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!

Lying About Book Sales is Sexy

 
Ayo…I wanna pour out some herbal tea for Whitney Houston…a damn shame for what happened to her…a great loss.

48 is mad young…real talk.

I also wanna pour out some green tea for Prime Time book store that was located a couple blocks from Fulton Ave on Nostrand Avenue in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn.

Another independent book store bites the dust. I was pissed to see the book store closed...I wanted to cop a new book to read...FUCK!!!

I’m not gonna blame the close on the lack of support from buyers. You never know. The landlord could’ve jacked up the cost to lease the joint for the new year and forced the book store out.

Then again…I did see a barber shop a couple doors down on the same strip…and then again, you know Negroes love to get their hair tight at least twice a week.
 
Speaking of lack of support, a lot of people dislike when authors lie about their sales. A lot of authors give themselves “the best seller” tag like it’s going out of style.
 
Guess what...I really don’t blame authors for doing that.
 
One of the first questions I get from potential buyers when I’m out on the grind is, “How many books you sold?”
 
I’m thinking to myself, “What the fuck does my book sales have to do with the actual content of the novel?” I hold back on expressing that thought because I don’t wanna appear rude and lose out on a sale.
 
So I usually give them the vague answer of, “I’m doing well” (which I am) or “I’m on my second print run” (which isn’t a lie)
 
American society has an issue with associating quality with sales. That’s a false. You can convince the public that syrup on shit is pancakes with the right marketing and promotion.
 
Oh…I forgot…they’re already doing that…it’s called Chit’lins. 

Let me stop before my Southern brothers and sisters send me hate emails.
 
I remember one time I helped this sista make up a story to a customer at her book signing in Harlem about BET picking up the movie rights to her novel. I lied my ass off…LOL…I wanted to help a sista out, so I played along with her.  

And yep...she got a sale.
 
You can’t get mad at the author for doing that…a lot of people are quick to support the rich and forget about the poor…the book game is ugly, just like any business of selling…you gotta fake it before you make it to put your foot in the door sometimes.
 
We’re living in a society where people care more about record sales than the actual music…it’s hard to speak honestly when the world is superficial…you gotta get it how you live.
 
Me personally…I don’t lie about my sales...I give vague answers like I said before…I let the reader figure the shit out on their own.
 
Am I wrong for saying I’m a best seller if I order only 100 books and sell out of them?
 
I mean, I did “sell” them to the “best” of my abilities…right?
 
Marinate on that…until the next time…
 
Peace
 
Nah’Sun