The Struggles of Indie Authors/Creatives [***RANT SESSION***]

 For those of you that actually pay attention to my videos, this is the continuation of an episode of "The Rough Draft" that I shot; Episode #48, to be exact.  Felt the need to blow off some steam, and set the record straight, and apparently...I need to blow off a little more steam.  Been feeling really frustrated & disrespected lately, and I think that I need to go deeper in depth...

As an indie author, I'm carrying the same mentality that I had when I was still involved in the film & television world, being a screenwriter; I wanna work in the industry, not for it.  I choose to be independently published b/c I know the headache of trying to find a (decent) agent, or at least, a good small publisher to publish your book.  Also, you know your story best, so you know how & who to market your book to, no matter what genre that you write in.  I know plenty of authors that write speculative fiction that can attest to that.  Not to mention, the rash of consolidation within the publishing industry within the last two decades, or so...?  The publishing world is getting smaller & smaller by the day (if not, the waning minutes).

 

At the same time...I don't have an MFA.  I have no connections to any literary nonprofit organizations.  I've never held a fellowship.  Nor do I have a well paying day job that allows me the financial flexibility to pay for reviews, or a publicist.  My hashtag #AlwaysOnMyLiteraryGrind has meaning BECAUSE I'm actually ON my literary grind!!  Whatever accolades (which ain't many) that I receive, it's because of my hard work to promote my shit, & get the word out to the public.  NOBODY helps me to do shit, when it comes to my writing career.  My grind is really MY grind.  Nobody promotes my books for me, or does any type of outreach for my books.  I've even created a mf video series to help me promote my writing career in "The Rough Draft" (that apparently nobody watches).

 

It's a little infuriating to see people just brush you off, and dismiss any & everything that you do, as if it's big joke, and nothing to be taken seriously.  They don't watch the videos & comment, they don't buy & review your books, nor do they come out to any events that you organize and/or participate in.  Out of the fourteen books that I've published, I'd pre-promoted the last seven books ahead of their publication.  Hardly anybody joined the gd Facebook Events that I created for them; I didn't even crack TWENTY people to accept the invite. Whats' the fucking point?!?!?!  😡😡😡😡😡     

The sales afterward have been even more abysmal.  Htf is it that I know all of these different people, activist,  & organizations, but can't get none of you mf bastards to buy a copy of my books?!  And, even if you do actually buy it, do you even bother to read it, and leave a fucking review for it, or even recommend it to your circle of friends and associates...?  Hell...I'd be happy with a personal dialog with you, just to get your feedback on the book. At least then I'll know that you actually read the motherfucka!  Which character(s) did you like...?  What worked for you?  What didn't..?  What was your favorite chapter/scene...?  What character(s) didn't you like/hated..?  Did I intend for you to hate them, or did you just not like the way I wrote that/those character(s)...?  This is the type of feedback that I'm looking for & crave; they make me a better writer.  It also lets me know if I achieved my goal with that particular book, as far as your response is concerned.  Or...I know that you're not the right audience for that particular book, depending on your response/understanding of that particular book.

Would it kill you to actually watch the episodes of my vlog series, and leave a mf comment?!?!  Even if you don't have a YouTube account, can you nuccas say SOMETHING under the post?!?!  None of that 'good job' bullshit; that's so fucking generic.  Say something about the mf episode, whatever tf the discussion topic is!  Don't just press the 'like' button, and keep it mf moving!  I hate that shit!!!  It is so mf disrespectful!!  This isn't a mf joke to me; it's my calling, my mf career!!!  How would you like it , if I acted all dismissive about something that you were passionate about...that you felt was your purpose in life...?  Writing the books...producing the vlog series...and promoting the books is VERY time consuming!!

STOP acting as if my writing career is some huge joke!  It's not a fucking hobby that I don't take seriously, or don't really care about! I'm not some one-shot bucket lister, writing a book just to say that I wrote a mf book, and check it off my bucket list!  I've been writing for fucking YEARS!!!  Just because some of you out there don't have any passions, that doesn't mean that I don't!  I need more out of life, other that just getting liquored up, getting high, or randomly getting sexed up!

