Writing as a Hustle

Grindin' in front of Black & Nobel, Philly USA

What’s woody, grasshoppers?

Ayo…you have a lot of new authors…some have a genuine interest in writing, while others are fuckin’ up the game by thinking you can make a quick buck
 
The 99-cent eBook sale prices are pissing me the fuck off...it’s ruining the game...you see, people…every author in the game is a part of the same fraternity and sorority…in other words, the actions of one author can cause a ripple effect in the ocean

Kinda like how a single rock that’s thrown in the water can cause a hurricane

I say that because authors selling their eBooks for 99-cent screws up the flow of money making when you have authors LIKE ME that actually have confidence and high esteem for my work

I’ll NEVER sell my eBooks for pennies…I might as well sell them for free…real talk

I think eBooks are the devil for various reasons, but when I DO convert my paperbacks to eBooks, I’m selling them for no less than 4 bucks…I’ll be damn to short change myself for a quick come up…I’m sitting on a goldmine, and I’m not gon’ allow half assed authors to fuck up my paper

Now back to the issue…

Sweepin 'em off their feet in the ATL

Can you come up and make money writing books?

Hell yeah…hecky hell, fam

But like everything in life, you need to work HARD and SMART for the returns you wanna see…you gotta put in work…the overnight success is the exception, NOT the rule

There’s a big difference between the professional and the hustler…the professional lasts forever…the hustler leaves as quickly as they came

I’ll explain the different of the two next week

Aight ya’ll…I’m out

Peace

Nah’Sun the Great

Politickin' with fellow author Michael "Midtown Mike" Evans

Authors Helping Each Other Out

What’s woody, grasshoppers?
 
Okay, people…the book game can be VERY cutthroat at times. That’s why I don’t fuck with a lot of people in the industry. I write my books, shake hands and kiss babies, make my money, and call it a day
 
On the flip side of the coin, if an author asks me a question, I don’t mind giving them knowledge about the game. And if I don’t know, I’ll guide them to the right spot. Other times, I’m not answering dumb ass questions like, “How do you write a book?”
 
Um…you type on a keyboard…duh!
 
I remember one time I asked this editor to work on my first book back in 2007. Make a long email exchange short, she didn’t wanna edit my book because I wasn’t signed with a major publishing house. I say that because the first question she asked was, “Are you self-published?”
 
And my answer broke the winds in hell of a rejection
 
But fuck it…things happen for a reason. My editor, Shonell Bacon, whom I’ve been using since my first book has done a helluva great job 

I say that to say things happen for a reason...a rejection or brush off can be a blessing in disguise...a rejection from one of your peers can either make you stronger or break you down...but I say, "fuck 'em" and keep it movin' like it never happened
 
You see…
 
Authors feel like you might get the upper-hand on them if they drop jewels on you about the industry. Insecurity's a bitch ain’t it? Well, it is. Me personally, I don’t have a problem with doing my own research. At the same time, it doesn’t hurt to get additional info from my peers
 
I’ve come across a few authors that dropped helpful jewels to me. I haven’t met any asshole authors yet. Then again, I don’t go out my way to socialize with anyone in the industry.
 
So far so good

Lampin with author David L in Philly

Aight, ya’ll…I’m out
 

Peace
 
Nah’Sun the Great

Can Writing Get You Rich?

Abracadabra, people

Hey, naaaaaaaah

Ayo, you got a lot of fakers and perpetrators in the book game. Those are the ones who think a quick come up consists of writing a book. Well, they’re in for a rude awakening, baby

A lot of wet-behind-the-ears authors don’t realize that you need to put hundreds of man hours to live strictly on books. And even that’s a risk because you’ll want other streams of income. Editing, speaking engagements, teaching/professing and other side gigs are usually what authors do to keep them afloat in case of emergency

There’s no accident that the book game has a revolving door. People leave as quickly as they come once they realize that publishing is not all peaches and cream. The days of waiting for your book to sell itself are over. There are more books published today than ever, which means you’ll need to bust your ass twice as hard to make a name for yourself

The good side is…

Everything in life is what YOU make it. It’s all about your grind and hustle to shine, baby. Success doesn’t happen overnight. That’s the exception, not the rule. And if you do fail, always remember that failure is the closest thing to success

You need a PASSION for writing to get through the dog days of the book game. It’s not for the weak hearted. There were times when I wanted to give up. My ego slapped the shit outta me and told me to “Get your ass up and make that money, punk!”

