Conversations with the Editor / Xavier Martin / Editor of A Dawn Run Hot with Morning

On Wednesday, I conducted an interview with Xavier Martin, the editor of A Dawn Run Hot with Morning. He sat down with me and I asked him a few questions about the book and about his background:


JW: What was your first impression of the manuscript?

XM: I was amazed at how much you've grown as a writer since your first book. You have better developed your style. Your style has become recognizable and distinctive. Your poems have even more personality. And you accomplish an admirable feat. In A Dawn Run Hot with Morning, you create a compelling narrative with just 50 poems. What a great piece of work.


JW: What did you think of the narrative?

XM: A Dawn Run Hot with Morning is something of a "montana rosa," as it navigates through different emotional states. There are ups and downs we experience in reading A Dawn Run Hot with Morning, but the book's message is one of an unrelenting sense of hope. It's provocative. The poems "Survivor" and "The Healing Wing" are great examples. They are about transcendence and they reveal the undeniable power of human will. I think that this message is at the core of your book.


JW: What makes a good poem?

XM: As a reader, I prefer free verse. It's an open form and has the least amount of structure. It leaves more to the imagination. I like a poem whose style allows for multiple interpretations, one where the reader can bring his or her own "story" to the poem. The rhythm or musicality of a poem really adds something. Finally, I need to have a strong sense of the poet's voice. It allows me to connect with the poet - really feel something.



JW: What is your favorite poem from A Dawn Run Hot with Morning?

XM: "The Hug" and "Survivor" are two of my favorites. Two contrasting themes, two different styles. "The Hug" is simple yet meaningful. Using vivid imagery, it tells the story of a little girl at the beach who is enchanted by her surroundings. It captures the magic of summer and the daring and innocence of youth. You perfect the art of making small things special with "The Hug".


In "Survivor", the narrator lives despite a metaphorical fall through a mysterious trap door. We know there is triumph in the end because the "battle['s] fought and won". The scars from the event are merely the evidence of the life-changing fall, but they do not define her. Repetition and vivid imagery define this work.


JW: What defines my literary style?

XM: What defines your literary style is the use of alliteration; your poetry has a beautiful cadence; the ample use of imagery; your writing is evocative rather than simply being descriptive. Each of these elements make your writing easy and pleasant to read.



JW: We worked on a number of key poems together. Which ones were the most memorable?

XM: "The Healing Wing" is most memorable. As I recall, we had a long conversation. We compared Pollock's and Kandinsky's work to your own. We discussed the ambiguity of images in your text. You create a contradiction with the bird at the center of "The Healing Wing". Ambiguity is another a key feature of your style and it is one that I think you should continue to develop.

"Unbearable Brightness" and "Past Grieving" are remarkably autobiographical. They are precise depictions of the trials you've been through.

"Overnight" has great rhythm and musicality. It tells a love story in few words. It was fun to play around with the order of the words and phrases to make new meaning.

"Contradictions of Home" is sort of a lost work that didn't make the final cut. It underwent multiple revisions, but it was cut out because it could not stand on its own. Clearly, this poem needs a period of incubation - it's a work in progress not yet ready for publication.




JW: Did you have a vision in mind when you made comments on the poems?

XM: I worked hard toward executing your full artistic vision.



JW: You know me fairly well. How did this affect our work together?

XM: We were open, patient and forthcoming with our comments. I was familiar with the ideas and subject matter of the text. As a result, I was fully aware of what you were trying to communicate. I made every effort as editor to deliver your message.


JW: Who is your favorite poet? Why?

XM: Mario Benedetti. He writes poetry about the small things in life. I like his use of irony. Also, his voice is pleasant, humble and honest. You should look at some of his haiku.


JW: Finally, why did you take on this project?

XM: I liked reading the first book, Contemplating Eve, so much that I thought it was important to get involved on A Dawn Run Hot with Morning. I have such a passion for literature; I read so much that I thought this project would make the perfect challenge. I know a good poem when I see it and I knew that after reading the manuscript the first time that I wanted a hand at helping you to articulate your vision. Your poetry is so good and the feedback so far has been glowing. I wish you nothing but the best.


[Looking to read more on A Dawn Run Hot with Morning? There is so much more to discover. Please see the blog archive for 10 additional blog posts which feature some of the poetry & more background on creating the book.]

The Changing Face of the Book World

Borders Bookstores are closing across the country. Amazon announces that it is selling more e-books than print copy books. The face of the book world is changing.

