Turning Another Page
Self-publishing for Poets
Gerry Cambridge
A comprehensive guide to the pros and cons of self-publishing traditional books and pamphlets for
poets, with step-by-step information and advice on how to go about it if you do decide that selfpublishing is right for you.
About the author
Gerry Cambridge has published five poetry collections to date with traditional publishers; of the
poems in the latest, Notes for Lighting a Fire (HappenStance Press, 2012), the reviewer for the
Times Literary Supplement wrote ‘the best—many more than a handful—have a brand of slow,
ruminative wisdom that sets him apart from most of his contemporaries. His poetry has something
of Robert Frost’s tone and seriousness, but rings with a deeply personal Scottish resonance all its
own.’ An essayist, print and website designer as well as a poet, Cambridge founded the
transatlantic poetry journal The Dark Horse in 1995. He frequently undertakes freelance
commissions for small presses, private individuals and organisations, specialising in literary
projects, and is the regular designer for the award-winning Mariscat Press in Scotland where his
interest in typography can be used to good effect. www.gerrycambridge.com
www.thedarkhorsemagazine.com
The background
The ‘traditional’ route to publishing, say, a first volume of poems is, initially, through publication of
individual poems in reputable journals and through competition wins, followed by a first volume
from the most prestigious publisher one can get to accept the work. In general, self-publishing is
regarded with suspicion by many ‘traditional’ poets, unless the poet has already established a
reputation, for example, the Irish poet Thomas Kinsella has self-published much of his later work
first through his Peppercanister Press series. The reason for this suspicion is straightforward: it can
seem to bypass the standard expectation to get some sort of editorial consensus for a body of
work. It implies that you weren’t able to get the work published by the usual channels, because
almost any poet I know of would rather have a full collection, at least, published by a trade
publisher than do it themselves.
1
Self-publishing is, therefore, usually a ‘fall back’ position, and not the happiest. If you are a poet
who wishes to make some sort of reputation in the subculture of the poetry world, at best it is a
simple demonstration of self-belief in your own writing; at worst, it can smack of hubris and failure
with the poetry presses. Both of these perceptions by others will be linked to the quality of your
writing.
Yet self-publishing has a distinguished history. To give just two examples, the now-famous Welsh
poet R S Thomas, in the late forties and early fifties, self-published his first two books, now highly
collectible, The Stones of the Field and An Acre of Land; in May 1855, Walt Whitman
self-published the first edition of his famous Leaves of Grass, even doing much of the typesetting
himself. It featured only a dozen poems in its 95 pages: Whitman wanted a user-friendly book that
could be read outside. Copies of that first edition, which was issued in a run of some 800, can now
sell for up to $175,000. A fine American poet, Rose Kelleher, an advocate for self-publishing, has
this to say:
My first book of poems was published in the traditional way. I needed that stamp of
approval because some part of me is still a good little Catholic schoolgirl—cowed,
insecure, trembling with anxiety to please—who needs to get an A to feel good about
herself...
That girl is not a poet. How could she be? She’s had all the poetry bullied out of her.
All she wants is approval...
Kelleher continues:
If it’s craven to crave the approval of publishers, it’s even more so for a reader to
differentiate between self-published and traditionally-published collections. Either you
admire a poet’s work or you don’t. What difference does it make whether it’s received
a stamp of approval from a third party? Are you worried you might like the wrong
thing? If you don’t have an independent streak, why are you reading poetry at all?
It has to be said, however, that for many poets that ‘stamp of approval’ does make a difference.
The imprimatur in the UK of Faber, Picador, Carcanet, Cape and Bloodaxe, for instance, is
something that many—if not almost all—serious ‘page’ poets seek, though the importance of that
imprimatur, some might argue unjustifiably, diminishes as one goes down the lists of the smaller
poetry presses. Apart from the ‘authority’ conveyed in matters of taste by the ‘top’ imprints—an
authority which the more individualistic among us may deny, but which certainly exists in
mainstream opinion—being published by the big imprints may make it easier to have the work
reviewed and may increase the likelihood of the book winning any of the numerous prizes for
poetry collections these days. The poetry book award circuit in the UK, frequently lampooned in
Private Eye, seems a somewhat predictable round of prizes going to books published by the three
big publishers, Faber, Cape and Picador, with Bloodaxe and Carcanet not far behind. It is less
likely, if not impossible, that a book published by a small, obscure poetry press will appear on, say,
the Forward Prize and T.S. Eliot prize shortlists.
