Show notes
Ben Rockwood and his wife Tamara started Bainbridge Island Press out of frustration — she was writing better and better work and getting nothing but silence from publishers. So they decided to get on the other side of the fence and find out why. Four years later he's designing books, sitting in working groups with Penguin Random House, and helping write an international standard for royalty reporting. He also rejected the show's opening question, which results in an interesting answer.Key topicsWhy he doesn't think of any of it as a costThe dinner in Harvard Square where the press was decidedWhy most publishers won't give writers feedback — and what they do insteadThe man with thirty years of handwritten poems in boxes under his bedHybrid and vanity presses, described generously and then honestlyWhy he tells authors to publish before they think they're readyThe economics of poetry, and why so many poetry presses are nonprofitsWhether a regional name helps or hurtsTimestamps01:28 Rejecting the opening question02:28 Starting the company in rage03:24 Harvard Square, and the decision to see it from the publisher's side05:06 A reader and a writer, coming at books from opposite sides06:48 What it's given back: being in a position to actually help07:43 Why they answer every submission — and why most presses don't10:09 The man who'd never read in public before11:44 Thirty years of poems, handwritten, in boxes13:02 Walking in knowing nothing, and why that was right14:17 Learning enough to ask an intelligent question15:15 Working groups with the big houses, and what publishers won't tell each other16:38 How nuanced the industry actually is17:34 Paper mills, high-art presses, and everything between19:12 What's been disappointing21:47 Why poetry is a tough space22:34 Lots of poetry writers, not many poetry readers23:44 What he'd tell himself, and what wouldn't have stopped him25:14 Learning InDesign, and why poetry breaks every word processor26:13 The Chicago Manual of Style, and the books already on your shelf27:09 Write it down when you're a beginner, not when you're an expert29:09 Advice for poets facing rejection after rejection30:26 Hybrid and vanity presses — the pitch, and the reality32:24 The people who want a book for their grandchildren33:06 On being a gatekeeper34:37 Chapbooks as a way to say yes34:07 Thank-you letters for rejection letters35:03 Authors as bands: make the album, tour, make another36:57 Why poets keep switching presses, and why that stings37:35 Chapbook or full collection — how they decide40:34 Contest fees, and the poet's vice41:54 Where a poetry press's revenue actually comes from42:55 Why they chose for-profit over nonprofit43:23 Copper Canyon, Wave Books, and where they want to sit45:28 Quality first — and covers designed like album art47:50 Whether "Bainbridge Island" helps or limits them50:58 Prose, memoirs, and possible imprints52:50 A real Tuesday: printers, proofs, royalties, letterpress57:06 Five kids, a nightly fire, and a wall of book covers59:54 What's next, including an international royalty standard1:01:33 Is it worth it? Tech aged out. Books last.