reader is a reader. I'm not going to pay anyone to read it, but if I can get reads by hustling some other way, I'll do it.
In this case, reading other people's poetry is actually kind of gratifying. I have something to compare.
As it happens, if a few people read your poetry every year, you'll move pretty high in the poetry ratings. You can ask kindle unlimited how much poetry is actually read, cover to cover, and they'll tell you, much less than romance novels for example. They keep track. They have a formula for how much a page of poetry is worth, compared to, say, a page of romance novel. Do they each count as the same page? The poetry has far fewer words, but you have to think more to read it.
But I maintain that whoever reads your poetry, it doesn't matter. A reader is a reader. I'm not going to pay anyone to read it, but if I can get reads by hustling some other way, I'll do it.
In this case, reading other people's poetry is actually kind of gratifying. I have something to compare.
Monday, October 09, 2023
The unbearable lightness of being...a poet
The world is at war - in Ukraine, and in Israel, and earthquakes are killing people in Africa and Afghanistan - do I really have the right to be over her, in the USA, writing poetry? Well, as a poet, I have a compulsion, in my case to put it into haiku and put a season in there somewhere - but yes, I'd say I'm going to do that whether there is a war or not. I feel bad hawking my poetry books on the market out there, when somewhere, on the Gaza strip, some kid is hiding in his basement. But I can't do much about him. Well actually I can speak out for peace, but that doesn't do much. I could put my pleas for peace in poetry. But nobody reads poetry (see below). Better to just put it on a huge sign.
I've never been entirely comfortable with the persona of being a poet out there in the world. I can present myself to people as an author, no problem - as a short story writer, or a biography writer, whatever - but as a poet, it's hard. Maybe it's because a lot of the poets I met and listened to were pretentious. I don't actually remember that, though, and I don't even think I've met all that many. It seems to me you can be a poet and still be down-to-earth, friendly, not pretentious at all. It's not part of the job description or even part of what people think of you when you say that, necessarily. I should be able to just go on out there and slide right into the social whirl as a poet.
Easier said than done. When I think of the things I could have done with my 9/11 book, the main reason I didn't do them (public readings, etc.) was this problem of image as a poet. I just don't want to go out there into the world as a poet. I'm not sure why. I love writing poetry. I am a poet. What's the problem?
I'll do some deep contemplation and get back to you.
I've never been entirely comfortable with the persona of being a poet out there in the world. I can present myself to people as an author, no problem - as a short story writer, or a biography writer, whatever - but as a poet, it's hard. Maybe it's because a lot of the poets I met and listened to were pretentious. I don't actually remember that, though, and I don't even think I've met all that many. It seems to me you can be a poet and still be down-to-earth, friendly, not pretentious at all. It's not part of the job description or even part of what people think of you when you say that, necessarily. I should be able to just go on out there and slide right into the social whirl as a poet.
Easier said than done. When I think of the things I could have done with my 9/11 book, the main reason I didn't do them (public readings, etc.) was this problem of image as a poet. I just don't want to go out there into the world as a poet. I'm not sure why. I love writing poetry. I am a poet. What's the problem?
I'll do some deep contemplation and get back to you.
Wednesday, September 06, 2023
Marketing Poetry
This is a very cynical post about marketing poetry. If you can't take my all-encompassing negativity, get out now while the getting's good.
Actually I'm in a pretty good position - my small book (below post) is in the top ten again in Japanese Poetry & Haiku (kindle rating) although, to be honest, paperback sales are grim. Nobody buys poetry. Very few people actually read it. I'm not even sure those are the same people.
But I'll tell you the secret of what limited success I've had. It's kind of like virtually anything nobody would ever want to see. You make friends with them, then, you ask them to read it. If they like you, and they like other stuff you've done or written, they'll agree. It's not because they naturally like poetry or would want to grab poetry off the shelf. The number of people who actually grab poetry off the shelf and buy it is apparently very small. But the number of friends you have that are willing to take your suggestion is large in comparison. That's why I have good ratings.
Really, all is fair in the poetry marketplace. It doesn't matter why they picked up your book and read it. Your overall popularity is based on the number of people who actually read your book, not the degree they liked it, or whether they picked it and bought it off a poetry shelf. If they read it because you asked them to, that counts. Or if they read it because they decided to market their book by reading yours, that counts too. They read it.
