Poet and Founder of Black Quill Press Denise O'Hagan Sheds Light on the Publishing World

What first drew you to poetry as your primary form of creative expression?

How it both distills and extends experience. How it can explore what lies at the margins of our consciousness and come close to expressing that which is inexpressible. How it’s simultaneously succinct yet profound. How it can bring us together, in a flash, with someone on the other side of the world or who lived a thousand years ago and in so doing, deepen our own capacity for empathy and our humanity. I could go on…

Has your writing style or focus changed over the years? How do you think life experience has shaped your voice?

Absolutely! My first attempts at writing poetry were largely autobiographical, delving into aspects of my past that were for whatever reason unresolved; my more recent poems are less tied to my own experience and more often prompted by my imaginings.

I cannot imagine I’d have written the particular poems I have, though, had I not emigrated twice. Poetry comes from a liminal space, and existing ‘between’ countries and languages, while sometimes challenging, also uniquely places me to explore boundaries and peripheries.

Do you write with a particular audience in mind, or is your poetry more of a private journey that becomes public later?

I never write with a specific audience in mind, or indeed with any audience at all, but rather to create something that chimes with something deep within myself – as distinct from writing about myself. Only when I feel a poem has settled into its final form (if such a thing exists!), and after editing, would I think about submitting it to a journal or elsewhere.

Can you share a poem that is especially meaningful to you and the story behind its creation?

Thank you! I think ‘Love was almond shaped’, which won the Dalkey Poetry Prize, remains one of my favourite poems – and suitable to share as it’s not too long! Unusually for me, it emerged quite quickly – I suspect it had been gathering in the unconscious for awhile. Its context, in a nutshell (no pun intended), was the apartment in Rome where I grew up, and the simple act of sitting on the balcony among pot plants and washing, helping my mother crack almonds open. You could say it’s a poem about containment: the city is a walled city, the balcony was circular, the wedding ring the smallest circle of all. The most important ‘circle’ by which I felt contained me was, of course, a mother’s love.

Love was almond shaped

Love was almond shaped

on sultry summer afternoons

when we sat outside in slatted light

with geraniums and the last of the washing

high above the eternal traffic noise
and other muted noise of the Eternal City

as she taught me how to crack them open

holding both my hands in one of hers

steadying my palm, spanning my fingers 

across the stern metal jowls of the nutcracker;

I’d squeeze and squeeze until each pitted casing

strained and split at last, a rough unveiling 

and I, the beneficiary of sleek, sweet-tasting pods

caught a blur of hair as she bent to scoop up splinters,

her wedding band twinkling gold,

my whole world ringed by that balcony.

How do you balance structure and spontaneity in your writing process? Are you a planner, or does the poem lead the way?
In a perfect world, I’d set aside a particular time to write each day; in practice, poems arrive (if they’re going to arrive at all) in their own time and manner. I love writing late at night when I feel closer to the intangible and invisible, and focus comes more naturally to me. While the smallest detail – a word overheard, a train ticket or a stain on a wall – may be the initial trigger for writing, I always let the poem lead the way. The most affecting poems tend to be those that surprise us in the making, that involve a degree of exploration for the writer as much as the reader.

ON PUBLISHING AND FOUNDING BLACK QUILL PRESS

What made you decide to start your own business and create Black Quill Press? Was there a turning point or moment of clarity?

I set up my own imprint, Black Quill Press, to publish my late mother’s fifth novel, Jerome & His Women. As my background was in educational book publishing, it seemed a natural step from being an editor to publishing. I’d worked on the manuscript during my mother’s last year and became very excited about what she was doing – that was the turning point! The novel is the first imaginative recreation of the controversial St Jerome, creator of the Latin Bible. I edited and fact-checked the manuscript intensively, commissioned a foreword by an expert in the field and a map of Rome, and compiled a glossary. I only wish my mother had lived long enough to see it… I was thrilled when, the year I organised a reprint (2017), it was shortlisted for the Institute of Professional Editors’ Rosanne Fitzgibbon Editorial Award (the ‘Rosie’) .

What was the biggest challenge when you launched the press—and what continues to motivate you to keep going?

Marketing was and remains my biggest challenge. The skills required to be a good editor and put together a smart publication are very different from those required to attract online visibility for titles – which is vital, as roughly half of all sales happen online. Building a professional website, setting up SEO optimisation, organising a cover and internal design, posting imaginatively regularly across social media platforms, eliciting reviews – all these are facets of successful publishing. Getting a book out is just the start!

I’ve never lost my initial interest and excitement in the titles published under my imprint; it’s what lies inside the covers that keeps me going, together with encouragement from readers.

How do you choose the work you publish? What are you drawn to as both an editor and a reader?

There’s never a shortage of submissions, but as Black Quill Press is a small imprint I only take on a limited number of titles. In addition to my mother’s books (A Roman Death and Jerome & His Women), I’ve published Chinese Whispers (a memoir by Sydney-based lawyer Alison Choy Flannigan); Messages from the Embers (a poetry anthology on which I was also the co-editor); and my own Mini Style Guide (a guide for independent authors to good writing and manuscript presentation). And there’s a new title is in production!
I’m passionate about poetry (especially lyric) and history (especially ancient), both as a reader and as an editor, and aim to keep a thread of consistency across titles published.

What advice do you have for new publishers hoping to start their own imprint or small press?

