Rodger Moody, Editor of Silverfish Review Press
Jendi Reiter conducted this exclusive email interview with Rodger Moody, editor of Silverfish Review Press. Founded in 1978, this independent literary press based in Eugene, Oregon offers the Gerald Cable Book Award, an annual poetry prize that offers $1,000 and publication for a poet's first collection. This year's deadline is October 15. The prize began as a chapbook contest in 1983 and took its current form in 1995. Recent winners have been a diverse group, ranging from Kate Lynn Hibbard's lesbian-themed Sleeping Upside Down to Mark Conway's Any Holy City, which is haunted by the story of Abraham and Isaac, and Audrey Bohanan's Lime, whose intense lyrics spring from the rocky soil of rural New England. In 2005, SRP began holding an open reading period for poetry manuscripts during the summer months. All authors are eligible, regardless of prior book publication. This series also offers a $1,000 award.
Rodger Moody was born in Williamsport, Indiana in 1950. He has taught poetry workshops at Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, Oregon as a University of Oregon Postgraduate Teaching Fellow, as well as for the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts in Newport, Oregon and the annual Oregon Writing Festival at Portland State University. He has had writing fellowships at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts in 1983-1984 and 1987-1988. Poems and prose poems have appeared in many magazines, including ZYZZYVA, Caliban, The Indiana Review, Mudfish, Paragraph, and Shankpainter. A chapbook, Unbending Intent, was published by 26 Books (Portland, Oregon, 1996). He is the founding editor of Silverfish Review and Silverfish Review Press. He has made his living as a warehouse worker for over twenty years. He lives in Eugene, Oregon with his sons, Julian and Dashiell.
Q: In the world of literary publishing, 28 years is a long time to be in business. What is the secret of SRP's staying power?
A: I began Silverfish Review in 1978 after I graduated from the MFA Creative Writing Program at the University of Oregon. I had worked in the office of Northwest Review for two years (a work-study position) and thought starting a literary magazine would be a good way to stay in touch with the writing community. The original format was to publish three issues a year, one of which would be a poetry chapbook. By 1994 I had published over twenty chapbooks and I had learned bookstores are not receptive to the smaller saddle-stitched books, because even the 32-page chapbooks with spines tend to get lost on the shelf. So I decided to focus on full-length books.
I love editing the manuscript with the author and the various steps in the prepress process. In the beginning I was operating almost completely on desire (to make art) and didn't fully understand what was required to run a literary magazine or small press. The underpinnings of the big job of promotion and distribution continue to unfold and reveal new directions to me. I've tried to be generous along the way (with review and complimentary copies) with the hope the titles will receive the attention they deserve.
I've taught myself to handle the needs of the press as I've gone along. I know now that the job of learning how to sell books is never really finished. I'm dedicated to the task at hand and try to keep perspective by having modest expectations. You have to be willing to sacrifice your time without regard for personal financial gain; the small press world isn't about generating a financial return. The work (and its results) generate immeasurable wealth for the culture and the individuals who are looking for what poetry has to offer. These concerns can't be measured by current "bottom line standards" which have dominated the corporate boardroom and the public school classroom since the end of World War II and the concurrent rise and dominance of society by the military-industrial complex.
A life of struggle in the arts isn't about money. It's about self-discovery. I'm not saying I know how to do this thing but I am willing to learn, even if learning means I'll fail. As an editor and publisher I'm about the book (as art object) and finding someone who wants to hold the finished result in their hungry hands, and read.
I try to do good work, to be open-minded about what the task requires, and to not expect anything out of it other than the experience itself.
Q: What does winning a first-book contest do for a poet's career?
A: Book publication may help a poet find or keep a teaching job. A book publication will also help a poet schedule readings.
Q: What won't it do?
A: Poets, especially younger poets early in their careers, may be surprised to learn that publishers expect them to take an active role in the distribution of a book. In other words, writing the book isn't the end of an author's responsibility for the life of the book. It may be difficult for some authors to learn that promotion and distribution are, in part, a shared undertaking. Winning a first-book contest may not make a poet's life easier, though it may make it richer by drawing them closer to the culture of the book.
It's hard work but there is fun to be had as well. Readings and author signings are an invaluable way to bring attention to a new book. Book distribution is hands-on and labor-intensive. Any cooperation and help the poet can give the publisher with promotion and distribution of their book will be more than a little appreciated.
Q: Have some of your authors had more post-publication success than others?
A: Yes. Sadly, sometimes reviewers overlook a deserving book.
Q: Tell me about their subsequent career paths. What accounts for the differences?
A: Several GCBA winners were already teaching at universities. I recently learned from James Hoch that his second collection is forthcoming from Norton next year. I try to do all I can to bring the books I publish to the attention of the writing community, and anyone else who will listen.
