The Moonstone Press
Moonstone has published an anthology for our annual Poetry Ink program for several years and talked about publishing books for the poets we work with. In 2014 we launched The Moonstone Press with two books, two chapbooks by individual poets as well as two anthologies. Since then, we have continued producing chapbooks and anthologies. Please contact us if you are interested in this program which includes publication, a launch event and sales via our website.
Becoming a Moonstone Poet: Chapbooks
What is a Chapbook?
A chapbook is a small collection of poetry, generally no more than 40 pages, that often centers on a specific theme; it’s typically saddle-stitched (like a pamphlet or magazine) and is a format well-suited to smaller print runs. Individual poems within the manuscript may have been previously published.
As difficult as it is to sell fiction to a publisher, it’s even harder to sell poetry. Producing a chapbook is an excellent way to give audiences a sampling of your writing. A well-received chapbook can serve as proof to publishers that there’s a market for your poetry, even as you collect enough work for a full-length book (around 64 pages). Publishing a chapbook does not exclude that set of poems from inclusion in a larger volume of poetry; most publishers of book-length volumes of poetry will include poems previously published in a chapbook.
Saddle Stitched Chapbooks and
Perfect Bound Books of any length.
What we recommend for Saddle Stitched Chapbooks:
- 100 copies
- 5 ½ by 8 ½ trim size for chapbooks, inside copy would be about 4” by 7”
- (If the cover is a bleed then the trim size is 5” by 8”)
- Copy in 12 pt. with headings in 14 pt.
- Text: 28lb Hammerhill Color Copy Digital
- Cover: 60lb Hammerhill Color Copy Cover (white) or 67 lb. Color Cover Stock
- 28 pages of poetry, 8 pages of other things, plus the cover
What we recommend for Perfect Bound Books:
- 100 copies
- 6X9 trim size for perfect bound (poems in this would need to fit at space 4 ½ ” by 7 ½”)
- copy in 12 pt. with headings in 14 pt.
- 60# Natural 420 PPI text stock
- 10pt C1S cover stock
- Text: black ink; cover: 4 color gloss or matte
- Please contact us for pricing.
Moonstone Offers
- Partnering with you to create a quality book
- Book launch and autographing party at one of our venues
- Listing your book for sale on the Moonstone website
- Fulfillment
Editing and Production Considerations
- Moonstone Press strongly recommends that you hire someone to edit your completed chapbook manuscript.
- Your edited manuscript should be submitted in layout form, with pagination, dedication and acknowledgements. You will also need to provide a cover illustration.
- Prior to printing, we will work with you to discuss fonts, paper stock, cover designs, and illustrations.
- Final formatting, cover and book design will be handled by our artist.
- There are an array of questions to be answered: font, paper, cover, illustrations, dedication or acknowledgements
- Once “print ready” it needs to be formatted and prepared for the printer- this takes our artist
- The cover needs to be created and formatted – this is a separate job for our artist
- You should lay the book out for general design and paging and pick a cover illustration, this does not eliminate the need for us to have our artist prepare the manuscript for printing
- There are various options like getting a ISBN, a bar code, listing in books in print, Amazon, Ingram or Baker & Taylor’s data bases, etc. – each item carries a cost
- There is an array of questions to be answered: font, paper, cover, illustrations, dedication or acknowledgements
We are happy to meet with you to discuss your project. Please contact:
Larry Robin at larry@moonstoneartscenter.com or at 215-735-9600
Chapbook Printing Prices:
Chapbooks Sell for $10.00
Cost to the author:
1 to 9 books @ $5 each
10 to 25 books @ $4.25 each
26 to 50 books @ $4.50 each
51 and over @ $4.00 each
Submitting:
While Moonstone is especially interested in publishing poets from the Philadelphia area, we embrace the entire poetry community regardless of the poet’s home address.
Submit through Submittable at moonstoneartscenter.submittable.com and submit in the Open Submissions Category.
Additionally, please send your manuscript with a cover letter and a $15 reading fee for Chapbooks or a $25 reading fee for Perfect Bound books to:
Moonstone
110A S. 13th Street
Philadelphia PA 19107
Our Editorial Board will review your submission and reply as soon as possible.
PREVIOUSLY PRINTED POETRY BOOKS :
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CHAPBOOKS:
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POETRY ANTHOLOGIES:
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As Eleanor Wilner noted, “…nowhere else in Philly do we get such a wonderful mix of people, voices, and of generations, and it’s an experience in the varieties of personalities as much as in poetry and poetics-everything from uplift to satire, from political protest to personal sorrow, love poems and tirades, transgression and decorum, the outrageous and the outraged, ranters and restrained formalists, street and academy, performance poets and shy ladies barely audible-pretty much the human spectrum.”
18th Annual Poetry Ink Anthology (2014)
17th Annual Poetry Ink Anthology (2013)
16th Annual Poetry Ink Anthology (2012)
15th Annual Poetry Ink Anthology (2011)
14th Annual Poetry Ink Anthology (2010)
10th Anniversary Poetry Ink Anthology (2006)