And so I did

Book Signing in ATL

I’m too damn great of a writer to quit when I think I’m far superior to a lot of the popular novels that are out today, but that’s beside the point. The point is that if you wanna make a lot of money as an author, you need to...

 

A) Find out your market, and figure out what people enjoy reading

B) Have a passion for writing; it’s a lonely profession

C) Put in the hours to make a name for yourself 

It’s gonna be slow at first…but hey, the Great Pyramids of Kemet (Egypt) weren’t built in a day

Once again, failure is the closest thing to success…don’t give up. GIVE IN!

Aight, ya’ll…I’m out

Peace

Nah’Sun the Great

My book signings WILL be this long...watch me work!

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

The Game to be SOULED, Not to be SOLD - Interview with a Former Pimp PART 2

This is PART 2 of my interview with Caujuan aka Ka$hanova

Click HERE if you missed PART 1


From left to right: Caujuan, Maroy, Kenny Redd, Supreme @ the West Coast Player's Ball
 
Nah’Sun - I saw your post on Facebook about chastising pimps for having underage girls for service. It’s stereotyped that all pimps and guys who own escort services have minors working for them. Please clear the air from your perspective.
 
Caujuan - I hate anybody that exploits underage girls and prostitute them with a passion. First and foremost, that's the biggest misconception and out right lie, that all pimps turn out little girls or force females to work.
 
This game is about choose and chosen. Females enter the game by choice. They pay a pimp by choice. How the fuck you gonna force another grown person to do anything that they don't wanna do? You send a hoe out on the track, she out there for hours on end (by herself) and then comes home after working so many odd hours. Why the fuck did she come home if she didn't wanna be there???
 
She had all day to leave. Shit, she could have bought a bus ticket after her first date and been in another state before her pimp was none the wiser. I feel like a pimp that pimps on minors have no game about them self. You should be able to deal with a woman with a developed mind that’s of age and can make proper decisions. Not a little girl that’s confused and still tryna find her way in the world.

 
Nah’Sun - Tell me more about you book. What’s the name of your upcoming joint, and what will separate the content from well known books on the subject like Donald Goines’s Whoreson and Iceberg Slim’s Pimp?
 
Caujuan - Well my book is called Let Me Pimp Or Let Me Die and it's the realist book in the game, about the game, since those books you just named. The difference in my book and those is those books take place in the 50's and 60's. My book takes place in the here and now. It's very modern and shit, a pimp or hoe in the life right now can relate to. It's raw but not over the top. It's very realistic and a straight page turner. When I was locked up I would let brothers read it because I knew that that was my target market, and I kid you not, once most of them started reading it, they couldn't put it down. One cat read the book for 10 hours straight! That's when I knew I had a winner.

 
Nah’Sun – I feel you. What’s the best city in the country that has the most beautiful women in your opinion?
 
I love to travel and ya boy needs some eye candy.

Caujuan – Daygo (San Diego), where else? Hahaha. Nah real shit, tho. The one thing I love about Daygo is the diversity. Like when you go down south it's real cut in dry...Black, white, Mexican and a few others. And they don't really interact much, not like they do in Daygo. But in Daygo, we have Blacks, whites, Mexicans, Filipinos, islanders, Samoans, the list goes on. And we all fuck with each other. But I'd have to say Miami's a close second. They have some beautiful women up there.