First, if you’re considering setting up a publishing press, be very clear about why you wish to do it; you must have a passion for books! As the market is saturated with self-published titles, it’s often hard for a small independent press to have an impact or even cover production costs. Second, I’d suggest going for quality over quantity, seeking excellence in manuscripts and not economising on editorial and design – or you will end up a printing press rather than a publishing imprint. Third, I’d recommend specialising in a certain genre. Finally, be prepared to follow up publication with online marketing, eliciting of reviews and any other form of publicity you can. On this, see How to promote your book – Denise O’Hagan

What do you wish more people understood about independent publishing in Australia?

That, done well, it’s a rigorous and time-consuming work, and not to expect anything quickly! It’s no accident that in ‘traditional publishing’ a book’s schedule is roughly nine months from acceptance of manuscript to publication, which included editing, text and cover design, proofing by an external proofreader, collation, and a final set of proofs. Smaller independent publishers are undertaking all this with a very small team, usually in addition to other professional and family commitments. 

FOR WRITERS LOOKING TO SUBMIT THEIR WORK

Where should writers start when looking to submit their work? Are there resources or directories you recommend?
There are many journals, online and print, to which new writers can submit. Here are some (free) blogs to subscribe to for regular summaries of international opportunities, including competitions, for writers of poetry, fiction, nonfiction and works in translation:

Wordbox (Angela Carr, Dublin-based) 

Authors Publish (Emily Harstone, US-based) 

Writing NSW (Sydney-based).

How can writers determine the right fit between their work and a publication or press?

By carefully assessing the work published by the journal or publisher. You’ll stand a greater chance of having your work accepted if it resonates with the editors, so read what they publish and only submit if it’s a journal that publishes work you like. The rate of acceptance tends to be low, so it pays to be selective when submitting. That said, never write to please the imagined tastes of an editor; always be true to yourself. 

What red flags should emerging writers look out for when navigating the publishing world?
Keep a wary eye out for those journals or competitions with response times of over six months, or which charge steeply for submitting, unless you are very patient and have a deep pocket. It sounds obvious, but it’s important to devise a method to keep track of where you’re at with your submissions with any pertinent notes so you can refer back to it later. Underpinning everything, however, is quality – never let submitting distract you from the all-important process of writing. Set aside a specific time each week/month for your submissions to ensure you don’t become overwhelmed.

What are some common mistakes you see in submissions, and how can writers give themselves the best chance of being accepted?

By far the most common error in submissions is the simple one of not reading the guidelines properly. Much is talked of how hard it is submitting; the other side of the coin is that editors are often carrying out their duties after hours on a voluntary basis. So give them precisely what they ask for: if they stipulate they’re looking for poems with a maximum of 40 lines, don’t send them a 65-line poem. See How to submit your work to literary magazines – Denise O’Hagan


ADVICE FOR EMERGING WRITERS AND PUBLISHERS

What would you say to someone who is just beginning their writing or publishing journey but feels overwhelmed?

Never lose sight that at the heart of being a writer is writing! Read as widely and deeply as possible to broaden your own knowledge of, and feeling for, the field and to discover the writers who inspire you. I’d caution against rushing to try to publish too early or aiming to be ‘a published writer’.

Also, writing is by definition a solitary pursuit, so involvement in the community, such as joining a writing group for feedback or attending writing festivals or (for poetry) open mic nights can help you find and develop your own voice. 

What habits or mindsets have sustained your creativity and resilience across both poetry and publishing?

Developing consistency in reading and writing around other work commitments and family, and making sure I do a little of both each day. Rather than spending hours reading, say, on one day and then nothing for a week, I’ve found it’s wise to engage regularly and keep the creative ball rolling. I’m one of those people for whom much of the preparatory work of writing happens in the head, even doing totally unrelated tasks like walking to the shops or boiling an egg. The oblique approach can work wonders for the muse!

You’re right to mention resilience, too. Creative writing has to be internally driven rather than a quest for fame or fortune, the result of an impulse rather than a career move. Unfair as it may seem, society rarely pays us to ‘create’ – unless you have a job in the creative arts, most of us have a day job. Writing, therefore, has to be worked in around that. 

Which poets or writers have deeply influenced your thinking and artistic development?

The more writing I immerse myself in, the more I find my responses changing. When I was younger, I was hugely influenced by the poets I was introduced to at school and in the home (Dante, Petrarch, Seamus Heaney, TS Eliot). Recently, I’ve become drawn to the wonderfully mysterious worlds of Yannis Ritsos, Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, Antigone Kefala and David Harsent. These poets take me beyond what I know, and leave me in some way changed.

How do you define success—as a poet, editor, and businesswoman?

That’s a hard question! Success is usually measured in monetary terms, and, to put it bluntly, neither being a poet nor an editor usually yields huge financial results. Once you start to tailor your work to please others or to a perceived trend, you risk losing touch with your creative spark which ignited the work in the first place. I prefer to resist thinking in terms of ‘success’ in favour of (as a poet) touching the hearts and minds of your readers, and (as an editor) helping someone else’s words to shine. Black Quill Press, like many smaller independent imprints, values bringing into existence manuscripts which may sit outside the clear-cut genres sought by the bigger commercial publishers.

What role do you think small publishers and poets play in shaping the wider cultural conversation?

Independent voices across all the arts are vital not only in enriching the cultural landscape and nourishing empathy, but also to a healthy democracy. Without voices that dare to challenge or reinterpret the world and our place in it and awaken something new in us, our world would be a narrower, flatter and more selfish place. As the writer Ocean Vuong puts it, ‘The work of the writer is to not so much nail anything down but to make space for the endeavour of curiosity, to widen the theatre of wonder.’