Friday, September 21, 2012

The Art of Stick Ups Without a Gun

 
Well…well…well

Looks like someone picked an apple from the cherry tree

To make a long story short, word on da street is that several authors that attended the Word on Da Street book fair hosted by Lisa Tyrrell Perry-Amos are fuming over what occurred last weekend

Authors are screaming foul about her allegedly jerking them outta bread

According to those who attended, Lisa was supposed to secure the Underground Atlanta for the book fair…the Underground claimed that Lisa never picked up the paperwork to secure the event…Lisa claimed she’d sent the paperwork to the Underground, and they didn’t make good on the contract by not delivering tables on the day of the event

Confusion is spreading like wildfire about what happened and what didn’t

You had a buncha authors fending for themselves in Atlanta after spending bread and traveling cross country to get their grind on

Now I’m reading on Facebook about threats of lawsuits and authors pressing to get their money back (Gotta love cyber drama)

Whether true or false...

The situation that occurred in Atlanta this past Saturday should teach aspiring and current authors as well as promoters a lesson of doing research before spending your hard earned dollars on events

The game can be ugly at times

I'm not taking sides because the outcome is still up in the air…I’m just gonna put things in perspective by criticizing the event ITSELF…NOT the person behind it

I knew from the RIP that the event was gonna have problems, and my point of view has nothing to do with Lisa’s character

1) There were TOO MANY authors on the same bill

You can't hustle on the same block and expect to make at least half of what you put in

I'll NEVER do book signings with a grip of authors on the same bill when the event is relatively unknown locally

and

2) The event was too new with someone who's not originally from there running the show

It takes a hot minute for a new venture to jump off...The Great Pyramids of Kemet (Egypt) weren't built in a day

A wise man once told me to "do the knowledge," which means stepping back and observing before saying or making a move

I don't know what exactly went wrong, but the best thing that the authors involved can do is charge that lesson to the game and move on after letting off steam

And for promoters to make sure their business is trump tight with a PLAN B when the milk goes sour

Don't worry about losing money...things happen for a reason...everyone gets fucked over at one point

The test is HOW you bounce back from a fuck over with or without vaseline

Aight, ya’ll

I’m out

Peace

Nah’Sun the Great 

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Loaded Lux vs. Calicoe RECAP!!!




 

The Loaded Lux vs. Calicoe battle that took place at Summer Madness 2 in NYC this past August was one of the BEST battles I’ve seen
 
The 3-round battle showcased wits, charisma and personal verbal beatdowns that intrigued me to watch the joint for a 2nd time…I RARELY watch battles for a second time…that should tell you something
 
Lux came through the joint rockin’ a suit, brought out a casket, a hearse, and his people dressed in black. The concept was to mourn Calicoe’s funeral in an MC burial as they plastered his face on an obituary
 
For one, I though the concept was hot and creative…and two, Lux’s preacher-at-the-church style fits the images that he brought forth on stage
 
Calicoe won the first round…he rhymed first and came stronger than Lux…Lux choked the first round…me personally, I think he choked on purpose because he went HARD on the 2nd and 3rd
 
You really need an ear for metaphors and wordplay to dig Lux’s style of rhyme…not saying Calicoe is a lesser MC than Lux because he’s dope, but if you’re used to the elementary flow that’s popular on the radio nowadays, a lot shit that Lux spit is gonna flow over your head
 
The 3rd verse that Lux spit is EPIC

Calicoe lost the crowd in the 2nd round...he let some of the boos get to him...an MC is suppose to ignore that shit and keep rockin'

I’m not the one to post my favorite lines from both MCs in the battle…I don’t have time on my hands to do that shit…I’ll let you see for yourself

All I'm gonna say is...

"HE GON' GET THIS WORK!!!"
 

Peace

Nah’Sun the Great

P.S.


Lux deserves an acting job...he played the preacher theme to the T

P.S.S

Click here for the lyrics of the battle

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Dumb Things That People Say to Authors




What’s crackin, grasshoppers???

I’m a firm believer that there’s no such thing as a stupid question…


…with a few exceptions


I’m annoyed at some of the shit that people say or ask when I’m on the grind. People can say the most irrelevant shit when it comes to my space as an author. I don’t say that to seem rude or uppity, but common sense should…well…be common


Questions like, “How long does it take for you to write a book?” DON’T bother me…neither does, “Tell me what the book is about.”


