I give up.

HOW TO TELL TIME, my first chapbook of entirely new/recent poems since 2015, is now my final one.

Thanks to those who bought copies of my earlier books/chapbooks at readings and/or online.

I appreciate the support you gave me over the last two decades.

New Chapbook: HOW TO TELL TIME.

Now available in both print and e-book editions.


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W7S3G4W/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_H2qtDbCK9G5VY

Latest updates on the new book, now titled ONE CORNER OF THE SKY.

ONE VERSION OF THE SKY is now ONE CORNER OF THE SKY--and is available to order via Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/one-corner-sky-2014-2015-mccarty-ebook/dp/B013JXEJSS/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_img_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=044JRCJBD76WR5H1NH18

Poems include:
1. Prodigal Child
2. Albuqerque
3. Downtown Metropolis
4. Poem of Clubs
5. Texas Rain and its Aftermath
6. Oklahoma
7. You Get So Alone
8. Remembering Dallas
9. Charleston
10. RIP Dukes of Hazzard
11. Still Sad
12. No One Moves
13. Splintered
14. Not Quite Reconciled
15. Forgiveness
16. One Small Step
17. The View From 55

More information about upcoming chapbook ONE VERSION OF THE SKY.

Here are the poems to be included in ONE VERSION OF THE SKY.  Some have appeared on this blog and/or Facebook in earlier versions prior to revisions/edits.

1. Prodigal Child
2  Albuquerque
3. Downtown Metropolis
4. Poem of Clubs
5. Texas Rain and its Aftermath
6. Oklahoma
7. If You Don't Like It, Leave
8. You Get So Alone, Indeed
9. Remembering Dallas
10. Charleston
11. RIP Dukes of Hazzard
12. Still Sad
13. No One Moves
14. Splintered
15. Not Quite Reconciled
16. Forgiveness
17. One Small Step
18. The View From 55

Print copies and e-book downloads will both debut in September.

Fifteen years of self-publishing and pay-to-publish coming to an end.

First, here's an excerpt from a blog post I wrote over five years ago:
Earlier today (March 24th), I picked up copies of my latest chapbook NEVER MET BUKOWSKI from PIP Printing (have done business with them since 2000) at their Sun Valley, CA location.

I'm still a holdout from the period where poets self-published their own chapbooks (either through the former Kinkos or places like PIP) and sold them to each other at readings. This is not a popular avenue anymore, since a lot of local poets would rather have their books published by small presses instead.

There's a lot of erosion-through-change of the local poetry scene since 2000. Once upon a time, there were quite a few more independent bookstores in LA/OC--and, in several cases, the stores would support local poetry and purchase chapbooks that were self-published and non-barcoded.

Now, there are far fewer independents--and some of those stores mimic the conformity of the local scene in only wanting local poets "established" with small press credits (it can't be just any small poetry press, it has to be the "right" press).

And sometimes, even those local poets don't always make it into these local independent stores with "high standards."

In the past few months, I've put a handful of chapbooks onto Amazon to sell as Kindle e-books.  Almost no response unless I did free promotions.  As coincidence would have it, NEVER MET BUKOWSKI moved the most free copies.

Money was spent to make HOLLYWOOD POETRY: 2001-2013 happen with Xlibris after it was rejected twice over the years by two different small presses.

With regards to the chapbooks I've self-published, 20 GREATEST HITS: 1997-2004 and the original edition of WICHITA FALLS were the best sellers.

I've had some mild success with free e-books via Smashwords (POEMS BELOW THE LINE) and Scribd (CONSPICUOUS PRESUMPTIONS).

And, locally, I had a few pay-to-get-print-copies chapbooks published with Don Kingfisher Campbell's Palabra Productions imprint.

But it's time for me to be realistic, limit further monetary loss and unsold inventory, and stop the (at times, too-prolific) habit of self-publishing books by various means which began in late 2000.

I'm currently working on the final chapbook titled ONE VERSION OF THE SKY.  It should be available in print form by September.

Thanks to all the people who have bought copies of my chapbooks/books in person, in stores or online.

And thanks to PIP Printing (particularly former employee Sabine Steinmetz for teaching me about formatting) and Don Campbell for delivering quality product.

Hoping future poems of mine will find acceptance by print/online anthologies.

Now establishing a presence on FiledBy.com

FiledBy.com provides a service (free for basics and pay-for-premium-use) for poets and authors to advertise their works and have them listed on search engines.

Here's my initial offering (for my chapbook 20 GREATEST HITS):
http://www.filedby.com/author/terry_mccarty/3817872/works/7976695/20_Greatest_Hits_Poems_19972004/

Village Books in Pacific Palisades raises the bar for stocking self-published/small press books--including poetry.

True story: A few years ago, I would occasionally attend the poetry reading at Village Books on 1049 Swarthmore Avenue in Pacific Palisades, CA. And, back then, I was even allowed to sell the store some self-published saddle-stitched (bound by staples) chapbooks.

A few months back, I visited the store again. To their credit, the do-it-yourself poetry volumes by myself and other poets were now on a carousel, making them easy for store customers to find and consider for purchase.

But when it came time for me to ask them about carrying a recent saddle-stitched poetry chapbook of mine published by a small press based in San Pedro, I was given this new set of rules, which I will reprint below:

CONSIGNMENT/PURCHASING GUIDELINES
Due to the significant increase in requests to stock self-published books (or books not distributed by Ingram or Baker & Taylor) we found it necessary to institute a formalized system for submission of such books. If you would like your book considered for stock, please follow our consignment/purchasing guidelines:
1. All requests must be made in writing. We regret that we are unable to accomodate walk-in visits.
2. In keeping with our general inventory, only bound books with legible titles on their spines will be considered.
3. To submit a book for consideration, please drop off a copy of the book along with a one-paragraph letter including your contact information, any promotional material and a self-addressed stamped envelope with sufficient return postage at current rates. The submission should be marked "Consignment/Purchasing Request" and dropped off at the register or sent to the above [store] address.
4. Our review process takes up to one month. The book (not the promotional materials) will be returned in the self-addressed stamped envelope, along with a letter notifying you of our decision. Books submitted without a self-addressed stamped envelope will be held at Village Books special order cart for pickup. After 90 days, books not picked up will be recycled.
5. If your book is accepted for consignment of purchase, you will have the opportunity to discuss your work with our buyer. Unfortunately, prior to acceptance, requests to contact personnel in person, by phone or email will not be granted.
6. With this in mind, the decision made by our buyer is final.

Village Books is proud to support the writing community through our consignment/purchasing program. We do our best to provide shelf space and display opportunities for consignment books, while still keeping in mind our inventory needs and the interests of our consumers. Consignments are books that Village Books agrees to add to our inventory with the understanding that payment will only be made on completed sales. We look forward to reviewing your work and we thank you for your interest in Village Books.

True story number two: Recently, Jon Stewart guffawed on THE DAILY SHOW about the poem read at the Obama/Biden inauguration--and how the public left en masse because it was placed towards the end of the ceremony. Stewart made a dumb "shouldn't poetry rhyme" comment to boot.

What do these two true stories have in common?

In the case of Village Books, the buying public has little interest in sampling poetry they don't know by poets they've never heard of. This has led to the more severe policy above discouraging the majority of chapbooks/self-published bound volumes from being carried by the store.

And, in Jon Stewart's case, poetry isn't on his radar--and he apparently still equates it with formal rhyme-and-meter learned in school and forgotten decades ago.

Poetry--still ghettoized in the year 2009.