This situation has had some negative fallout. In May, 2013, one of the biggest smaller presses for
poetry, Salt, announced that it would be publishing no further poetry titles once it had honoured
commitments outstanding at the time. One of Salt’s reasons for ceasing to publish individual
2
collections by poets—though it will continue to publish poetry anthologies—was the low sales of
volumes on its poetry list, but it is also worth noting that no collection published by Salt had come
even close to winning any of the major poetry prizes.
Going the ‘traditional’ route, therefore, doesn’t ensure any great success, and has always been for
the poet a slow and time-consuming business. Alternatively, it has never been easier for a poet to
self-publish, say, a small volume of their own work. The ubiquity of the personal computer and of
new print technologies has opened up the world of self-publishing to a degree unimagined even
twenty years ago.
This article will look at the pros and cons of self-publishing traditional books and pamphlets for
poets, and the issues you will have to deal with if you decide to proceed.
Yourself as poet: motives
You may be a performance poet who wants to have something to sell at readings. You may be
someone who, for whatever reason, simply wants to produce as well as possible some printed
copies of your poetry for giving to friends, family etc. You may be someone in your later years who
has come to writing poetry only recently and who doesn’t feel you have time, irrespective of your
seriousness, to engage in the time-consuming business of dealing with little magazines and
publishers. You may be a serious ‘page’ poet more interested in going the ‘traditional’ route, but
unable for whatever reason to gain acceptance by the contemporary presses. Perhaps you are
also an artist and wish to include some of your own artwork—a situation outside the remit of the
traditional poetry volume from a small press. These can all be considered default positions for
considering self-publishing.
Positive reasons to self-publish
One is that it gives you complete control over the process, from beginning to end. Another is that
the time frame is largely within your own say-so: beginning with a completed text, you can produce
something within a month or two. A third is that you’re writing work which contemporary publishers
wouldn’t look at: perhaps it is utterly unfashionable (a different thing from the question of whether
it’s any good)—too lengthy, too narrative-driven, too satirical, too political, or any of the other
categories likely to alienate ‘mainstream’ poetry publishers.
There can be numerous other justifications for self-publishing. One is its autodidact element:
maybe you just like the idea of learning about the whole flip side of the messy personal nature of
writing. Another is the greater ease of dissemination and publicity about new publications, via
social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Such media mean it has never been simpler to
advertise new work. A further, and perhaps the most significant, justification is the ability to design
and publish bespoke publications generally beyond the remit of most trade presses. In combination
with a printer one knows well, for instance, it’s possible to experiment with all sorts of different,
unusual formats, varieties of card (say, if working with pamphlets), and include such details as
coloured endpapers, or produce small runs of signed, potentially-collectable limited editions. Lastly,
there is a monetary reason: if you have a ready-made readership likely to buy your new work, selfpublishing means that you get to keep a larger share of the income from pamphlets or books sold.
3
Reasons not to self-publish
One is the expense. This will be borne by you, and varies according to whether you do your own
design and typesetting or employ someone else. (Expense can vary wildly, but it needn’t be
prohibitive; websites such as Lulu and Blurb, which will be discussed later, don’t even print a copy
of your publication till someone orders it.) Another is the hassle of the technical side, if you decide
to do everything yourself. If you lack a background in this, it can be a steep learning curve. Still
another is the difficulty of being taken seriously, unless it is done superbly, for reasons previously
noted. A fourth is the loneliness element: the feeling can be that you are the only one who really
cares about the work, at least to the extent that an editor at a commercial press is willing and ready
to back your collection by putting money, however little, and time into its publication. A fifth reason
is the fact that you have to drum up your own ‘buzz’ around the publication: you can’t access the
publicity network of a publisher, however small. That said, small presses aren’t necessarily more
capable of producing such interest than an individual would be. In the age of free social networking
such as Facebook and Twitter, of course, achieving publicity is less of an issue than it was.
Some small presses, and certainly the bigger poetry publishers, will be able to effectively distribute
your work through bookshops via a distributor such as Central Books, but for the self-publishing
poet, widespread bookshop distribution isn’t cost-effective. Not only will the bookshop itself take a
commission, but the distributor will, too. This can mean the self-publishing poet ends up paying to
sell their work in such venues. Small independent bookshops, however, are often still willing to
stock privately-published poetry, if you are willing to put in the considerable effort of contacting
them, sending them your publication, and keeping track of any sales and orders. You will earn less
money per copy sold than through direct sales, but copies stocked in bookshops can be a useful
form of advertisement.