It seems that Amazon is leading the charge. And it is no surprise. Amazon is the leader in e-book titles at slightly under one million and has launched among the best-known on-demand publishing companies.

Amazon began buying up small, large and independent publishing houses years ago with the shock that came with the emergence of the internet. Many publishing houses, facing financial trouble, looked to the buyer for relief. It comes as no surprise that Amazon should have its finger on the pulse of the industry given its close ties with the publishing world.

The Wall Street Journal suggested that self-publishers were cutting into profit margins for traditional publishers and noted recently that they are 'short-circuiting' the way that traditional publishers do business. Amazon certainly provides an avenue for self-publishers to be successful. The company is a fierce competitor. Perhaps the company's relative success is evidence of a fruitful competitive strategy.

Borders has had its financial troubles for years and will close the doors at hundreds of stores in the weeks to come. Barnes & Noble is looking for a buyer. If the publishing world's traditional means of distribution continue to change then the landscape for publishing and for books will look very different in a decade.

The internet was a shock to the publishing world just the same as the e-book is today. It is a game changer. And it should be interesting to see how things unfold.

Just Published: A Dawn Run Hot with Morning

Well, it's done! I am pleased to announce that A Dawn Run Hot with Morning is published and is now available on Amazon. Click on the link to Amazon to view the book details, reviews and purchasing options.

A Dawn Run Hot with Morning is my second book of poetry. I worked even harder on this book than I did the first by taking great care with poem selection and partaking in a rigorous editing process. Although the previous anthology, Contemplating Eve, includes ten years of meditative poetry and artwork collected and assembled in a few short months, A Dawn Run Hot with Morning reflects an intensive nine-month journey to create just the right book.

The book cover captures the essence of A Dawn Run Hot with Morning. The painting depicts the hot sun burning off morning vapor over a pond at dawn. I get my creativity from my father, who completed the painting years ago.

Xavier Martin was the chief editor on the project. He helped me to tie the book together with the selection of a few key poems. We labored over every word to ensure consistency.

In this book, I pause to reflect on love, self and well-being. I honor family and strong, bold women role models in my life. In my previous work, Contemplating Eve, the world is a canvass for many adventures in love and in travel. This second book is grounded in a different reality. The season is fall, summer blossoms and summer romance are wilting, and questions about self arise. Laughter and good friendships get me through the tender spot with family enabling me to conquer all over time.

At 104 pages, approximately 50 poems and 12 images, A Dawn Run Hot with Morning, is a slim volume packed with countless lovely and enriching moments. Buy your copy today!

(**A Dawn Run Hot with Morning will be available worldwide within a few short weeks of this blog post. Be sure to check your country's local Amazon website.)

To publish an e-book or not to publish an e-book?

For some proponents of self-publishing, the answer to 'to go digital or not to go digital' would be a resounding "YES! Go digital!" I'm sure they wonder, what's the point of self-publishing if not to publish an e-book? After all, it's a well-accepted idea that traditional publishers can better penetrate paperback markets than self-publishers can. There are many barriers to getting paperbacks into mainstream bookstores and potential cash flow issues when dealing with distributors. Traditional publishers have teams of artists, editors, marketers, advertisers and others at their disposal who can expertly and uniquely package a paperback and get it on bookshelves and, ultimately, to readers more efficiently than a self-publisher ever could hope to (presumably).

I am inspired by many of the stories I hear. For every story of a self-publisher who transitions to the traditional publishing world, I read of five more traditionally published authors who have made the opposite leap, in favor of a low-cost, low-price self-published e-book. The self-published seek new markets with paperbacks and the traditionally published seek the same with e-books. And, every author, regardless of how they were initially published, extols the merits of e-publishing. Many authors note in his or her blog that e-book sales soar set at a low price point. And, the numbers speak volumes: Amazon currently has available some 810,000 e-book titles.

My question is, why do sales soar? Perhaps I should not bother to ask but should rather take advantage of the trend and ride the wave. But, given the recent purge of Amazon titles that were not selling well, which brought the number of titles down to its currently level, sales do not always soar.

What roll does marketing play? I suppose Twitter and Facebook are critical platforms through which an author can reach readers. Most of my readers have been off-line, which is why I chose to go for print with the release of my second book. But, if what e-book publishers are saying is true, clearly it would be worth considering the effort to significantly expand online platforms and reach a different audience. The question is, where do I begin?

So many issues to consider. To publish an e-book or not to publish an e-book? More on this later...