Feel however you want to feel about this post; I couldn't give a shit.  I'm tired of feeling disrespected, and not supported.  You dumb niggas know that my shit it out here, available in more that one format, I might add...but still won't support my career, or my books.  But...you niggas will jump on any bandwagon, and prop up some author with a name, because the mainstream media (white ppl) told you to do so.  Fuck y'all.

That's my rant session....

The Revolutionary Heat of Black August 2022

 We are now in the month of AUGUST.  The last month of the Summer.  A month known for revolution. A personal time of achievement and anniversaries for me.  This month is a very special one, so let's get into it.

"Second Chance Points" is entering it's 3rd month of publication.  Sales still have been pretty flat, despite my continued attempts to promote it.  I've even tried promoting it to two women's professional basketball leagues; the Women's American Basketball Association (WABA), and the Global Women's Basketball Association (GWBA).  I've continued to email both leagues, as well as tag them in posts on both FB and on Twitter, as well as sharing their information.  No response from either league, at this point.  Oh, well...all I can do is continue to promote the book.

August marks the seven-year publishing anniversary for my poetry eBook "Spittin' Lyrics N Waxin' Poetic" (Draft2Digital, 2015).  I don't really talk much about that project.  It's a collection of poetry that I've written, as well as rap verses and NLS songs that I wrote years ago.  Don't necessarily consider it my best work, but it's something that I published, nonetheless.  As you can tell, it's only available digitally.

August also marks the three-year anniversary of the production of "The Rough Draft"; officially on the date of August 23rd.  I'm closing in on 50 episodes of the show, and hope to be able to celebrate both simultaneously.  I've already come up with the concept for Episode 49, but haven't really come up for one for Episode 50.  You guys got any suggestions on what I should cover for that big 50th episode?  I'm open to any suggestions that you might have.  I tried asking on social media, but apparently nobody pays attention to what I post, smdh....

August also will mark the one-year anniversary that I've been living out here in Raleigh; officially on August 28th.  So far, it's been a good year.  I'm still working at my current day job, so that's putting money in my pocket, and keeping a roof over my head.  Haven't really made much progress as far as my writing career is concerned.  I was lucky enough to have done at least one radio interview since I moved out here, but I need to make more of  name and a presence for myself out here.  I definitely need to do more in-person events to make a name for myself.  I'm still looking into doing the Black/Brown Bookstore Book Tour, but that won't start until maaaaaaaaaybe next month.

That's all for now.  Hope to keep you guys updated on my progress.  See you guys next post.

Keep the fist raised.

#AlwaysOnMyLiteraryGrind 

Author Book Trailer for 2022!!!!

 So, I have finally been able to update my Author Book Trailer!!!  I have been able to add the covers of ALL FOURTEEN books to the video.  I've even updated some of the contact info, and the different outlets where you can get my books, via paperback & eBook formats.  So without further ado, here is my Author Book Trailer 2022!!!  :

Hope that you enjoy it!!!  Let me know what you think in the comments section!!  Don't forget to go out and buy the books!!  :-)

Keep the fist raised!!!

#AlwaysOnMyLiteraryGrind

July Momentum....

 We are now officially in the month of July.  We are seven months into the year, making it a little more than half over.  Time is flying by, and your personal literary plans need to be made now.  Whatever book that you're planning to write, start writing it.  That book that you wrote that you're looking to publish, publish it.  Time to make things happen.

I have no publishing anniversaries for this month.  As of yet, I haven't published any works in the month of July. Maybe in the near future, I'll choose to publish something during this month, but for now...nothing is in the works planning to be published in the month of July.

 

"Second Chance Points" (Kindle Direct Publishing, 2022) is now entering its second month of publication.  Sales have stagnated since its release, thought I'm still promoting it.  It's a little infuriating, to be constantly promoting it to the masses, yet not getting any type of support for it.  True, I really would like to do some in-person appearances to help boost sales, but all of that is dependent on when I can get some consistent time off, and get some money in my pocket to either vend, or rent out a place to hold a book signing.

 

I'm working on shooting the latest episode of "The Rough Draft".  Since I'm approaching 50 episodes, I'm hoping to do something special for the series.  Not to mention, next month in August marks 3 years that I've been doing the series. I'm hoping to coordinate the 3-year anniversary of the show next month, with the 50th episode of the series.  I might decide to do another Author Q&A, or a livestream of the show; I haven't decided yet.  If you guys have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them...