Ann Townsend won the Gerald Cable Book Award in 1996 for Dime Store Erotics. She spent the following year (after release of the book) giving readings at academic conferences with her husband (and fellow poet), David Baker. They both teach at Denison University in Ohio and are active participants in academic conferences that occur throughout the year. The AWP Conference was in Portland, Oregon (Silverfish is based in Eugene) that year and Silverfish had a table at the book fair. Of course we had an author signing. Within a year the press run (1,000 copies plus the overrun) sold out. Working with her has been a publisher's dream. Thanks to a grant from Literary Arts in Portland, there has been a second printing. Her book was widely reviewed in high-profile literary magazines.
Beth Gylys' book, Bodies that Hum (GCBA winner, 1997), has sold very well. The print run was 1,240 copies (1,000 copies plus 240 overrun) in 1999 and I only have about 20 copies now and the last quarterly report (July 2006) from the distributor listed 19 copies. Bodies that Hum has been the strongest-selling Silverfish book on Amazon.com and with Small Press Distribution. Garrison Keillor read a villanelle, "The Erratic Gardener," from Bodies that Hum on The Writer's Almanac soon after the book's release and this exposure alone sold over 200 copies. Bodies that Hum was also reviewed in The Washington Post and several high-profile literary magazines. I plan to reprint this title as well.
Wanting to Know the End (chapbook—press run: 750 plus overrun) by Judy Goldman was reprinted because it won three book awards from her home state of North Carolina, where the poetry societies are very active and supportive of writers. The second printing has sold out as well.
Studying Russian on Company Time by Clemens Starck (press run 1,600) has sold very well because the author is a strong presenter of his work who gives many readings through the year.
Paul Hunter's collection about family farming, Breaking Ground (press run 750), received a 2005 Washington State Book Award from the Seattle Public Library. Paul is an active reader in the Northwest and strong presenter of his work. His book was reviewed in The New York Times Book Review. His book is almost sold out and Silverfish is planning a second printing.
The pattern is obvious: readings sell books, as do reviews and awards. But author readings are the key.
Q: Once authors have been published with SRP, are they likely to have a long-term relationship with the press?
A: SRP has published three titles by Judith Skillman, including Heat Lightning, New and Selected Poems 1986-2006. I'm also currently editing a second collection of poems by Paul Hunter called Ripening. We had planned the second book long before news of the Washington State Book Award for Breaking Ground was made known to us or the public; both books are about the hardships and delights of 19th-century-style family farming in mid-20th-century Indiana. We're very excited about the second book.
Q: Some literary publishers automatically consider an author's subsequent book for publication once she has won their contest, whereas others insist that she go back into the general contest submission pool for each manuscript. What is your policy, and why?
A: Though I haven't made it part of the contract, I welcome the chance to consider a contest winner's second collection. Two have sent subsequent manuscripts so far and I've talked at length with a third poet about the possibility of publishing a second collection. The idea of developing a long-term working relationship with a poet is very attractive. I should tell you that until now SRP hasn't published a second book by a previous contest winner.
Q: Your website says that the open submission period is "not a contest," yet it has a reading fee and a cash award. How is this different from a contest, and why does it matter?
A: SRP has published full-length books from outside the GCBA competition since 1995. The Open Submission Period is an attempt to bring more attention to this fact. Though the reading fee is less for the Open Submission Period I feel it is important to offer poets a contract (and cash advance) that reflects the press's level of commitment to the work.
SRP reserves the right to not select a manuscript for publication from the pool of Open Submission Period manuscripts, however, SRP will always select a winning manuscript for the GCBA. I don't see a real contradiction here; the OSP is only in its second year and submissions are very low so far (less than 10 last year).
Q: Tell me about how the Gerald Cable Book Award and the open submissions are judged—who screens the manuscripts, how many are read by the final judge, whether manuscripts are read anonymously, ethical safeguards, and so on.
A: I'm the Series Editor for the GCBA, so I always work as a screener, and sometimes I'm also the final judge. I hire other poets as screeners as well. When I hire a final judge I send them between three and nine manuscripts. All manuscripts for the GCBA are read anonymously. SRP has been a member of the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses since 1978 (when it was known as Coordinating Council of Literary Magazines) and is in full compliance with the CLMP ethical guidelines for contests. The number of submissions has dropped over the last five or six years with the current average landing at around 250 entries. In 1997 there were 450 entries, which is the most we've received to date.
The editor is the only reader for the Open Submission Period. We received less than ten submissions last year.
Q: The SRP winning books that I've read are quite diverse in terms of style and subject matter. Do you make a conscious effort to cast a wide net? How is that implemented (e.g. instructions to screeners, selection of guest judges)?
