Skip to content
Menu
currajah
  • Bookshop
  • Burringbah Books
  • Communion 2014—2021
  • Famous Reporter 1987—2012
  • WALLEAH PRESS
currajah
September 25, 2005March 14, 2022

Poetry reviews & their effects

A review of Jill Jones’ 2005 collection Broken/Open [Salt Publishing] appeared in yesterday’s Weekend Australian, drawing comment today on the poetry mailing list ‘poneme’, of which Jones is a member. How much do reviews – positive or negative – affect sales? someone asked.

I can’t say, Jones replied. ‘I don’t know if reviews (or indeed prizes) have an effect on sales. I suspect sales of poetry books in Australia are mostly word of mouth or sold at readings, launches etc. Reviews haven’t changed what I write, mainly because they’ve been so various (good, bad, indifferent), but they do shed light on how some people receive the work.

‘Someone said to me once you’re not a real writer until you get some bad reviews, meaning, among other things, if someone’s always getting good reviews you’d have to suspect a bit of cosying-up is going on.

‘But as for recognition, well, I don’t know if awards really do it. Seriously, I have no idea and I wonder if most people take notice. I’ve won two and been shortlisted for a few others (the latest being the recent Age Poetry Book of the Year one – which I didn’t win, c’est la guerre) but I don’t know that I have any more recognition because of it than if I hadn’t. Most people I know, for instance, didn’t even know about the Age award shortlisting or, alternatively an acquaintance congratulated me this week on winning it. So, literally, I don’t know. Only others can answer really. I don’t think poets can have an objective view of their own reputation.’

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Categories

  • Berry, Colin
  • Bliss, Magenta
  • book launch
  • books
  • boult, jenny
  • Brinklow, Laurie
  • Brophy, Kevin
  • Brozek, Daniela
  • Burns, Anna
  • Byrne, Mairead
  • Calanthe Press
  • Castlemaine Poetry Readings
  • children's books
  • City Park Radio
  • Clifton, Alison
  • conversations & interviews
  • Corbett, Nancy
  • Couani, Anna
  • Donlon, Ross
  • faith
  • Gillespie, Alyssa
  • Goodfellow, Geoff
  • haiku
  • Hay, Pete
  • Hecate
  • Hindrum, Cameron
  • Hobart
  • Hunt, Julie
  • Island
  • Jones, Jill
  • journals
  • Laing, Harry
  • Launceston
  • Law, Rebecca Kylie
  • Layton-Bennett, Anne
  • Lomer, Kathryn
  • Mansell, Chris
  • memoir
  • Mercer, Gina
  • Moss, Ron
  • Oakman, BJ
  • Otoliths
  • Ottaway, Esther
  • Owen, David
  • Page, Vanessa
  • poetry
  • poetry collections
  • Poetry Pedlars, Launceston
  • poets
  • Reaburn, Norman
  • reviews
  • Rochford Street Review
  • Rowland, Robyn
  • Ryan, Brendan
  • Seasonal Poets
  • Sharkey, Michael
  • Skovron, Alex
  • Tasmanian Poetry Festival
  • thinking aloud
  • Ukraine
  • Uncategorized
  • Vale
  • Van Rijswijk, Philomena
  • Webby, David
  • Whitebeach, Terry
  • Wicks, Les
  • Williams, Jane
  • Winfield, Liz
  • Writers' Week, Adelaide Festival
  • Young, Mark

Categories

  • Berry, Colin
  • Bliss, Magenta
  • book launch
  • books
  • boult, jenny
  • Brinklow, Laurie
  • Brophy, Kevin
  • Brozek, Daniela
  • Burns, Anna
  • Byrne, Mairead
  • Calanthe Press
  • Castlemaine Poetry Readings
  • children's books
  • City Park Radio
  • Clifton, Alison
  • conversations & interviews
  • Corbett, Nancy
  • Couani, Anna
  • Donlon, Ross
  • faith
  • Gillespie, Alyssa
  • Goodfellow, Geoff
  • haiku
  • Hay, Pete
  • Hecate
  • Hindrum, Cameron
  • Hobart
  • Hunt, Julie
  • Island
  • Jones, Jill
  • journals
  • Laing, Harry
  • Launceston
  • Law, Rebecca Kylie
  • Layton-Bennett, Anne
  • Lomer, Kathryn
  • Mansell, Chris
  • memoir
  • Mercer, Gina
  • Moss, Ron
  • Oakman, BJ
  • Otoliths
  • Ottaway, Esther
  • Owen, David
  • Page, Vanessa
  • poetry
  • poetry collections
  • Poetry Pedlars, Launceston
  • poets
  • Reaburn, Norman
  • reviews
  • Rochford Street Review
  • Rowland, Robyn
  • Ryan, Brendan
  • Seasonal Poets
  • Sharkey, Michael
  • Skovron, Alex
  • Tasmanian Poetry Festival
  • thinking aloud
  • Ukraine
  • Uncategorized
  • Vale
  • Van Rijswijk, Philomena
  • Webby, David
  • Whitebeach, Terry
  • Wicks, Les
  • Williams, Jane
  • Winfield, Liz
  • Writers' Week, Adelaide Festival
  • Young, Mark
©2022 currajah | Powered by WordPress and Superb Themes!