Still working on organizing the Black/Brown Bookstore Book Tour.  I just need to start calling these bookstores to book the dates.  I'm still trying to figure out my work schedule at my day job, since I work a rotating schedule.  I also need to order copies of the novel, which costs money.  Life as an indie author is not easy...

Well, that's all I have for now.  I'll keep you guys updated on my literary progress.  Until next time...

Keep the fist raised.

#AlwaysOnMyLitersaryGrind

The Heat of June

 We are now in the month of June.  JUNE!!!  The year is already half over!!  Where has the time gone?  Weren't we JUST celebrating the coming of the new year...?  :-O

A bit of house keeping, first.  As always, I need to start by celebrating my latest publishing anniversary.  For the month of June, I will be celebrating the seven-year publishing anniversary of my Erotica novel "Demure Nights" (CreateSpace, 2015).  This was my fifth book, and second novel that I released.  It's a little gem of mine, and a bit of a passion project.  It was a test to see if I could write something different, something that I wasn't really known for.  It was the first book that I'd written that wasn't political in nature, whether fiction or nonfiction.  You would think that, because of the subject matter, my sales for it  would be much different; much higher that they would be.  Even when I write books that would be considered garbage, I still can't seem to gain any support for my works, smdh...

 

My latest fair "Second Chance Points" (Kindle Direct Publishing, 2022) has been out for close to a month, now.  Sales for it so far are slooooooow.  I had four initial purchases for it (2 downloads, two physical copies), and then...that's it.  People know how to press the 'like' button on social media, but don't seem to know how to follow that up with a purchase.  Maybe if I was being backed some corporate literary nonprofit, or highlighted by some celebrity, I might have better sales.  Now that gathering restrictions have been eased somewhat, maybe doing face-to-face events will boost my sales.  This cyber bullshit just ain't cutting it.

 

Speaking of doing some face-to-face events...I've been giving some strong thoughts on doing my whole Black/Brown Bookstore Book Tour idea.  I've been doing a bit of research, and I know of at least three here in the state of North Carolina.  One is a Black-owned children's bookstore here in Raleigh, there's a Black-owned  bookstore in Durham & Charlotte, and one Latino-owned bookstore in Chapel Hill.  That would at least cover the state.  All I would have to do is reach out to them for their available dates, and see if I want to spread them out over a one month period, or knock out two of them in 2 months.  That's a bit of traveling, not to mention, money outta my pocket for ordering books & booking travel.  BUT...you gotta spend money to make money, right?  If I spread them out over a 4 month period, that should ease the financial burden.  At the same time, if I do two appearances in one month, that will build momentum for my book(s).  Plus, I wanna eventually spread out to the other surrounding states to develop more of a fan base out here.  I would definitely love to head out back to my old stomping ground of (central) Virginia, and eventually hit up Tennessee.  I know of some indie Black-owned bookstores in Nashville, and one in Memphis that I definitely wanna hit up.  At least I'm now living in a state where people actually read...not like in fuck ass Delaware..

 

But, I digress...

 

I was able to do a radio/podcast interview covering my writing career overall, as well as the release of Second Chance Points, on a local radio station out here in NC based in Carrboro.  I was interviewed on May 13th on WCOM-FM, appearing (via call-in) on "The Chris or Jenny Show".  I had an absolute BLAST doing the interview, and hope to be back on there, again.  You can check out the podcast on YouTube via the link:

 

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuULm4I3a94&t=172s

 

Hope that you guys enjoy the show!!!  :-)

 

Well...that's all on my end, folks.  Hope to keep you guys informed on my future plans.  I will definitely let you guys know how my plans for the book tour turn out.  Hope that you guys will actually come out to the tour locations, and support me.

 

Keep the fist raised.

 

#AlwaysOnMyliteraryGrind

 

  

May Flowers Blooming/Second Chance Points Book Release!!! :-)

Welcome to the month of May!!!  We are almost at the halfway point in the year.  Time sure is flying by.  Spring is now officially here, and new energies are blooming.

 

With the coming of the month of May, I would like to announce the official publication of my FOURTEENTH book, "Second Chance Points" (Kindle Direct Publishing, 2022).

