Prognosis
Ellen Arnonsky Cole
Finishing Line Press
Georgetown, KY
(c) 2011
If ever a book deserved a different publisher! There is much discussion these days about Finishing Line, much of it having to do with its status as a Vanity Press (which it seems to be) and the recent death of its Publisher.
I have long wondered about the business operation of a Press that had a cookie-cutter approach to the DOZENS upon DOZENS of chapbooks that it publishes each season (or is it month?)
The tell-tale bit of ribbon in each book was enough to make me cringe. That said, the work in this chapbook should be read. It's strong, poignant, and heart-felt. The "prognosis" here is Cancer and the way the author deals with the entire process is remarkable. At the same time, I don't know that the cover image has anything to do with the contents.
It's a good read of well crafted poems, I just wish someone else had published it.
1 comment:
Before you call Finishing Line a vanity press, you ought to do some research. While authors must pitch in to secure some pre-publication sales, the primary reason to do is that the number of presold books determines the press run of the first edition. I have a collection coming out with FLP and I have had other books published--in all cases, I had to pitch in to promote the book. j
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