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!

Book Clubs Are Liars

Ayoooooooooo

Book clubs flip on me for some reason…I got the WORST luck when it comes to book clubs either inviting me for a meeting to discuss my books, or them following up when they say they will

It got to a point where whenever a book club member say to me, “I’m gonna contact you after I finish the book” I automatically assume they’re full of shit

They NEVER contact me…9 out of 10 times this is AFTER they claim they enjoyed the book…so I doubt it has anything to do with the content 

Damn...do I need to shoot a nigga to get someone's attention?...Shit...LOL

I guess this is the way of the industry *shrugs*

I remember at a book signing in Newark, New Jersey 3 years ago this lady who was part of a book club was interested in buying a book…our interaction took a wrong turn on Weird driving on Awkward boulevard after awhile…this is how the last part of the convo had went:

 
ME: Feel free to flip through the pages to see if you like it enough to buy it

HER: It looks real interesting. I think I’m gonna buy your book (she says as she flips through pages)

3 minutes later

HER: Okay, I gotta go. Bye

ME: (looks dumfounded as she leaves without buying a book)

 
Me and my homegirl (my assistant at the time) looked at each other like “what the fuck?”…we actually thought we had a sale…that’s how interested she was…LOL…shit was mad bizarre…she just bounced.

Til this day that’s the WEIRDEST interaction I’ve gotten from a perspective buyer…it just so happen to be a person from a book club

I’m not gonna go on a crusade against book clubs…some of them have been VERY supportive when it comes to buying books…it just bugs me out how they never hit me up when they say they will…especially when they give a SPECIFIC time period of them hitting me up

You might say, "maybe you should make the first step"...I don't think I should have to do that when someone cracks open the pandora's box of a light promise...If someone is REALLY interested in a person, place or thing, they'll go out their way to get it...simple as that

It’s like people’s word nowadays aren’t their bond…then again, I am dealing with industry folk

This older brother once said:

"My word is my bond, and my bond is life, and I will give my life before my word shall fail."

And when you deal with any industry, it’s like people are walking around dead when it comes to their word

Anyway…back to writing I go…I’m out

Peace

Nah’Sun the Great

Lampin in Miami with a supporter from a book club

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

White Head, Black Body

I wouldn't be surprised...