Hope everyone is doing okay! Getting ready to get back to work, spent the entire morning up to this point dealing with blown fuses, reminders of why it is better to own a home than rent an apartment. And looking at how close everything is to completion with Chapter-9 staring me in the face as I type this.
I had so much material typed for From Child to Man that I had to cut it to reach my self-projected deadline of getting the book done and out to the public. But throughout all of this the one thing that I know for certain is a major stumbling block that kills self-publishers and most do-it-yourself, self-employed people, is;
Advertising.
As well as?
Marketing.
I've already found two sources of advertising. All I have to do is finish EDITING, because in all honesty? The ebook is actually ALREADY TYPED. And yes, you read that right, THE EBOOK IS ACTUALLY ALREADY TYPED UP. My issue has been fleshing out concepts, editing and filling in details to make sure that the ebook actually delivers the way I WANT IT TO. But the actual hard part of transferring the handwritten work of my manuscript to the word document is actually already done. The money is set aside to pay for the copyright. The advertising. And an ISBN for the ebook.
But it is the advertising that tends to destroy most self-publishers. If there is one thing I have found REPEATEDLY is the fact that their isn't nearly enough spent on advertising, which always leads to low returns or no returns, especially for Black writers. Even moreso when you're a Black sci-fi adventure and/or fantasy writer. I did my fair share of digging and found that there are a LOT of Black sci-fi, fantasy and adventure writers, but many of them complain that they can't really make a full-time living out of it because they simply don't make enough money.
Yet when I did my digging I always found the same thing;
1) No ADVERTISING. And when I say advertising I mean on TV, print, INTERNET, RADIO, etc! It just isn't there. Then I see this attempt to try to tell people to simply BUY BLACK with no questioning of THE QUALITY OF THE PRODUCT.
-_-
Ay, I went out and bought Stubb's Barbecue sauce, which claims to be a Black American product. I bought it. It wasn't too bad. But I damn sure have NEVER HEARD OF IT. NEVER SEEN ANY ADVERTS FOR IT, so!? How exactly is good ole Stubby expecting anyone Black to even know that his barbecue sauce EXISTS!? My mind-reading powers are kinda non-existent right now, so!? Am I supposed to just use osmosis and figure shit out that this Blackman has a product out on the market?
2) Marketing. This blog site, if you haven't guessed, is a FORM OF MARKETING FOR ME. 9-times outta-10 if you think that the shit that I do on here and the way that I type, SUCKS! Then more likely than not you're not gonna be inclined to buy my ebook. It's pretty simple. Now? By no means IS THIS BLOG A STRAIGHT MARKETING TIE-IN TO MY EBOOK, because it would be PRETTY SHITTY IF IT WAS, BUT!? It does put some bits-n-pieces of me out there, yeah, you can laugh. I said bits-n-pieces, meanwhile? This blog is exactly what I have posted and typed, candid. Honest. And if my objective was to have a massive White audience, this blog would pretty much DESTROY ANY SHOT OF THAT.
Yo?! SHIT HAPPENS. My Surrogate-Son and I were arguing at least 5-or-6 months ago, if not longer. Because he was talking about the fact that, yeah it was way long away at this point, might even be a year ago now, BUT!? He was telling me how he felt and thought I was making mistakes in making THIS BOOK DIRECTLY AT A BLACK AUDIENCE. Now? As I said before, my Surrogate-Son is White, not Black. And at certain points-n-times I'm reminded of the fact that I DID NOT RAISE HIM FROM BIRTH. Matter fact he was 18-years old by the time I actually met him and started interacting with him. I am of course older than him, but only by 8-years. But it isn't our physical years of life that created the father-&-son dynamic, it is OUR MASSIVE DIFFERENCE IN LIFE EXPERIENCE AND ABILITY TO HANDLE SITUATIONS.
Stacey used to say to me repeatedly with REAL ADMIRATION AND SOME JEALOUSY THAT "You did a really great job with Dan."
And I would always tell her "Remember, his biological parents are quite alive and they live about 30 minutes from here along with his younger brothers. What I did for him and do for him is the things that His Father, who is actually a great father, FAR AS I'M CONCERNED. But it's because I came from a family where communication wasn't always the strong suit of certain family members. BUT THE LESSONS THEY WERE TEACHING WAS. His Father is a TERRIBLE COMMUNICATOR, BUT THE LESSONS HE TRIES TO TEACH? I GET IT AND UNDERSTAND HIM, but for Dan? They rub him the wrong way. So he tends to duck him when these things come up. I on the other hand? I actually know NOT ONLY HOW TO COMMUNICATE, BUT THEN POINT OUT THE ENTIRETY OF WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON, INCLUDING WHAT OTHER PEOPLE AROUND THE SITUATION ARE LOOKING AT."
Frankly fans, these are lessons I'm supposed to be teaching MY BIOLOGICAL SON. And these are the types of things that I talk about repeatedly here and in the real world. One of the reasons why we as Black People lag behind, is because SOME OF US ARE PROGRAMMED TO SIMPLY STRIVE FOR PETTINESS MORE THAN THE OVERALL GOOD OF A SITUATION OR CIRCUMSTANCE. When I say that? I mean that My Ex-Wife, did she HAVE TO DO WHAT SHE DID?
No.
