What is a Chapbook? by Deborah Lyn Stanley
Chapbooks (also called booklets), were first available in Europe; coming on the scene in the 1500s. They made literature available to everyone, because they were inexpensive to produce and to buy.
Chapbooks are 20-40 pages long, folded lengthwise sheets of 8.5 X 11” size paper, bound with a saddle stitch or staples. Some small publishers handle this size publication, but they are easily self-published using Microsoft Word.
Items to consider:
1. Low-cost to produce, low-price point,
2. Often used to compile poetry thematically,
3. Chapbooks have been linked to self-publishing,
4. Chapbooks, highly regarded within the literary world are great for a sampling or to introduce your works of poetry & short stories,
5. Provide a great way to publish a series of blog posts,
6. Chapbooks work to establish your name & reputation as publishers watch to add fresh voices.
7. Distribute your chapbook for sale or free following an open mic reading event.
8. Enter a contest for Chapbooks.
9. Design your own front and back cover.
10. Last but not least: prepare your chapbook as a pdf and distribute it via your blog, website or digital publisher (Draft 2 Digital, KDP etc.).
Ideas popping?
Inspired to Draft a Chapbook?
I sure hope so!
Check out the following for additional information and How-Tos:
How to Make Your Own Chapbook by Writers Write: https://www.writerswrite.com/tools/chapbooks/
Train River
https://www.trainriver.org/designing-a-chapbook
Create a Booklet in Microsoft Word by TechGramma - Julie Pfeifer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CuxzkLcDsw
Deborah Lyn Stanley is an author of Creative Non-Fiction. She writes articles, essays and stories. She is passionate about caring for the mentally impaired through creative arts.
Visit her My Writer’s Life website at: https://deborahlynwriter.com/
Visit her caregiver’s website: https://deborahlyncaregiver.com/
Mom & Me: A Story of Dementia and the Power of God’s Love is available:
https://www.amazon.com/Deborah-Lyn-Stanley/
& https://books2read.com/b/valuestories
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6 comments:
Deborah, this is a great idea, especially for authors who are intimidated by the length of a novel. This is an easy way to jump into the writing arena!
Deborah Lyn,
Thank you for this informative post. I've seen a few chapbooks over the years but never made one because they are mostly used for poetry (as you caid)--something I know very little about.
Terry
Aha! Here’s an anecdote I tell when I do poetry readings from my chapbooks. Chapbooks are named after the itinerant sales guys – – they were probably all guys – -Who traveled from village to village selling their wares in Elizabethan times. They passed out their self-published little booklets for the customers to browse between his visits to their towns. Often they included his own creative work, too. He was called a “Chapman” in these times of Middle English. Some say they were the world’s first catalogs. Learn more about the ones I coauthored with @magdalenaball. We worked across two hemispheres for our Celebration Series. The first was a book of love poems https://bit.Ly/CherishedPulse
That's so interesting, Carolyn.
Deborah, I'm so glad you reminded me about chapbooks! I have several chapbooks written by Donna McDine that have won awards. I've been intrigued by them because they include illustrations. And of course they're wonderful stories. You might have just given me the idea I've needed to publish more books! The cost of the picture books I've been publishing has gone up. Hmmmm, I have two stories ready to go!
Wonderful comments! Thank you.
Linda, Go-for-it!
Carolyn, thanks for more history.
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