Micro Chap, Chapbook, or Full LengthWhat's the difference?
In 2021, I was fortunate enough to have published two chapbooks. To most of the people I know, this makes me an author. When it comes to certain spaces in the world of literature, however, I am not.
How is this possible? How can one be an author while simultaneously not being an author?
I know right. It doesn’t make any sense. I certainly am an author. But a chapbook is not exactly considered a book. When I explain this to friends and family, the first thing they ask me is “well, what is a chapbook then?”
I’ll break it down. Think of poetry like music. In the music industry there are EPs, mixtapes, and albums. In poetry there are micro-chapbooks, chapbooks, and full length collections. In prose (fiction/nonfiction) you have chapbooks, novellas, and novels.
Yeah, I know. This all sounds like a bunch of gibberish. That’s because it is.
So let’s make it easy.
Don’t have time to watch the video? No problem. We got you.
A micro-chapbook is a small poetry collection of approximately 8-12 poems (not pages). In the genres of fiction and non-fiction it is usually one or several stories/essays totaling no more than fifteen pages.
A chapbook is a poetry collection of approximately 15-47 poems, no more than 47 pages. (This may vary, as some publishers will ask for a range of 26-30 pages in some instances). 47 pages, however, is a universal maximum page count.
A full length collection is the most common type of poetry book. They start at 48 pages, and have an average of 80-120 pages total. There are, of course, collections that exceed 120 pages (however, it is uncommon).
Knowing the rules for publication can determine how much "life" a writer can get out of a poem:
-Poems published with literary magazines can be republished in anthologies, micro-chaps/chapbooks, and full length collections.
-A poem first published in a chapbook can be republished in a full length, but a poem first published in a full length collection cannot be republished in a chapbook.
We hope this helps!
-CLB
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