The last few days I have been working almost continuously on collecting the poems I wrote from 1985 to 1996 into a volume I call Nocturne. I am almost finished with the first draft.
I first collected them together about two years ago and submitted them to a publisher, who I thought would be ideal for them. I knew from the beginning that their usual wait time for a decision was about six months, but I was willing to wait, because I thought they would be excellent for it. You can probably guess the rest.
I was not in a hurry, so I waited. I would check back every few months and they would say that a decision would be soon; they were still working through their backlog. Eventually, they turned it down.
Not being high on the priority list of my life, I took my time in finding other potential publishers. I looked for ones (primarily in the Poets and Writers website) that would respond in less than three months. I submitted it simultaneously to a couple of publishers about a month ago. I am awaiting their responses.
However, now I am preparing to publish Nocturne myself on Kindle. At the same time, I am developing a print version.
Both potential publishers should respond in January. Unless one offers a terrific deal, I will publish Nocturne on February 1. My Kindle version will feature lots of (public domain stock) photos that I have selected to heighten the poignancy, which the version I submitted to the publishers does not.
In the meantime I will be refining the Kindle version and studying the best strategies for pre-release publicity and marketing.
Wish me luck.
Phil Slattery, Writer, Publisher 