J R TUREK, THE PURPLE POET'S PUBLISHING WORDS OF WISDOM

J R at Bellmore Bean Cafe in 2019

Most of us have heard the adage, “Give them an inch and they’ll take a yard,” or something to that effect, right? Well, I haven’t had occasion to think the following way before, but in reflecting on a recent interaction with Judy J R Turek, I thought, “Ask Judy for an inch and she’ll give you a mile!”

If you’ve paid any attention whatsoever to things I’ve written or said lately, you must know that J R Turek, the Purple Poet, is one of my poetry "sheros." And it’s not just because her work (which I’ve consumed much of) moves me. It’s in great part because Judy the person moves me.

J R doesn’t need much introduction from me…or anyone else for that matter at this point. Her more than 18 years of writing poetry daily, and having her poetry published in just about every publication imaginable, including her several collections far precedes my entry into this poetry space.

J R during Christiansen interview

Yet, Judy or her work might have sneaked by you, so I’ll point you to her SpoFest interview with Rick Christiansen if you’d like to drown in her accolades…or just get to know her a little better. And even if you’ve become familiar with Judy through her many in-person and online appearances, and/or publications, you’ll enjoy this must-see, throwback video!

Is plugging one of my favorite venues and poets shameful?

Maybe to some, but I feel it my duty. Every two weeks you can partake of J R’s “Words of Wisdom” on SpoFest Poetry and Prose, but despite their frequency, THESE words of wisdom are one-of-a-kind priceless! And speaking of SpoFest and priceless, J R will be SpoFest’s guest author on Tuesday, July 5, 2022, 6pm CDT (register to join via Zoom here). There! Got my plug in.

Now for the real purpose of this post. Although I have no publishing desires of my own, I believe that many out there do. The following is dedicated to those folks who have thoughts of publishing their work but have little clue about how to make that happen.

So, you have a bunch of poems that you want to share with the world but have no idea how to go about doing so, right? Have no fear, the Purple Poet, Judy J R Turek, is here.

I’d been thinking about having the pieces I wrote during the Stroll of Poets 30/30 Challenge bound. I thought I might offer it as a gift to the few people who might be interested in taking a peek. I looked into it and didn’t find anything that I could settle on.

So, the other day I asked Judy for her thoughts on the matter—the above-mentioned inch, and what I received in return is what follows—the above-mentioned mile. With minor modifications for presentation, here is J R’s “How To” for publishing your first manuscript:

The How:

• Put your poems together in a document file, title it My Book unless you have a title, then use it. This will make it feel real and will help to determine cost, et al. 
• Set your document up with page size 6” x 9” with 1” margins all around.  If it asks ‘this page only’ or ‘entire doc’ be sure to click entire doc. Some people miss this part.
• Title page first. Just one is sufficient; the ‘old-school’ two pager is out of date. Copyright info on the next page. If you have cover art that requires credit, put it here.
• If you have a dedication, the next page is a nice place to put it. If you have “thank yous” they can share the page with the dedication.
• If you have poems that have been published elsewhere, Acknowledgments (which are different than the acknowledgment to my jade plant, who listens and loves everything I write) should be next. Just be sure to distinguish between “thank you” acknowledgements and “publication” acknowledgments. It is honorable to give credit to the publication. 
• The poem title goes in quotes- comma inside quotes, the publication name goes in italics, publisher, issue, volume number, year. Include enough to be specific about that book/anthology/e-zine/journal, etc.  Some people skip this inclusion. Your choice. 
• The next page starts your Table of Contents. I like starting with the first poem and going forward from there, as opposed to including Foreword/Dedication/Preface/Intro, whatever. And yes, you can have any or all of those but if they come before the table of content, you don’t need to include them in your Table of contents... 
• I suggest, as I do with all my writing clients, you start working on your bio now. It will be harder than you think, probably harder than writing the poems or assembling the book. Start it. Now!
• I also like having the bio as the last thing the reader gets when they read your book. Poems, yes, nice but it’s about you– you want them to remember you as the last word. Think “next book…”
• Ok, now start dropping poems in. You can actually do this before all the above just to get started. A first book is just that– first, and you’ll never have another first, so do it proud. Put them in. Worry about moving them around later. Click “Save” often.
• Ok, when you are moderately satisfied that it is a super book and all the stuff above is in, note your page count.
• Self-publishing is not the taboo it used to be. It allows you to publish your book your way. You pay, you sell, you collect. POD is print on demand, which allows you to have one copy or 13 or 157 – whatever like. Save trees.

The Where:

• Xlibris.com
• authorHouse.com 
• lulu.com
• BookBaby.com

These sites change their stripes often; they are sales managed, so if you sign up to get emails, they will hound you.

The Publishing Process:

• Look for the price tab
• Create your book
• Input the total pages- the size 6 x 9 is the most common and affordable size 
• Choose Paper- white or parchment
• Choose color & cover- your design or theirs
• How many copies… blah blah blah.

$$$$$$$ Paying For it:

• Get to the pertinent questions that will determine how much your book will cost. Check for the shipping charges. Some sites will include it… and it is always a surprise, even more so now with the fuel prices.
• Ok, so now add a few pages, delete a few pages and see how the price fluctuates. You may want to make it a bit longer; the increase per page is minimal.
• If you think you might want to include color slides, give it a click. It is expensive! But weigh out all the options and see what works for you.

NOTE: If you google ‘publishers,’ you will get a lot of scammers. Just be careful.

Important Miscellaneous:  

• You can try traditional publishers… just be patient as their turnaround time is generally long.
• If you want a hardcopy reference on hand, try Writer’s Digest Poets Market; they put out a new one every year. Libraries generally have them to borrow. Lots and lots and lots of info inside. Available to buy as well, not cheap. Learn the key; it’s worth the time to know what all the symbols mean as you peruse. 
• If/when you’re investigating traditional publishers, always check the websites for updates on editors or policies – no simultaneous submissions; no submissions without an agent; reading period submissions only; only Canadians; query first. The Writer’s Digest is printed 6 months in advance, so info is always old.

Ok, I guess I covered everything… except the questions you have or will have. If you do have questions, you can reach out to me at msjevus@optonline.net.

J R accepting 24/24 certificate 

Well, there you have it! Words of publishing wisdom from the Purple Poet, who, by the way, recently finished her 3rd 24-hour poetry marathon where she wrote at least 24 poems in 24 straight hours of writing! And while co-hosting an awards ceremony with no sleep, she was awarded a first-place cash prize herself! Her description of the experience? “What a blessing of a poetry day! Is there anything else to say?

I’m still working on responses to a few of J R Turek’s books, but if you’d like to experience your own response, you can pick up copies of her books here.