What's woody wood, grasshoppers?
The Harlem Book Fair was this past Saturday, and the festival was uneventful...I love Harlem, whether it's the history, the food, the vendors, the swag, and we sure as hell can't forget the LADIES...who I think are the best lookin' group of Black women in NYC
But that's another blog
Something was missing at this year's Harlem Book Fair
Without writing a novel about the event, I'd broken down my observation in 5-points
CLICK HERE to peep my recap of the 2012 Harlem Book Fair...
...don't ask me why I didn't recap last year's
Shit happens
Anyway, here are my FIVE honest thoughts about this year's Harlem Book Fair:
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1) You're stupid to buy a table as an author...
...unless you KNOW you're gonna make your money back and THEN SOME
I let newbie authors slide because they don't know better
I saw A LOT of authors go home with full boxes of books…you should’ve seen the looks on their faces…but hey, people gotta learn the hard way
Oh yeah, the "Is the book on Kindle?" question is a low key way of saying "I'm not interested in buying your book"
But that’s another blog
If you're not a well known author, or don't have a killer street team to help you with sales, then you're in for a looooooooong day
I sold books straight from my book bag
Even that's a gift and a curse because negroes love presentation, and they figure you're "bootleg" if you're selling hand-to-hand instead of holding down a table
I still sold a good amount of books to financially hold me down til next weekend
2) The crowd is dwindling each year, and I saw a lot of empty tables and spots not being used
Hmmmm...I wonder why (sarcasm)
3) I'm NOT there to socialize with other authors
I saw too many authors skinnin' and grinnin' and acting like groupies toward other authors who were more well known
This one reader had asked me why I don't wanna chat with other authors...
...and I kindly told her I'm there to MAKE MONEY, not use the fair as a glorified meet and greet
If I have a specific question to ask an author, I'll ask, but I'm not chit chatting on general principle
4) Too many window shoppers...
...not enough buyers
Book clubs are infamous for doing that shit...there's this one book club that traveled all the way from South Carolina to Harlem and didn't buy one book at the fair...shit, a lot of book clubs didn't have anything in their hands except sweat
Harlem Book Fair is becoming a fashion show if it's not already is
5) The ONLY reason why I attend the Harlem Book Fair is to use the event as a way to sell books to readers who are too lazy to order my books online...
...and to also network with entities that can possibly help my brand
Otherwise, I wouldn't waste my time going
Matter of fact, A LOT of people didn't go this year...
...I didn't see familiar faces I've seen from past book fairs
At this rate, Harlem Book Fair is gonna be irrelevant in 3 years
Real talk
Next year I'ma take random photos of phat asses and post them as my Harlem Book Fair RECAP...
...that'll be more interesting
CLICK HERE to LIKE my fan page to cure the common boredom
Peace and Afro Grease
Nah'Sun the Great @ www.nahsunblaze.com
Be there...
...or be square
Aaaaaaooooowwwww
Aight, ya'll...I'm back...even when it's brief
This past Saturday I hit up the Harlem Book Fair...I promoted my THICK movement and shook hands with a few heads I knew, old and new, and expanded my brand
I may be wrong, but it seems like HBF (short for Harlem Book Fair for the slow folks) is losing its luster...kinda like that chick who used to be wifey material but isn't anymore because the whole 'hood done ran up in her
I've come across more authors and their affiliates than actual readers...the competition is too stiff, which is why I won't buy a table...I see no point in purchasing a table when I won't get AT LEAST close to the amount I put in
Seems like writing books is the new crack and Avon...but that's another topic for a later date
The GOOD part about HBF is that I got a chance to NETWORK...networking is key when you wanna build your brand and form alliances...I touched bases with Mack Mama to appear on her radio show...I did a little bit of politickin with her
And WHA-LAH!...I'm booked for Sunday, August 5th @ 11pm EST for her radio show on Blog Talk
Mack Mama and Me
Shorty is thick and kinda 'hood...she's the type of broad who'll stab a nigga and call the cops to tell them SHE did it...my type of chick...Oooooh yeah
I've also come across Simone Green...
...a woman who pretty much had the balls to talk about her experience with Suge and Tha Row when everybody and their mamas shitted in their pants for even DREAMING about it
Simone promoted her book, Time Served on Death Row Records, that detailed her time with Death Row Records as Chief Photographer for the label...her book is dope...it's funny and sad at the same time like bustin a nut and realizing you didn't wear a condom
I finished the book in two days...a must have!
Her green eyes are mesmerizing...I couldn't look too hard because her significant other was there...good guy...I didn't wanna scrap with a big cornbread fed brother and get my swag all fucked up on the strength of him thinking I was trying to mack to his main squeeze, nahmean
I just liked the eyes
*shrugs*
Simone Green and Me
Oh yeah, I also checked out a couple panels including one featuring my guy David L...he's a fellow author who's doing his thing...homie grinds hard...PAUSE!
The panel centered on independent authors and how they market their books...I was invited to speak on that same panel, but I declined...I'm not gonna play myself considering I just get up and go...drawing up a marketing plan to me is like Chinese algebra...I just get up and grind
There's no technical shit in my hustle...just straight impulse and adrenaline on some jump out an airplane with a busted parachute type shit
Aight, ya'll...that's all, folks...back to writing...I'm out
Peace!
Nah'Sun
Reminds me of the Good Ol Days
I wouldn't be surprised...
I’ll never drink Bacardi Limon mixed with lemonade on a 100 degree day again
2011 Harlem Book fair was brutal…I’m not talking about its half emptiness, but the sun smothered NYC that July weekend
Speaking of half emptiness, the joint wasn’t as packed like the past…people either window shopped or bought books from their favorite authors
Non-established authors had to fend for themselves, but hey, that’s the grind
Major book fairs are usually celebrity driven…I went to HBF (Harlem Book Fair) pretty much to promote “Thick When the Chances are Slim” to create a buzz before its release
Urban/Street fiction authors DOMINATED HBF vendors...the lack of balance was interesting considering that the "serious writing authors" situated themselves inside the Schomburg Library for lectures while the "pulp fictionists" hustled their work outside
A division within the Black literary community...nothing amazes me
Aight, back to the heat...
7 hours in heat almost killed me...real talk...I'll be the house nigga for real....LOL
Drinking over 10 bottles of water didn’t stop the pounding in my head. It was like a drum kick was beating my brain. The headache was no hoe. It seemed like every time I drunk a bottle of Spring water I sweated it out as I ingested
The sun showed no mercy…Mother Nature kicked my ass
I did see some sights during the heatwave
Envy Red is cool peoples…I don’t read fiction books as often, but I did support hers
Her book “Touch” is an entertaining read...easy, nothing heavy
Now THIS is what I call hookin your shit up…I didn’t have a chance to speak to the lady, but I have to pop my collar to her…she knows how to work an angle (her book is about marriage)
I saw these girls last year rockin’ all pink…I forgot their names and camp they belonged to…mainly because they didn’t know who En Vogue was
Kids nowadays don’t know what they missed…oh well…their lost
Styles P promoted/sold his book along with his juice bar in the Bronx…cool guy
Dude is mad short…now I think about it, a lot of emcees are short…whassup with that???
You know Black folks in the hood and fire hydrants go together like weed and cigar wrappers
I started to hop my ass in there, but I wasn’t in the mood to travel back to my rest soaking wet
So I passed...not literally of course
Last but not least… The reason why I love going to Harlem
Buyaka Buyaka!!!!
Peace
Nah’Sun the Great
