Literary Publishers Need Your Support
The publishing industry has never been the last word in good taste. Dickens' novels were considered light reading, serialized in newspapers. Anais Nin's novel A Spy in the House of Love, now considered a classic, was rejected by all the major New York publishing houses and subsequently self-published. Nobel Prize winner Derek Walcott self-published his first book of poems. Starting in the 1980's, however, changes in the publishing industry and in the sales of books nationwide have had a distrastrous effect on the publishing of what we consider "literature" --- well-written, important work whose value is not defined by sales volume. As the large publishing houses have consolidated and thriving independent bookstores across the country have been put out of business by discounting chain bookstores, literature has seen less support than ever in the history of volume publishing. In this time of corporate publishing and bookselling, the value of a book with a small readership has been lost, and the responsibility to continue bringing these works to their public has fallen solely into the arms of small, independent publishers.
It seems an anachronism to many that publishers can be "nonprofit." Since our business is selling books, how can we be compared to a charity that feeds and clothes people, fights for a cleaner environment, or exposes injustice? To a small publisher of literature, however, the sale is only a necessary part of the real job we do: bringing the work of our finest writers to as many people as possible. At times it may seem as if no one is interested in poetry and literary writing anymore; however, the audience is there and growing every day. Our mission as small literary publishers is to find them. We consider the earnings from book sales the same way a dance company considers the entrance fees to their concerts---money that helps us achieve our mission of bringing art to as wide an audience as possible.
Chatoyant was founded with the vision that literature is art, that the conversation between visual art and the written word can broaden the audience's perception of both, and that poetry can still be the language of the people. We publish work that presents a strong vision of who we are so that we may understand ourselves better, and so that future generations will know more about us. Chatoyant's expenses are small and all contributions are important. An average book of poetry costs only a few thousand dollars to produce, yet its effect on the world may be great. This small expense that large conglomerate publishers no longer wish to chance is one that Chatoyant considers an important investment in our culture and society.
Chatoyant is sponsored by Zyzzyva for nonprofit status. All donations to Chatoyant through Zyzzyva are tax-deductible. Send checks made out to "Zyzzyva" to:
Chatoyant donations
POBox 832
Aptos, CA 95001
Please note "Chatoyant donation" in the memo section of your check.
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