 
Nah’Sun – I’ma have to check out Daygo to see for myself. I know it’s a big military town, too. So how do you know when a woman is choosing you?
 
Caujuan - If she's a hoe, the moment she steps outta pocket. If I got eyes I know I got action. If it’s a square, then it's all in the chemistry and attitude. Like if she's smiling, playing with her hair when I talk to her, staying interested and stuck on my every word when I'm getting at her, etc etc etc. 


Nah’Sun - Please explain the meaning of having game. People nowadays think game is corny pick up lines.
 
Caujuan - Yeah that's the other misconception about pimping. That if you can come up with some corny ass line that rhymes then you a pimp. Like..."bitch quit simpin and get wit this pimpin" NOT!!!! That shit ain't about nothing. That's only 1 percent of the game. The other 99 consist of charisma, knowledge, psychology, manipulation, and always having the right thing to say.
 
A pimp is never lost for words. He has the answers to any and all questions at the drop of a pimp hat. I use to pride myself in having mostly fresh turn outs. Squares that said prior to dealing with me that they would "never" even think about being a prostitute or paying a pimp much less doing it. That was how I perfected my game. 80% of my hoes were fresh turn outs. 


Nah’Sun - How would a guy get over rejection from a woman?
 
Caujuan - A man gets over rejection from women by getting at more women. Females love confidence. It's the number one thing they're attracted to next to humor and making them laugh. Who wants a weak man with low self esteem scared to approach women? Women out number men in America like 3 to 1. So my theory is, for every two that ain't talking bout nothing one is. Even in baseball you might miss two pitches but the last ball you slam outta the park. Treat rejection like it's the woman’s lost and she missed out. Walk away with your head up high. Smile, nod, and move on to the next. Pulling females is like anything else in life, the more you do it the better you get at it.

 
Nah’Sun – That’s real talk. What were some of the biggest tricks in the game…athletes, politicians, musicians, etc?
 
I know some of the shit you've seen shocked the hell out of you...LOL
 
Caujuan - All of thee above. But corporate white folks and Asians are the best. My bro's bitch before we got knocked off got over $80,000 from one trick in one whop who was her sugar daddy. Now that's gwap!
 
Yeah I saw and heard about a lot of shocking shit that most people wouldn't believe unless they saw it with their own eyes. I have a few stories like that incorporated in my book. I can't give up all the game so readers are gonna have to buy the book to find out what I'm talking about

 
Nah’Sun – I got you. You gonna have to keep me updated about your joint. What are some of the things you’ll teach your son so he wouldn’t go through the same trials as you?
 
And what would you say to him if he wanted to follow your footsteps by getting in the game?
 
Caujuan - Teach my son to learn from me, not be like me. Take all of the good and positive aspects of my life and disregard the negative ones. My son has a lot of game about himself because he was exposed to the game his entire life.
 
When I went on the run, 6 months into it I sent for him and had him by my side ‘til the day I got caught. I have NO respect for dead beat dads because I know what it's like to grow up without a strong male role model. Especially for boys. Cause no matter how good of a mom a woman might be, it takes a man to teach a boy how to be a man...period! No disrespect to the single mothers out there holding it down, but it is what it is.
 
I taught my son from day one to do good in school and be the best at what ever he do. I taught him (through example) the downfall to the game and anything related to it. I taught him that the game is always a dead end road and only 5% or less ever make it out rich, successful, or not in prison. He was there when I was super rich and he was there when I was super broke, so he knows this to be fact. I build with my son every day. We have an unbreakable bond and he's a very good kid. I couldn't be prouder of him. He gets all A's and B's in school, no gangbangin, no drug using, and highly respectful to others. What more can I ask?
 