That means you genuinely wanna get to understand my art and its process


Is when people say shit like, “I’ll buy your book when I see it at the store,” irks me when they KNOW I have books on my person to sell


I’m gonna run down 10 things stupid shit people can say to an author…it’s more than 10, but I’m sure you’ll get the point


This isn’t a knock to my fan base because I have SMART readers…the dumb shit that people say are usually nosey folk with nothing else to do but waste my time


 
1. Do you have distribution?

It shouldn’t matter if I have distribution when you’re not a distributor




2. How many books you sold?


Book sales have nothing to do with the actual content of the story and its quality or lack thereof




3. Do I need an editor if I wanna write a book?


No need to explain this one




4. I wanna write a book


Yeah, sure




5. Do authors make a lot of money?


Write a book and find out




6. I’m sure you get a lot of girls writing books


I doubt women like me because I’m an author


If they do, they need to holla at Dr. Phil




7. Did you write this book?


Um…DUH!




8. Gimme the book for free


*slap*




9. I’ll buy the book if it was on eBook 

I’m a firm believer that if you REALLY want something in life, you’ll go out your way to get it

I bought the GZA’s of the Wu-Tang Clan Liquid Swords album on cassette when the store didn’t have it on CD




10. Authors are the devil

 
I’m not kidding when I tell you I got that remark before


Now…


Before I get the “snobbish” remarks, put yourself in my snake skin shoes for a sec


Those questions and comments are similar to some dude asking you your favorite sex position on the first date, or a chick constantly talking about your bank account the first few minutes into the conversation


What the fuck does that have to with your character as a person?


Enuff said


I’m out


Peace and Afro Grease


Nah’Sun

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

The 10 Rookie Mistakes of an Author



What’s woody, kinfolk?

Taking cat-breaks from writing my upcoming novel Thick in the Nick of Time gives me a breather to bless ya’ll with blogging

I say that with every ounce of conceit that seeps through the pores of my brain

But today, I’m putting that conceit aside to highlight some mistakes authors that first come in the game make…I’ve done some of the nonsense that I’m about to post…the bright side of the coin is that I learned from them

Therefore, I’m dropping some quick jewels to both the aspiring and the wannabee so they won’t make the same mistakes that I and others have made



1. Don’t cuss out a reviewer if he or she gives you a bad rating

No need to get angry…what you think of your work is the only thing that matters…Tyler Perry's movies constantly gets crushed by reviewers, but he still make millions


 

2. Getting angry because someone doesn’t buy your book

Just say “have a nice day” and give them a bookmark if someone turns you down at a book signing…you never know if that person changes their mind

 

3. Spamming on Facebook or any other social media

CLICK HERE for a past blog


 

4. Insulting your audience because they “don’t get it”

Either explain to them the true meaning of your work, or simplify the story the next go ‘round…or just say “I don’t give a fuck” by going with what’s in your heart


Just don’t insult the reader…they bought the book…be grateful for that


 

5. Calling someone a “hater” because they dislike your book

Not everybody is gonna like your work…instead of throwing the “hater” word around when readers don’t dig your work, find out WHY they don’t so you can improve for the next book


I’m sure you can tell the difference between constructive criticism and just blatant foolery


 

6. Not getting an editor for your book

You NEED an editor to look over your work…a PROFESSIONAL editor at that…don’t shortcut by using your baby daddy’s cousin 2nd removed because she knows basic English


Hustle up some dough to invest in a professional editor that is able to pick apart your book with a fine comb


 

7. Sell your book for less than $10

CLICK HERE for a past blog


 

8. Write a book just because “everyone else is doing”

If writing is not a passion of yours, you won’t last long in this game


And in actuality, writing a book is the EASY part of publishing



9. Not reading books that’s outside your comfort zone

A good reader makes a great writer


You gotta read to improve your writing skills even if that means reading books that you normally wouldn’t touch


Speaking for myself, I read NON-fiction books…I don’t wanna find myself subconsciously influenced by other fictional writers…Non-fiction books like autobiographies, real crime stories, world history, and socio-politics help me incorporate knowledge into my stories



10. Cluelessness about your target audience 

Before you sit down and write a book, ask yourself, “whom am I writing this for?...and WHERE can I find them?”

Otherwise, your investment is pointless




BONUS: Bugging people to buy your book

Yeah, I know…it’s annoying when you have people on your Facebook friends list who either “LIKE” or comment on damn near every status, link and picture you post…


…and they STILL haven’t bought any of your books

Don’t get mad at them for that…they have SOME type of interest in you…just keep working the boards or timeline (without spamming)…they’ll eventually come along


Patience is a bitter plant whose fruits are sweet

 

Aight, people…that’s a wrap…hope you enjoyed

Peace and Afro Grease

Peace


Nah’Sun


My latest masterpiece...Oooooh yeeeeeah!!!