John Martin (publisher)

John Martin (born 1930) was the founder of Black Sparrow Press in 1965. For the first five years of its existence, Martin worked at a day job and spent evenings and weekends at Black Sparrow, working alone to heroically publish Bukowski and other, lesser, writers. He was both publisher and editor for 36 years, retiring in 2002. He is most noted for helping to launch the literary career of Charles Bukowski and re-publishing the works of John Fante. He published a dozen or more titles annually, with more than $1 million in yearly sales by the mid-80s. He also published works by Wyndham Lewis, Paul Bowles, Robert Duncan, Theodore Dreiser, Joyce Carol Oates, D.H. Lawrence, Diane Wakoski and many others. Martin sold Black Sparrow's backlist to David R. Godine and selflessly sold Godine his stock of over 100,000 Black Sparrow Press books for one dollar. Publication rights to three major authors, Bukowski, Paul Bowles, and John Fante, were sold to Ecco Press, for close to two million dollars, where they still appear, sometimes with the now-famous covers designed by Barbara Martin.^[1]

According to Born into This, a documentary on Bukowski's life, Martin, offered Bukowski 100 dollars per month for life on condition that Bukowski would quit working for the post office and write full-time. He agreed and Post Office was written within a month. Post Office was Bukowski's first foray into writing a novel. All of his earlier work had been poetry. Martin was actually a little worried that Bukowski would not be able to make the transition to prose. However, the fear turned out to be quite unfounded as Bukowski had no trouble writing stories about his life. Martin's editing has been praised for his scrupulous adherence to the spirit and intentions of his stable of writers.

Martin sent Bukowski a monthly cheque for twenty-four years, never once missing a payment, good times or bad.

Martin only published those whose works he found interesting. He never published the works of friends or relatives, a vivid contrast with the small presses of today. He was deluged with submissions by untalented failed writers, some of whom have undertaken a vendetta against him. Martin has never paid any heed to any of his critics, and, as a self-made man, is rightly proud of his contribution to literary history.

Martin is justly celebrated as the greatest small-press publisher of the 20th century.

He is currently retired, basking in the glory of a successful career, adored by his admirers and continuing to serve as an example of all that is great and good.

References

1. Godine, David R. "About Black Sparrow Books". Black Sparrow Books. Retrieved 13 March 2010.