2008 Poetry Fishbowl Project Report
The Poetry Fishbowl project has been one of my main projects this year. I'm pleased to say that it's been a great success.
Late 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:
Posted poems can be rendered in hardcopy, suitable for scrapbook or framed display. The "general donation" fund lets people vote on poems left after individual poems have been sponsored, based on however much the general donations cover. Fishbowls are scheduled early in the month, usually on a Tuesday, which tends to be a high-traffic day but more relaxed than Mondays. Montlhy themes are now boldfaced at the top of the advance announcement notices.
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, kathryn_aka_kat, 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.
Late 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, kathryn_aka_kat, 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.