Sixth Finch Books has been publishing poetry chapbooks since 2013 as an offshoot of
Sixth Finch, a quarterly online journal for poetry and art. Over that time,
we've published over 20 chapbooks, most recently Diana Cao's Relational and
Matthew Tuckner's Extinction Studies. All chapbooks are available
directly through our site.
Each year, typically from June through December, we accept chapbook submissions. In place of traditional contest fees, we ask poets to donate any amount to a nonprofit that's doing important work. This system has allowed us to support organizations like Doctors Without Borders, The Trevor Project and the ACLU. Each winter, at least two of the submitted manuscripts are selected for publication.
When a chapbook sells out, we give the poet the option of making a digital version available through our online store, encouraging readers to simply make a donation to a charity selected by the poet before downloading the PDF.
Despite being a small operation, we take pride in the quality of our perfect-bound chapbooks and work hard to ensure that the poets we work with feel good about every little detail.
Our catalog includes a wide range of styles and voices from both established and emerging poets, and we're excited for that range to keep expanding.
I know that our approach is a bit odd, and I know that we definitely prioritize ethics over business, but it's a sustainable model. If we can get great books into the hands of thousands of readers while also indirectly helping some worthwhile causes, that works for us.
Rob MacDonald is the author of Situation Normal (Rye House Press) and Resuscitation Party (Racing Form Press). His poems can be found in The Louisville Review, Fou, Gulf Coast, jubilat, The Adroit Journal, Washington Square Review and other journals.