I would never let him follow in my footsteps, so that’s not even a question. My son's gonna be the opposite of me. I teach my son to use the game he was born with and into, and use it to rule the world from a square’s perspective, just like I'm doing now. I lead by example. So with that he sees the benefits of getting money in the game as well as getting money legally. The difference in the two is...there's no pit falls to worry about the legal route. And he understands that.




 
Nah’Sun - That's peace...it's good that you're choppin' it up and buildin' with your sun (son) to show him the ins and outs of life. 

Tell me about Caujuan 5 years from now.

Caujuan - Well the Caujuan 5 years from now will be very successful. I'm already paving the way for that right now. My brother and I started a company called Supreme Team Media set to launch in 3 weeks. We're basically your one stop shop for any and everything that has to do with media. We have the best web designers, graphic artist, videographers, social media marketers, etc. And we're not talking on a small scale but on a very high end scale.
 
I got tired of dealing with broke rappers and models that wouldn't even spend $10 on a timeline cover to promote themselves...that's crazy! It's like damn, if a person won't spend $5 how the hell you gonna get them to spend $500 or even better $5,000?

 
Nah’Sun – LOL…That’s real talk.
 
Caujuan - So that's when my brother and I knew it was time to switch tracks but continue riding the same train. We met a couple of individuals connected within some rich and important circles and joined forces. Now we do high end work for high end prices. Next month we're incorporating. So in 5 years I should be a millionaire or at the very least a hundred thousandaire.

 
Nah’Sun – Aight, bro Caujuan. We’re gonna wrap this up. It’s been real. Feel free to give some shout outs so we can close the curtain on this party.
 
Caujuan - Shout out to my bro Supreme for holding it down while I was locked up and paving the way so I wouldn't have to hustle when I came home.
 
Shout out to Maroy from Too Real for TV, a good friend of mines for showing me love on Cross Country Pimping Part 1 (the DVD that started it all). He could have shown me in a negative, flashy flamboyant light, but instead focused on the injustice of how the San Diego PD (Police Department), sheriffs, vice, and prosecutors did us foul.
 
Shout out to all the females that held me down when I was locked up: books fat, JPay every week, packages and 3 cell phones on deck (pimp shit) LOL.
 
And last but not least to all my playa patna and hoes in the game.

Pimps up...you know the rest!
 
One love...Peace

The Game to be SOULED, Not to be SOLD - Interview with a Former Pimp PART 1

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Danger!!!

The fuckery I get from people I come across in my travels is hilarious. I don’t take anything personal (well…depending on my mood and the situation), but sometimes people just need to shut the fuck up
 
And one of those “shut the fuck up” moments is when people ask, “Can I get your book for free?”

As a then rookie in the book game, I used to allow those six words or any variations of that question bother me. Now I ignore it. If a person is REALLY interested in a product, they wouldn’t ask a silly ass question like that
 
For the record, there’s no such thing as a recession. I don’t believe that bullshit. Money never runs out. It just goes to a different industry while the former cash cow suffers

The Industrial Age knocked out slavery…then the Information Age knocked out the Industrial Age…times change…you gotta adapt

Survival of the Fittest…Darwinism, baby
 
I mean shit, look at the negroes who lined up malls across the country to buy 200 hundred dollar Jordans that came out in ’95…you even had a woman who (allegedly) left her child in the car alone just to buy them





Insanity
 
The clip reminds of a Boondocks episode...straight up
 
With those visions and images surfing around my mind, I don’t wanna hear anybody crying about a recession…truth be told, if you really want something, you’ll most definitely figure out a way to get it

A woman who’s currently bouncing from home to home bought my book Thick When the Chances are Slim for her daughter…what she did spoke volumes and proves my theory about this false recession
 
Now that I think about it, Black folks been in a recession since 1865
 
And on that note, when you see me on a book tour, don't give me the “Can I get the book for free?” question…either say you’re not interested or you just don’t got it…that’s all

I’m sure you don’t want people to do the same to you when you’re out working hard on the grind
 
Aight…I’m out
 
Nah’Sun