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HappyHighwayman t1_j7lvxhv wrote

Reply to comment by SAT0725 in TIL about Rob McKuen, the bestselling poet in American history who sold 60 million books and 100 million records but is all but forgotten today by SAT0725

I can’t imagine spending any money on poetry. It amazes me someone even made a living at it.

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SAT0725 OP t1_j7lwjh8 wrote

Yeah even bestselling poets only sell a few hundred copies of their books, if that.

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HappyHighwayman t1_j7lwln9 wrote

Are they mostly self published ?

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SAT0725 OP t1_j7lwon8 wrote

No, that's the number for major publishers

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HappyHighwayman t1_j7lwqyf wrote

Do they charge a lot to make their money back or only print a few hundred copies ?

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SAT0725 OP t1_j7lyj3k wrote

Probably only print a few hundred, if that. Most poetry printed today is from small presses anyway. If a major publisher prints poetry they're usually old classics in the public domain or really well-known poets like Sylvia Plath or the Beats, etc.

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