Novels vs Poetry Books

I once joked at a live poetry event (it was also during a general election) that there was no difference between a poetry book and an election manifesto... because nobody's buying either. Everyone laughed, but there is an element of truth in it. Generally speaking (there are one or two exceptions) poetry books don't sell as well as fiction novels or other similar publications. 

Why don't poetry books sell as well as novels?

There are many reasons for this disparity, not least the fact that most readers would rather sit down and read a fiction novel by one of their favourite authors than they would a poetry book. A standard novel can take up to 30-40 hours to read, and this is often over a period of several days or even weeks. A poetry book can be finished in one sitting of a few hours. The perception by readers is that there's more value for money in a book that takes longer to read.

Furthermore, and this is arguable, poetry books tend to require a lot more investment in cognitive energy. That is, poetry involves interpretation of metaphors, analogies and symbolism than a standard novel. One may have to read a poem several times to tease out the nuances and apprehend its meaning. Poems can therefore be harder to read and understand, depending of course on the poet (AI poetry is often so simple it looks like it's been stolen from a greeting card). The bottom line is that most readers would rather not have to struggle to read a book, and somehow, poetry books remind them of school.

On the brighter side ... although a best selling novel may sell hundreds of thousands or even millions of copies worldwide, and successful poetry books might sell perhaps a few thousand ... the impact of poetry may be longer lasting and have more impact over time than many novels. Therefore, commercial success may not be an accurate yardstick for poetry, which might be better measured in terms of its cultural influence. 

Wheelsong poetry anthologies typically sell three to four hundred copies for each edition, and in a world replete with poetry publications, that is fairly good going.  What is even better is that for each sale, we are able to donate around £3.00 to our chosen charity, Save the Children. Everyone who buys a Wheelsong book knows that they are not only purchasing a quality publication they can cherish for the rest of their lives, they have become a part of a worldwide humanitarian effort to defeat poverty with poetry. That must be worth something. 

Steve Wheeler