 

I'm ecstatic about the release of this book.  It was originally a big budget screenplay that I'd written back in 2001.  Since I never got the chance to produce & release it as a film, I decided to converted it into a novel.  You can purchase a copy of it here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09ZP2JV3T

The book was released on May 6th.  It is now available in paperback & eBook formats.  The eBook formats are still clearing, though it is currently available on Kindle and Nook.

 

Speaking of books, since it's the month of May, I have to go into my publishing anniversary.  For the month of May, I will be celebrating the five-year publishing anniversary of my novel "Seductra, Web of Desire" (CreateSpace, 2017).

I have to admit, this is one of my favorite books that I've released.  I feel like this project is criminally underrated, as far as the lack of support is concerned.  But...I'm doing what I can to continue to promote it.

 

I'm still giving a lot of thought to doing my Black/Brown Bookstore Book Tour.  I'm hoping to be able to target the fall to do it.  I know of a few bookstores here in North Carolina alone that I want to target.  Since a lot of Covid restrictions have been lifted, I want to try to take advantage, and get back to doing in-person appearances.  Since my online sales game is pretty much stagnant & nonexistent, I need to get back to doing hand-to-hand sales.  I want to use my smartphone to shoot some footage, and post it on YouTube for a couple of episodes of "The Rough Draft".  We shall see....

I will be having a radio/podcast interview on Friday, May 13th on a local radio station out here, based in Carborro.  It will be on WCOM-FM 103.5 FM.  The interview starts at 9pm.  Looking forward to it.  It will be my first interview in two years, not since during the pandemic.  You can tune in at www.wcomfm.org.  Hope that you guys get to catch the show!!!  :-)

 

That's about all for now.  I hope to keep you updated, as far as my other plans.  I hope that you will all go out and support my recent release in Second Chance Points.  It's a very good story that I think that you'll all enjoy.

 

Keep the fist raised.

 

#AlwaysOnMyLiteraryGrind

  

 

Possible Book Tour/What the Future Holds in 2022....

 Things are starting to look up for me.  2022 is starting to manifest itself in a very positive way. I was able to do a podcast interview on "Anansi Reads", and I also have an upcoming radio interview on a local radio station out here in North Carolina; WCOM 103.5FM in the Carborro/Chapel Hill area, scheduled for May 13th.  I'm pretty happy about that.  It's my time to shine!!!  :-)

I was able to shoot & post the latest episode of "The Rough Draft".  Episode 45 has been posted on YouTube and Vimeo.  In that episode, I talk about my publishing anniversary for April, the upcoming release of my next novel "Second Chance Points" (KDP, 2022), and a future venture that I want to do. My idea for an in-person event is a Black/Brown Bookstore Book Tour, or 3BT Tour for short.  Catchy title, huh...?  ;-) 

The Black/Brown Bookstore Book Tour is basically a series of bookstore appearances/signings where I focus my signings in primarily black-owned & Latino-owned bookstores.  Firstly, I'm focusing on promoting my latest literary work, as well as the other titles that I have in my arsenal of books that I've published. Secondly, I want to be able to use my platform to support black-owned & Latino-owned businesses. That's just the activist in me, wanting to support my peoples, and remain true to my political beliefs.  Hopefully, I can shoot some video footage to use for "The Rough Draft", post them online, and use the episodes to help promote these bookstores/independent businesses.

If I am able to do the 3BT Tour, I'm shooting for late Summer, if not the Fall.  The Fall would probably be more ideal, as it leads into Latino Heritage Month, and I would be able to promote my book titles that feature my Latino/Afro Latino characters. Right now, I want to target local bookstores in the North Carolina area; primarily here in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Charlotte, and Greensboro.  I also want to target black-owned/Latino-owned bookstores in nearby Tennessee, and also Virginia; primarily Richmond, since that's my old stomping ground.

I'll let you guys know the details, as the tour comes together.  I'm debating if this should be a solo tour, or a joint book tour with another author, or a few other authors.  Still haven't met any other brother-scribes or sister-scribes out her yet, so I'm holding out hope. I'm still ironing out the details of it, so it's still in the planning stages, for now...

Uhuru sasa, y paz.

Keep the fist raised.

#AlwaysOnMyLiteraryGrind