Anyone looking at the fragmented 21st-century landscape of media and entertainment options might be surprised to learn that poetry was once a dominant medium for not only creative literary expression but also philosophical, political, and even scientific discourse. Alas, such is no longer the case.
Your task
With a team of fellow students, your challenge is to identify opportunities to increase sales of poetry-any kind of poetry, in any medium. The following suggestions may help you get started:
■ Research recent bestsellers in the poetry field and try to identify why they have been popular.
■ Interview literature professors, professional poets, librarians, publishers, and bookstore personnel.
■ Consider art forms and venues in which verse plays an essential role, including popular music and poetry slams.
■ Conduct surveys and interviews to find out why consumers don't buy more poetry.
■ Review professional journals that cover the field of poetry, including Publishers Weekly and Poets & Writers, from both business and creative standpoints.
Summarize your findings in a brief formal report; assume that your target readers are executives in the publishing industry.