Now the problem is here: If the majority of your readers don't like poetry, much less haiku, then you don't really have an audience. And presumably the people out there who do like poetry and haiku, are either skipping over your book, or have never seen it. Now that's a problem because you're really missing a large pool of potential readers. But I'd argue that's really a pretty small pool. I'm missing them, yes, but there aren't that many to begin with.
Do you think the nation has just turned away from poetry? THat we no longer value the artful use of words? I'd guess, yes. It's the way it is, but that's the way it is.
Actually I'm in a pretty good position - my small book (below post) is in the top ten again in Japanese Poetry & Haiku (kindle rating) although, to be honest, paperback sales are grim. Nobody buys poetry. Very few people actually read it. I'm not even sure those are the same people.
But I'll tell you the secret of what limited success I've had. It's kind of like virtually anything nobody would ever want to see. You make friends with them, then, you ask them to read it. If they like you, and they like other stuff you've done or written, they'll agree. It's not because they naturally like poetry or would want to grab poetry off the shelf. The number of people who actually grab poetry off the shelf and buy it is apparently very small. But the number of friends you have that are willing to take your suggestion is large in comparison. That's why I have good ratings.
Really, all is fair in the poetry marketplace. It doesn't matter why they picked up your book and read it. Your overall popularity is based on the number of people who actually read your book, not the degree they liked it, or whether they picked it and bought it off a poetry shelf. If they read it because you asked them to, that counts. Or if they read it because they decided to market their book by reading yours, that counts too. They read it.
Now the problem is here: If the majority of your readers don't like poetry, much less haiku, then you don't really have an audience. And presumably the people out there who do like poetry and haiku, are either skipping over your book, or have never seen it. Now that's a problem because you're really missing a large pool of potential readers. But I'd argue that's really a pretty small pool. I'm missing them, yes, but there aren't that many to begin with.
Do you think the nation has just turned away from poetry? THat we no longer value the artful use of words? I'd guess, yes. It's the way it is, but that's the way it is.
Monday, August 21, 2023
September Tuesday
A hundred haiku from that one horrific day
$4.70 + shipping on Amazon
$1.99 on Kindle
Free on Kindle Unlimited
Monday, May 08, 2023
Chat GPT takes on haiku
Those of you who follow this blog know that I care a lot about my haiku (look down a few posts) and I know it's a sensitive subject what actually defines haiku.
The other day I had a stroke of marketing luck, namely two people reading my book at almost the same time, and as a result my book e pluribus haiku anthology was at #8 in Japanese Poetry & Haiku (ebook ratings). I was so proud of myself, I pointed it out on Twitter and got ready to brag on it a little.
Then, I noticed that #4 was written by Chat GPT.
The book, Autonomous Haiku Machine, was actually written or compiled by Anthony David Adams (editor) in 2021, and he says clearly that the machine wrote all the haiku. When I encountered it at about one or two this afternoon, I downloaded it and read about half of it. Here are a few of them:
2.
The white egrets fly
to the faraway shores
of an evening sky
3.
I love my love
I love my love
I love my love
10.
I love the moon
I love the sun
I love the mountains
I actually kind of like the first one, though it doesn't have a season. Haiku should not only direct you to nature, but also be clearly in a time of year, if not a month or a week. For example, the words "tax day" can point you to April 15, but can't direct you to nature although the rest of your haiku may do that. Anyway with #2 we can see the egrets and can see nature so that's good. But that's where it falls apart. You can see #3 and #10 only get weaker. #10 has some nature, yes ok. But it really doesn't say much.
Well, maybe Chat GPT was a beginner at that point, and didn't have a database stored up with white egrets in it. Or, the database only had a white egret in it, and it didn't want to be repetitive.
Haiku is a wide open field. You don't need 5-7-5 syllable structure to call something haiku. You apparently don't need nature or even a season anymore either; in other words, I don't think this Chat GPT character is the only one flaunting the rules. I don't mind if this guy gets a few reads and a few sales out of being experimental with Chat GPT. In fact I'd like to see if one could get Chat GPT to count syllables, or to build 5-7-5 blocks so that one could make lots of haiku out of them. I know it's been done, electronic haiku, but I'm not ready to make a survey of what computers have written so far.
