gratefulLate in 2007, I tested the waters with a couple of fishbowls. Then in January of 2008, I introduced the "Buy It Now" option so that people could sponsor poems for publication on The Wordsmith's Forge. Participation and donations have gradually grown through the year. Audience members have helped refine and improve the process, the posts, and the options. Improvements have included:
Here are some numbers:
Total Donors: 19
Number of K-fans: 2
Number of Fishbowl Poems Written: 176.
Number of Fishbowl Poems Individually Sponsored: 32
Number of Fishbowl Poems Sold Elsewhere: 2
Total Fishbowl Poems Posted on The Wordsmith's Forge: 56
Total Fishbowl Poems Published: 58
Number of Non-fishbowl Poems Published Outside The Wordsmith’s Forge: 30 miscellaneous +12 Llewellyn
Total of All Poems Written in 2008: 278+
The number of fishbowl poems published on my blog through the Poetry Fishbowls is much higher than than the number of non-fishbowl poems published in other markets -- and almost twice the number of poems published in miscellaneous markets, not counting the set of 12 appearing in the 2009 Llewellyn Witches' Datebook. I received considerably more money from donors than from conventional poetry editors. This places the Poetry Fishbowl among my most rewarding ongoing markets. I wrote at least 278 poems this year, compared to 202 last year: an increase of about 28%. Since one of the goals was to increase the number of poems written, that part definitely worked.
Earlier this year, I read the now-famous article “1000 True Fans” by Kevin Kelly. His premise is somewhat oversimplified, but it's still true that a core of devoted fans can greatly contribute to someone's livelihood. I don't think think "true fan" is a fair name, because fans can be true without having much money to share -- they might be generating precious word-of-mouth advertising instead, or helping in other ways. So I decided on the term “k-fan” (an abbreviation for “1000” and a nod back to Kevin Kelly) to refer to someone who spends $100 or more per year.
I wasn't expecting to see that level of participation in this project, but indeed, two k-fans appeared among my donors this year. One of them is
minor_architect and the other prefers to remain anonymous. The rest of the 2008 donors are: newroticgirl, dulcinbradbury, cimeara, corivax, ellenmillion, janetmiles, chlorophyta, dakiwiboid, laturner, haikujaguar, je_reviens, browngirl, dianavilliers, arielstarshadow, talix18, moosl, tonithegreat, and beetiger. Whether you sent me one dollar or a whole bundle, this really means a lot to me. I'm also grateful to all the folks who have provided prompts throughout the year; you-all are a rockin' bunch of muses. Thank you all for helping make this project a success. There are now 176 poems in the world -- 58 of them already visible to the public somewhere -- that would not exist but for your inspiration and generosity. *bow* I am honored by your company and your contributions.I'm looking forward to the next year, as the Poetry Fishbowl project continues to grow and evolve. I have some other ideas that I'd like to try, such as doing a live fishbowl at a science fiction convention. Your input and suggestions for improvement are always welcome.
December 31 2008, 06:49:29 UTC 12 years ago
Whoa! I'm sure this is simply all in a year's work to you, but to me this number is mind-boggling. I should be so lucky to post 278 photos in a year!
I have some other ideas that I'd like to try, such as doing a live fishbowl at a science fiction convention.
Random suggestion: as I'm sure you know, April is National Poetry Month. Public libraries often look for poetry-themed programming during this time, so you could try scheduling a live Fishbowl at a public library. A local college or university library might even be interested; you could always ask. This could be useful as a "trial run" of a live Fishbowl before taking it to a convention. (Unless your convention takes place before April, of course! :)
Here's to the continued success of the Fishbowls! Cheers!
Thank you!
December 31 2008, 20:03:21 UTC 12 years ago
I've been writing over a hundred poems per year for a while now. The Poetry Fishbowl project has definitely provided a boost, though.
I'll think about doing a local poetry fishbowl for April ... there are several colleges and a bunch of other libraries in driving distance, plus some bookstores that host events.
December 31 2008, 21:01:27 UTC 12 years ago
Fair enough. You'll let us know if something works out, yes? :)
Yes!
December 31 2008, 21:27:56 UTC 12 years ago