A: SRP's only real interest is quality writing. I'm attracted to poets who have a deep ongoing relationship with their subject matter. I think a poet's voice should have a real sense of authenticity. I like a sure, quiet voice, someone who has a real sense of loss and yet is able to find meaning in the everyday.
I only hire poets I respect and admire to be screeners or the final judge. I don't give a strict set of guidelines for how they should approach the task; I only ask them to read with an eye for a fully realized voice/vision, for a book that is well organized, for a collection of work that shows real development; an emotional arc, if you will.
Q: Are there styles or themes that would have a harder time getting accepted at SRP?
A: No. I'm interested in fine writing regardless of style or form.
Q: To the extent that there's a SRP aesthetic, how would you describe it?
A: I strive to publish collections with a strong, individual voice and to approach all aspects of prepress as if I were making an art object. I think being in touch with your vulnerability is strength. I want the book itself to be beautiful. At the same time I want the book to appear modest with clean lines. I'll stray from this notion about book production, if I think the work can hold up to it.
Q: Over the years, I've been impressed by your publicity efforts on behalf of your titles, such as sending out review copies. What techniques have you found most fruitful for selling books?
A: I think it's important for the press to send out dozens of review copies. I also send out complimentary copies to places such as Poets House in NYC, The Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Richard Hugo House in Seattle, and many others. As the editor I'm dedicated to doing all I can to promote the titles SRP releases. I want the books to be seen and to be read. I have a strong list of reviews I've used for years and I always ask the author for suggestions as well. Sometimes an author knows of a magazine or literary foundation I haven't heard of yet. Readings help sell books, of course, as do author signings at book fairs. I've arranged readings at venues such as The Loft in Minneapolis; Hugo House, Elliott Bay Book Company, and Open Books in Seattle; The Bowery Poetry Club in NYC; and Tsunami Books in Eugene, Oregon, as well as many other smaller venues local to the poets. Of course, the poets often help with this task.
Q: How would you advise other publishers to make the most of a limited marketing budget?
A: I'm still learning how to do this part of the business. SRP recently began paying its distributor, Small Press Distribution, to show new titles at important book events for librarians such as BookExpo in NYC in 2005 and BookExpo in Washington, D.C. in 2006. I think the added exposure was good for the press because soon after each event SPD restocked the titles that had been shown.
Q: Where do SRP books get noticed and reviewed?
A: SRP books have been reviewed in The New York Times Book Review, Booklist, Library Journal, The Washington Post, Ploughshares, Kenyon Review, The Hudson Review, Shenandoah, The Gettysburg Review, Northwest Review, The Antioch Review, Water~Stone Review, Pleiades, Another Chicago Magazine, and Southern Poetry Review.
Q: Have you come up with any creative niche marketing ideas for particular books?
A: I really try to cover as much ground as possible by sending out to a wide variety of review sources. Kate Lynn Hibbard's Sleeping Upside Down will be reviewed in the forthcoming publication of the Lambda Literary Foundation in NYC. The address for the lesbian/gay publication venue came from the author.
Q: What factors distinguish the winning manuscript from those that come close but don't make the cut?
A: Certain manuscripts are obviously the result of many years of struggle and revision; these collections draw attention to themselves. I think poets and editors understand the value of persistence to the work.
Q: Have resubmitted entries ever had better luck in subsequent years?
A: Yes. At least one full-length book and one chapbook have won the award in subsequent years.
Q: Tell me three things that win you over when you read a manuscript, and three things that turn you off.
A: A fully realized (read unassuming here) unique voice, a sense of vulnerability, and wit can be attractive; a string of unrelated poems, a too long or too short manuscript, and work whose subject matter isn't fully sorted out can be unappealing.
I think I need to answer this question again:
Musical phrasing, surprising line breaks, and a deeply felt emotional energy can be interesting; pointless sex or violence, ugly or hard-to-read fonts or large print, and overwritten poems can be uninteresting.
A well-thought-out presentation (by this I mean manuscript preparation) is important. Humor never hurt anyone.
Q: What are some of your favorite poetry books?
A: Distance from Loved Ones by James Tate, What Work Is by Philip Levine, and The Good Thief by Marie Howe.
Q: Anything else you'd like to add?
A: Yes, I would to say that this year is the first year SRP will accept e-mail submissions to the Gerald Cable Book Award competition. Files in MS Word, plain text, or Rich Text format will be accepted. This is a chance for poets to save on paper and mailing costs. Reading fee, SASE for notification of the winner, and 7" x 10" SASE with $1.59 in postage (if the entrant wants two free Silverfish titles) will still need to be sent by snail mail.
Fall 2006