What you need to think about if you do self-publish
Do you have the technical skills to design and typeset your publication, to liaise with a printer, and
to deal with any issues that may come up during the process? If you do, you don’t need to read
further. If not, you must either be willing to learn these, which can be a fascinating thing in itself, or
ask someone to deal with this for you. In the latter case, there are bespoke websites which, for an
appropriate fee, purport to take all the hassle out of self-publishing and supply a service which
includes design and everything up to the delivery of a finished book, along with limited distribution
thereafter, as well as individuals who will do the same thing, including the current author. Any
Google search under, say, ‘Design and Typesetting Services’ will bring up many examples. There
are also self-publishing websites such as Lulu (www.lulu.com) and Blurb (www.blurb.com) which
offer a whole range of self-publishing possibilities, from the production of single copies to
hundreds, as both paperbacks and hardbacks, in full colour, partial colour, or black and white.
These websites offer their own bespoke software which is designed to simplify the whole process
for the less experienced. For the more technically-minded, it’s possible to set up a ‘shopfront’ on
these websites from which people can order copies of your book. Such enterprises can deal with
the production side of things, but what they can’t do is get you an audience, of course. Only you,
and the quality of your work, can do that.
4
The basics of computer typesetting
Numerous software programmes are designed specifically for desktop publishing. They vary from
high-end applications such as InDesign capable of really complex design, to more budget DTP
applications such as Publisher or Serif PagePlus. Detailed instructions for using these are beyond
the remit of this article, but can be found in the documentation which comes along with them, as
well as numerous visual aids on channels such as YouTube etc. Word also has a certain limited
capacity for desktop publishing if you know the software well.
Irrespective of what software you use, there are aesthetic questions around design which remain
constants. These include but aren’t restricted to your chosen typeface(s), page layout, title page
and cover. If you’re going to do the design yourself, it’s highly recommended you buy a book or two
on print design, such as Notes on Book Design by Derek Birdsall or Book Design by Andrew
Haslam, as well as scrutinise examples by publishers—from the big poetry presses such as Faber,
Picador, Cape, Carcanet and Bloodaxe, to the smaller outfits such as predominantly pamphlet
publishers like Mariscat, HappenStance, Flarestack Poets and Rack Press. This will help you to
develop a feel not only for good design, but also for what your own preferences might be.
As with all these things, attention to detail is fundamental. Here, for instance, is part of my
responses in interview with the owner of HappenStance Press, Helena Nelson, discussing design
matters and typesetting for her in-house journal, Sphinx:
A professional typeface, for instance, will be available in a full range of weights
and styles: Arno Pro, for instance, has 32. Minion Pro has ten. Some are
optimised for use at a particular point size or range of point sizes. So it’s not the
case that simply pressing the italic button for a typeface in Word, for instance,
gives you a true italic. All it does is slant the roman version, producing an
approximation of the italic.
You also have to beware an italic followed by a roman apostrophe: as in, for
instance, the phrase ‘This Collected’s range . . . ’ (that is if your house style
would dictate having ‘Collected’ in italics in this usage). With some faces, this
can lead to the italicized ‘d’ crowding the apostrophe. A professional DTP
programme such as InDesign will have numerous spacing options such as ‘Hair
Space’, ‘Thin Space’, etc, [as well as kerning (adjusting individually the space
between letters)] to solve this. [Many typefaces have their own quirks and
anomalies in use.] Professional expertise, therefore, also connects with attention
to detail. But even without expertise, acknowledging good design as an
important concept in print publication is a big step forward.
And on the subject of design, it’s relatively easy to desktop publish your own
publication these days, but it’s equally easy to design it badly. What are the
obvious mistakes people make?
Typographically, using primes (the little vertical marks used to indicate feet and
inches, for instance) instead of proper typographer’s quotes. This happens
because some typefaces in DTP programmes use primes instead of
typographer’s quotes when you add them manually by typing them in directly
using the programme, rather than importing them. Incorrect use of primes is a
5
sure sign of amateur typesetting.
