All you fine published poets. I would love to share experiences with you.

I know we have some super poetry writers out there that have been published. After a long, hard going over, I decided to take a leap of faith (perhaps over a cliff) and publish my poetry.

The Library of Congress approached me when I first copyrighted my book when I was around 19 (back in the stone age) and I felt it was a great honor because I knew this book of verse would not get published through a large company. They recorded it in audio form for their visually impaired. My only regret is that I lived in DC and never bothered to drop by and listen to how they sounded. I really didn't take my work too serious. It took years to learn dedication to craft.

After publishing my first novel last year "Fill My Eyes, it was very satisfying to receive nothing but great reviews from large medias and more importantly, readers. The book was a commercial flop. Now I am awaiting the galleys for my book of verse Broken Windows, Reflections of a Fool, and am beginning to think the subtitle is apt. Does poetry even sell? I have hear differing opinions. I took all the old poems which comprises the first half of the book and all my poetic chapter headers from my three novels and made a book.

Enough background. I would like to hear your publishing/marketing experiences in this very eclectic genre. I don't know where to begin! Maybe I am a masochist. One of the main reasons I decided to put my poetry (much of it over 30 years old) was the great reception they received. I have over 200 reviews from writers and poets and all were so positive (or being very kindhearted).

Let's share experiences. If you are thinking about publishing a novel for the first time, maybe I can reciprocate by offering my own experiences and the many traps and pitfalls that can be avoided.

I'd love to hear from you my friends and fellow struggling writers. And as a footnote, I have noticed that some of the finest writing I have read are by struggling artists, and not works burning up the bestseller charts. You a break into a large book house, you get their mammoth marketing machine that can turn crap into a bestseller.