Walt Whitman`s Marketing Himself

Walt Whitman was a poet known for his rather flamboyant ways and was for sure a poet of the people . He is a poet of democracy and equal rights and claims over and over again that all people are connected The very first lines of Leaves of Grass assert this . I celebrate myself and sing myself . For every atom belonging to me as good as belongs to you ' Because of Whitman 's understanding of people and so many elements of promotion , Leaves of Grass did well . Walt Whitman was an expert at marketing

himself in ways that most other people were completely not aware of at the time . Whitman knew how to sell and market himself and his book through a variety of ways . He published many versions changing each one to change the appeal . He published unsigned reviews that he wrote himself . He sent books to important people and used their words in promotion . He maintained much creative control in the publishing itself , playing with elements to aid in promotion . He understood the concept of creating an image . All of these things helped him market himself

His book of poems called Leaves of Grass was first published in 1855 He continued to revise , add , regroup , and delete from this book until he died . When he died , Leaves of Grass was published in its 9th edition When the book was first published , it was a brief 12 pages , and by the time Whitman died , it was over 400 pages . Whitman viewed each version as one selling himself ' He developed the typography , appended annexes reworded lines , and changed punctuation , making each edition unique (loc .gov . In other words , he continued to publish the same book over and over from 1855 until 1892

Walt Whitman was also very conscious of his image in selling himself The very first copy of Leaves of Grass was published with no name on the title page at all . The title page contained only an engraving of Whitman himself in the clothing of the common laborer . Whitman was the son of a carpenter and chose this image specifically as a representation of the American working man . This image could stand for any person , and he chooses it specifically for that reason . Leaving off his name and displaying only the picture meant that this book could truly have been written by any person . This picture shows Whitman as the classic working man but also self-assured and rather cocky . His hand is on his hip and his hat is cocked to one side . The viewer can feel a little ego right away , and continues to sense the ego of Walt Whitman . As Whitman continued to revise the book throughout his lifetime , he also continued to change the engraved images on the title page with each one showing him in a more advanced and experienced way . In the 1872 version he is much older and more experienced with a full beard , but the pose and the cock of the hat...