Another typical mistake is to use the hyphen, like so -, in place either of the en
dash (–) or em dash(—). These three typographic marks are used in particular
circumstances, not interchangeably. And who would be happy with the poky wee
hyphen, incorrectly used, after seeing the emphatic lateral stroke of the em
dash?
In terms of general layout, in particular with perfect bound books, another
common error is setting type too close to the gutter which means the reader has
to put unnecessary strain on the spine to read it. Or generally not having enough
space round the text. Or having too tight leading—the space between lines—or
too generous leading. Or having the text face too small or too big, proportionate
to the leading. Or—something I saw just today in a book of verse—altering the
letter spacing by squeezing the letters tighter together, to make a long-lined
poem fit into a particular page. All these make the typesetting an obstacle the
reader has to surmount to read the text.
The method that you use to have your publication printed may affect some design decisions.
Modern digital printing allows for short print runs at reasonable prices. For runs over, say, 300
copies (though this can vary according to the particular printer being used) the print method offset
litho may offer better value per copy, as with this process the more copies you print, the lower the
unit price becomes. (In digital printing, this reduction per unit, as the number of copies being
printed increases, is less marked.) Traditionally, offset litho is also thought to offer the best quality,
though modern digital printing has made great advances recently. Also, the range of papers and
bindings available with offset litho tends to be greater.
Which method you choose will depend primarily on economic factors. The simplest method, though
it is more labour-intensive and suitable only for pamphlets, is to print your collection off on your
desktop inkjet printer at home. The basis of this is to print two pages of an A5 pamphlet, say, on an
A4 sheet in landscape format, then print another two pages on the reverse. This can be fiddly while
you work out the imposition (which page needs to be printed where so the pages when folded and
stapled read consecutively), and you’ll need to source your own card and paper, as well as work
out the edge trimming of the finished pamphlet using a guillotine that can be bought in most
stationers. But if you’re of a practical bent it can be fun to do and is reasonably cost effective.
(There is also the realm of the ‘artist book’ which requires special skills and is outwith the remit of
this article: hand-made, highly individualised, often using unusual bindings and old style letterpress
printing.)
The following are the other primary factors you’ll have to reckon with before you begin typesetting
and designing your publication.
Format
Is there a format that best suits the shape of your poems? Say, for instance, you’re using long lines
and the standard ‘portrait’ page format would mean you’d have too many turn-overs—lines which
would run beyond the page edge and therefore have to be indented at the beginning of the next
line. Would a landscape page format be better? Are you just going to use a standard format, say
A5, American Royal, etc., or a custom size? Some of these may adversely affect the price, though
not always. For example, if you opt to have a page size 15mm or so narrower than standard A5,
which makes for easier and more graceful handleability, generally the cost will be the same as
standard A5 because no larger paper size is needed.
6
It’s worth remembering that sometimes unusual sizes can help increase the memorability of a
publication. I confess to a fondness for small books or pamphlets; their very unusualness can
make them more noticeable and so more likely to be read. Publication size, however, will also
govern things such as postage costs, which is a big consideration these days.
Pagination
Digital printing can accommodate most page ranges in multiples of four. (For example, say your
publication had 21 pages, you’d have three blank pages somewhere in the publication, most
typically at the end.) It is most typically recommended for short print runs with small numbers of
pages. Offset litho tends to be printed, for cost effectiveness, in multiples of 32: so, 32, 64, 96, 128
and so on. It is possible to have other page extents outwith these parameters, but for technical
reasons they are usually more expensive.
Paper weight and colour for the inner text
For digital printing, most commercial printers will offer a rather limited range of recommended
papers. For offset lithography, the choice is wider. The paper supplier G F Smith will supply a box
of paper and card samples to interested parties (see: http://www.gfsmith.com/contact#Samples ).
Whichever print method you use, it’s worth remembering that an off-white or natural white, if
possible, tends to be less stark to the reading eye than a standard white paper. And that, generally,
printers have their own preferred stock which may be more cost effective than more expensive
alternatives.
Cover: Hardbacks
For a hardback, I would simply let the printer, technically, follow their usual procedures. Your own
role in that instance will be to provide a design for the dust jacket and its cover flaps. Ask the
printer for the technical specifications and set up the cover accordingly.