Tonight I checked in to the Amazon Japanese Poetry & Haiku page fully expecting this book to be #1, since I downloaded it this afternoon. Instead it was #13, and mine was now #14. They update their lists every few hours based on new sales and downloads, and it's very possible that they haven't counted my early afternoon download which might put this book up on top. If it's on top, #1, that's kind of a travesty, I would say, but it's an electronic travesty. By that I mean Chat GPT and the electronic world can fill up with tripe that is called haiku or called short stories, which doesn't make them good, but rather just fills up the space and makes it harder to find what's good. I'm surprised in reading the JPH boards that there is so much up there that isn't actually haiku at all, and isn't even poetry as far as I can tell, but rather more like anime cartoons. I haven't read them, though, and besides who am I to say? Sometimes they put stuff in there just because it's close, and people don't mind.
Maybe I should keep my eye on this trend.
The other day I had a stroke of marketing luck, namely two people reading my book at almost the same time, and as a result my book e pluribus haiku anthology was at #8 in Japanese Poetry & Haiku (ebook ratings). I was so proud of myself, I pointed it out on Twitter and got ready to brag on it a little.
Then, I noticed that #4 was written by Chat GPT.
The book, Autonomous Haiku Machine, was actually written or compiled by Anthony David Adams (editor) in 2021, and he says clearly that the machine wrote all the haiku. When I encountered it at about one or two this afternoon, I downloaded it and read about half of it. Here are a few of them:
2.
The white egrets fly
to the faraway shores
of an evening sky
3.
I love my love
I love my love
I love my love
10.
I love the moon
I love the sun
I love the mountains
I actually kind of like the first one, though it doesn't have a season. Haiku should not only direct you to nature, but also be clearly in a time of year, if not a month or a week. For example, the words "tax day" can point you to April 15, but can't direct you to nature although the rest of your haiku may do that. Anyway with #2 we can see the egrets and can see nature so that's good. But that's where it falls apart. You can see #3 and #10 only get weaker. #10 has some nature, yes ok. But it really doesn't say much.
Well, maybe Chat GPT was a beginner at that point, and didn't have a database stored up with white egrets in it. Or, the database only had a white egret in it, and it didn't want to be repetitive.
Haiku is a wide open field. You don't need 5-7-5 syllable structure to call something haiku. You apparently don't need nature or even a season anymore either; in other words, I don't think this Chat GPT character is the only one flaunting the rules. I don't mind if this guy gets a few reads and a few sales out of being experimental with Chat GPT. In fact I'd like to see if one could get Chat GPT to count syllables, or to build 5-7-5 blocks so that one could make lots of haiku out of them. I know it's been done, electronic haiku, but I'm not ready to make a survey of what computers have written so far.
Tonight I checked in to the Amazon Japanese Poetry & Haiku page fully expecting this book to be #1, since I downloaded it this afternoon. Instead it was #13, and mine was now #14. They update their lists every few hours based on new sales and downloads, and it's very possible that they haven't counted my early afternoon download which might put this book up on top. If it's on top, #1, that's kind of a travesty, I would say, but it's an electronic travesty. By that I mean Chat GPT and the electronic world can fill up with tripe that is called haiku or called short stories, which doesn't make them good, but rather just fills up the space and makes it harder to find what's good. I'm surprised in reading the JPH boards that there is so much up there that isn't actually haiku at all, and isn't even poetry as far as I can tell, but rather more like anime cartoons. I haven't read them, though, and besides who am I to say? Sometimes they put stuff in there just because it's close, and people don't mind.
Maybe I should keep my eye on this trend.
Tuesday, April 04, 2023
All from before is now obsolete
Haiku about a very alarming April
Kindle Special
TUE-TH Apr. 4-6
https://www.amazon.com/All-before-now-obsolete-Haiku-ebook/dp/B087TK42LR
Kindle Special
TUE-TH Apr. 4-6
https://www.amazon.com/All-before-now-obsolete-Haiku-ebook/dp/B087TK42LR
