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❖ 10 ❖ DEATH IN NASHVILLE If Insomnia was going to make the kind of money Jon hoped it would, he knew it would have to be well promoted. Loujon announced this latest publication with a lavish, detailed broadside, which described“this most monumental production yet to be designed, handcrafted and published by Loujon Press.” Insomnia would consist of a total of 999 copies divided into seven “deluxe editions.” The main attraction was a portfolio of Miller’s watercolors .Along with the paintings came an introductory book“candidly detailing the courting by ‘this reputedly famous old man’ (his words) of Hoki Hioko Tokuda, the young Japanese singer Miller undodderingly escorted not long ago to the altar, & to whom the book & portfolio are dedicated.”Among the recipients of this advertising matter was Gerald Locklin, a member of the English faculty at California State College at Long Beach. Locklin, whose unadorned poetry had much the same power as Bukowski’s, was becoming an established poet, with“stuff all over the magazines and a couple of small books.”Jon had accepted his poem“cunt”for an upcoming issue of the Outsider in the days before the Tucson flood, and Locklin was curious about whether Jon was again reading manuscripts. Locklin was twenty-nine years old, twice married, and the father of three; money was tight. He wrote that, if he couldn’t afford to buy Insomnia, he would still recommend it to the college library, which he believed would make the purchase. The advertisement noted, not unexpectedly, that“a private press is always in need of cash,” and offered a prepublication purchase of Insomnia at a 40 percent discount. Miller liked the broadside, though he thought Jon lifted too much text from the book. He was also leery of the large prepublication discounts Jon offered. Still, he asked for 150 copies to send to potential buyers . Even better, Miller sent Jon another thousand dollars. Miller was almost apologetic about the amount, but he assured Jon this was the best he could do. His own finances were suddenly shaky, and he worried about money. Even with Miller’s help,the Webbs were obliged to continue their practice of finding whatever outside assistance they could to make the new book a 152 ❖ Death in Nashville ❖ reality.Webb, for example, requested and received free production materials from a major paper manufacturer,Brown-Bridge Mills,Inc.,of Troy,Ohio.A company official empathized with Loujon’s predicament:“We, too, are finding it equally as hard to produce a quality product in a society where price, and not quality, dictate who gets the order.” Webb also sought in-kind assistance for the new project. Literary agent and photographer William Webb enthusiastically agreed to allow the use of one of his pictures in exchange for a copy of Insomnia: “What fool wouldn’t accept your generous offer of a Miller portfolio in exchange for a mere photograph!” In June, Jon entered into discussions with Durrett Wagner of Swallow Press about making Insomnia a joint venture. Wagner, an old friend of Donald and Lenore Borzak, had once been a dean at Kendall College, where he hired Lenore to be on the English faculty. He and a partner had acquired Swallow Press in 1967 after the death of founder Alan Swallow. Wagner saw the Miller publication as natural for Swallow, as the press was a longtime publisher of Miller’s Paris muse and protégé, Anaïs Nin. He also knew, from Borzak, that Loujon needed money. There was talk of Miller receiving ten thousand dollars from this collaboration.Miller was intrigued,but still worried that the money would cut into Jon’s potential profits. It soon became clear, though, that Wagner wanted Miller to spice up Insomnia in ways that he was not willing to do, and the deal ultimately fell through. “I don’t like the attitude of Swallow’s editor at all,”he told Webb.“I never had any intention of going into sex life biz in this text. And, as you know, I never try to oblige editors as to what or how long contents should be.” Talk of the joint venture ceased in February 1970 when Wagner bowed out, pleading overcommitment to other projects. As time passed and Insomnia seemed no closer to production, Miller became increasingly concerned with his investment. He was hoping for royalties from a film based on his Quiet Days in Clichy, which had done well in Europe, but so far he had not seen...

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