Covers for paperbacks and pamphlets
Printers will have standard weights of card/board and it is best to take their advice on the best for
your particular publication. If you use a cover colour image, whether artwork or photograph, it will,
in most cases, restrict you to a standard card finish (that is, non-textured, for instance) on which
the image will reproduce to best advantage. If your cover is going to be primarily typographic—that
is, the design will be composed, however plainly or elaborately, from the lettering of the typefaces
you’re choosing—then you may decide to go for a different card finish to add individuality to your
publication. Again, the G F Smith range (there may be others) contain a multifarious array of card
colours and finishes. These can be expensive but very effective, in particular with short-run limited
editions where a distinctive appearance is vital. With a standard card, printers will generally offer
two finishes: gloss laminate, and matt laminate. The former is commonest, cheaper, and hard
wearing. The latter is more expensive, can be prone to marking which is noticeable especially on
areas of block colour, and can sometimes throw up finishing issues for printers; but when it works it
is classy and understated. With the more expensive bespoke card ranges mentioned earlier from G
F Smith, the card itself is already ‘finished’ and doesn’t require lamination.
Inner text: all black, or in colour too
As with everything else in printing, colour inside will be more expensive. Most poetry publications
are printed black throughout, though the designer can also incorporate gradients of black which will
show as grey, don’t add to the cost, and can give some visual variety. A single extra colour, say
red, on the inners, for the titles of the poems for example, can be very tasteful if you don’t mind
spending the extra. Contemporary short-run digital printing is also much more flexible in its use of
inner colour.
7
Print run
This depends upon how many copies you think you can sell, or what the publication is for. The big
advantage of digital printing is that you can print as few copies as you want, and have extra copies
reprinted as and when you need them, usually without incurring extra costs bar the original unit
cost for each copy of the publication.
ISBN and Barcode or not?
ISBN stands for ‘International Standard Book Number’ and is the unique identifying serial number
for a particular publication. It is essential for libraries and other classification systems to have a
record of your publication. There is more information here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Number.
A barcode can be generated from the ISBN so your book can be sold in bookshops. Neither ISBN
or barcode are essential for self-publishing but the ISBN, in particular, does ‘officialise’ your
publication. Nielsen deals with the issuance of ISBNs in the UK. Unfortunately, you can only
purchase these numbers in batches of 10—a nuisance if you only need one. There is more
information on the whole process around ISBNs available here:
http://www.nielsenbookdata.co.uk/uploads/NewPublisherIntroGuide_Feb12.pdf
There is little point having a barcode unless you will try to sell your publication via bookshops.
There are now free barcode generators available online which output barcodes as jpegs for easy
placement on covers etc. If you use a bespoke print and design service, most often these have
supply of an ISBN number and barcode as an optional extra.
To blurb or not to blurb?
Blurbs, or encomia by well-known or generally considered important poets or critics, are thought
useful by commercial publishers. Even if you are self-publishing, if you have any such admirers of
your work willing to give you a level-headed paragraph about it, that may help sales. Such blurbs
generally appear on the back cover, or on the cover flaps if you’re self-publishing a hardback with a
dust jacket; exceptionally, if you had a terrific quote from a major figure, it could go on the front
cover. It’s worth nothing there is also the ‘anti-blurb’ position. So many blurbs appear on poetry
publications these days that not having any can make your book or pamphlet stand out. Especially
if the work is very strong, this lack of blurbs can itself be an aesthetic statement.
Dealing with printers
A printer such as Imprint Digital (www.imprintdigital.co.uk) has streamlined the entire process so
that it’s all done online: you specify what you want within their parameters, get a quote, upload the
cover and text files as PDFs, you’re sent a proof in the form of a single copy, bound, of your
publication for approval, and your publication is delivered, all within a matter of a week or so. Such
printers are geared to low-cost, high quality, fast turnaround printing with a limited range of
finishes. They are excellent for straightforward jobs. If, however, you want something more
bespoke—particular cover card, paper, colour wraparounds on a pamphlet, cover end-flaps—you
will need to work with other printers.
8
Getting quotations
Printer’s charges can vary considerably, so it’s worth getting several quotes for comparison. The
basic details a printer will need to supply a quote are the following:








Print run
Format
Number of pages
Binding method (for pamphlet or paperback): stapled (known as ‘saddle-stitched’), perfect
or notch bound, etc.
Weight and type of paper for the inner text
Weight and type of cover card
Whether printed all in black for the inner text or with colour, and if the latter whether with a
single extra colour or more?
