I want to push back on a part of this, the idea that self-publishing _means_ ignoring reach, distribution, and quality editorial vision.
Yes, if you wrap your work up in the equivalent of a pamphlet and leave it in those clear plastic holders in storefronts, you'll languish.
But that's not at all what's going on. Self-publishing, today, using the internet for one thing it's actually good for, can produce both quality and reach on par with publishing houses. I'm not convinced that framing self-publishing as opposite of "real" publishing is the most helpful way to think about it.
While I concur with your thesis, the hard reality is that if a writer isn't already a recognizable name, the likelihood of any publisher/editor/agent even opening the submission is nil.
I think a big piece of this debate lies in the credibility that a journal or publishing house can lend to poetry. Regardless of whether or not I agree with the types of poems the “curator” is choosing, if a poem shows up in a big poetry journal I usually approach it differently. That doesn’t mean I or anyone will think it’s a good poem—but I’m more likely to give it a shot. Credibility and authority are important factors that cannot be denied.
I want to push back on a part of this, the idea that self-publishing _means_ ignoring reach, distribution, and quality editorial vision.
Yes, if you wrap your work up in the equivalent of a pamphlet and leave it in those clear plastic holders in storefronts, you'll languish.
But that's not at all what's going on. Self-publishing, today, using the internet for one thing it's actually good for, can produce both quality and reach on par with publishing houses. I'm not convinced that framing self-publishing as opposite of "real" publishing is the most helpful way to think about it.
While I concur with your thesis, the hard reality is that if a writer isn't already a recognizable name, the likelihood of any publisher/editor/agent even opening the submission is nil.
I think a big piece of this debate lies in the credibility that a journal or publishing house can lend to poetry. Regardless of whether or not I agree with the types of poems the “curator” is choosing, if a poem shows up in a big poetry journal I usually approach it differently. That doesn’t mean I or anyone will think it’s a good poem—but I’m more likely to give it a shot. Credibility and authority are important factors that cannot be denied.