But? THAT'S WHAT SHE FELT WAS MOST IMPORTANT. There was ZERO CONCERN about how HER SHORT-SIGHTED PETTINESS WOULD IMPACT ALL OF US. Not just Our Son. Not just HER and not just ME, BUT ALL OF US. You cannot be a part of a REBUILDING PEOPLE, which is what we are AS A RACE. We are a REBUILDING PEOPLE. Where something as simple as that? When things are MISLABELED, problems are bound to happen. Like when you claim like this guy;
 |
| Emperor Bush Jr. says "Watch me trick dumb-ass White People into thinking this is all about gettin revenge for 9/11! TOO EASY! SUCKERS!" |
But really it's just OPERATION LET'S LOOT IRAQ FOR ME-&-MY-BASE!?
 |
| Emperor Bush Jr. says "I GOT WHAT I NEEDED FROM IRAQ, SO THE REST OF U!? FUCK OFF, FOOLS! HAHAHAHHAHAHAHA! NOW WHO'S STUPID! I'M RICHER THAN ALL U DUMB-FUCKS, HELL!? THIS DOG IS SMARTER THAN THE WHITE AMERICAN PUBLIC! AND HE'S BLACK, TOO! HA!" |
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| Little Black Girl says "Don't touch me War Criminal scum-bag!" |
Now? What's so wrong with the words "You're FIRED!"
Then you call Their Wife... tell'er that he's been fuckin Suzy, the Slut Next Door that His Wife has always fuckin distrusted. Then he gets home after being fired, because words don't hurt but somehow he knows that hearing the words "You're FIRED!" means don't bring Your Ass back to THIS PLACE OF BUSINESS AND EMPLOYMENT EVER AGAIN. So? He gets home... Wife hits him with a frying pan, thankfully shit is now aluminum and no longer cast iron. Then she says "I KNEW YOU WERE FUCKING THAT BITCH, SUZY! YOU PIECE OF SHIT! IT'S OVER! I'M GETTING A DIVORCE, THE HOUSE AND THE KIDS! YOU PIECE-A-SHIT! GET OUT!"
Now?
Now-now, I know you're like, what the fuck Shawn man, fuck is this shit going!? Well? Just in those instance we all know what those USELESS WORDS MEAN, well? What happens when you FUCK UP YOUR CHOICE OF WORDS FOR A LARGE-SCALE OPERATION? I mean, I just showed you how fucked up things can get ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, THE SMALL-SCALE, SO? How does it work out when it's large-scale? Well? I showed you that with the Emperor Bush Jr. analogy already. People commit to something that isn't true. Get suckered. POTENTIALLY LOSE EVERYTHING. Then you pretend like "Hey!? IT WASN'T MY FAULT YOU WERE TOO BROKE TO PAY ATTENTION! SHAME ON YOU, BECAUSE U CAN'T GET FOOLED AGAIN! SUCKERS!"
So in regards to My Own People, Black People, we are REBUILDING. And the fact that we DON'T SAY OR ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, it creates A FALSE SENSE OF EXPECTATIONS. Then it creates RESENTMENT because we're already under A LOT OF PRESSURE. And, whether we know it or not, or LIKE IT OR NOT. A lot of NON-BLACKS, NEED US TO STAY BROKE AS A JOKE AND POWERLESS! Otherwise? Well? Their own countries and races and places, ARE GONNA TURN INTO THE 3RD WORLD COUNTRIES AND COMMUNITIES THAT THEY LOVE TO MAKE FUN OF US FOR. So this is a serious issue.
So that means YOU HAVE TO TAKE YOUR BUSINESS SERIOUSLY AS A BLACK PERSON. Because whether you know it or not, you are contributing to THE REBUILDING OF OUR PEOPLE. And well, some Blacks AND NON-BLACKS, won't be too ON BOARD WITH THAT. Ohhhhhhh everybody is chummy at first! Till they start finding out that now that The Blacks have regained power and autonomy, well!? First things first, most of the cellphone and computer industry IS FUCKED! That's straight from Jump Street, because the raw materials will now have to ACTUALLY BE PAID FOR AT FAIR MARKET VALUE. So that is what this is all about. I have seen too many times that We As Black People, don't poor everything into OUR BUSINESSES TO THE EXTENT THAT WE SHOULD.
When my Surrogate-Son was talking about me not knowing whether Black People, whether here in America or Abroad, would ACCEPT MY WORK. I told him up front "I WILL TAKE MY CHANCES! But I know this much, with a BLACK CONSUMER BASE? I don't have to be a goddamn SLAVE like Charles Barkley, Stephen A. Smith and TOO MANY LOUDMOUTHED BLACK COONS. Who depend on WHITES TO PROVIDE FOR THEMSELVES AND GIVE THEM THEIR PAYCHECKS! Many Black People who do business WITH OTHER BLACK PEOPLE, MAKE GREAT MONEY AND CAN SPEAK THEIR PEACE! Instead of having to sit on their thumbs when their White Employers and Providers decide to talk shit ABOUT BLACK PEOPLE, STRAIGHT TO THEIR FACES. Where it is a BALD-FACED FUCKIN LIE AND THEY KNOW IT! But these fools? They have to sit and take it because MASSA! SIGNS THEIR FUCKIN CHECKS! They built up THEIR ENTIRE CAREERS AROUND WHITE ACCEPTANCE, SO!? They have to sit and take whatever comes down the pipe, even when the shit is wrong, otherwise? Their careers are over."
You either believe in Yourself and Your People, or you don't.
This isn't rocket-science.
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