Whether printed all in black for the cover card (if white) or with colour, and if the latter,
whether with a single extra colour or more?
Choosing a printer
It helps if the printer is sufficiently local for you to go in and see them in person. This, though, won’t
always be possible. But, in particular if your print job is bespoke, having a printer you can visit to
see paper and card samples, for instance, can be a big benefit. In Glasgow, for small bespoke
projects, I often use Clydeside Press (http://www.clydesidepress.co.uk/ ), a reasonably priced
printer I’ve worked with a lot over the years. I’ve also often used Charlesworth Press
http://www.charlesworth.com/about~uk , and heard good things about Short Run Press
http://www.shortrunpress.co.uk/ and Berforts http://www.berforts.co.uk/ , both of which have
comprehensive self-publishing sections on their websites.
The rule with printers is that, quite understandably, they will try and make everything as simple and
straightforward for themselves as possible. The rule for poets self-publishing is that they should try
and get the very best printed outcome that they can. Somewhere within that dynamic you have to
find a balance between self-assertion and letting the printer do their job.
Sending your publication to the printer
Your publication’s ready to go. You’ve agreed on a quote for the job with a printer. You’ve
designed, ordered, and proofed your publication and are now ready to send it to press. You’ve
agreed on all the important details with the printer: paper, cover finish, size, and so on. Most
printers these days apart from the highest end colour specialists prefer print ready PDF files from
which to print. It is simply a case of outputting these in whatever software programme you’re using
for the main text of your publication and for your cover, with all the appropriate printers’ marks such
as crops and alignment marks incorporated, and emailing them to the printer. As mentioned
before, some printers have bespoke software through which the PDFs are uploaded to their
website. You should insist on receiving a hard copy proof from the printer. Any design, placement,
and colour issues, plus typos etc., will all become apparent at this stage, when they can still be
corrected. Flag up any concerns with the printer, and send replacement pages as single page
9
PDFs for the printer to slot in to the revised document. At this stage it’s usual to ask them to send
you a final PDF proof to make sure the pages have been replaced correctly in the document.
Post-publication
The copies are back from the printer whether as a pamphlet or a full-blown collection. How you
deal with them from here is a matter of your aims as a poet. A young poet once wrote to Robert
Graves and asked him what was the best way to start to get his name known as a serious poet.
Graves told him to have his half dozen best poems printed up professionally in a booklet, and send
a copy to every poet and literary critic he admired. If being a part of that hierarchy of perceived
literary quality is among your ambitions, this is good advice. Make up a mailing list as thoroughly
as you can of poets, critics, poetry magazines and newspapers and send them review or
complimentary copies, perhaps with a personal note. Don’t expect a response but, here and there,
and if the work is excellent, it will be noted. It may be worthwhile, for instance, sending a copy
particularly of a small pamphlet (the smaller in size and extent something is, the more likely it is to
be read) to the editors of the bigger poetry imprints.
If you’re familiar with Facebook and Twitter, promote your publication either through your own
friends’ network or by making a separate page for it. If you have web design skills, or have a friend
who does, post up a simple website with a Paypal link for people to buy it directly online. Have a
launch party or reading to promote the book. Provide special, time-limited offers: say, an extra, free
gift copy at half price for all new sales. Or ten copies, or twenty, at a higher price, which you
individualise in some way, say by providing a handwritten poem ‘tipped in’, as book dealers call it.
No one will sell the publication for you, but with some thought it’s possible to come up with
imaginative ideas of your own for having it noticed and bought.
Conclusion
Self-publishing is certainly not for everyone. But if you’re willing to put in time and energy, it can be
both valuable in increasing awareness of your work and great fun. It’s the flip side of the same type
of creativity that goes into making poetry. While I would not wholeheartedly recommend it for full
collections by serious poets wanting to go down the traditional route, for pamphlets, cards, and
bespoke curios, and for full collections if you have compelling reason, if done well it can offer a
valuable extra resource to any poet. It would be a dull poetry publishing scene in which the only
options were collections in paperback or hardback brought out by the usual trade publishers. Like
the many ecological niches occupied by the multiple life forms in the natural world, the many
possibilities offered by self-publishing can contribute greatly to the colour and gaiety of modern
poetry.
© Gerry Cambridge
June 2013
Turning Another Page is a professional development programme for writers living and working in
Scotland presented by NAWE (National Association of Writers in Education with investment from
Creative Scotland.
10