dear dom,

First off, I want to start out by saying that you are a beautiful
writer. I've checked out your art on Webook and your blog is def
booked marked. Its good to see a young black man making moves like you
do.
You prob are asked this all the time but I am a urban fiction writer
trying to find my way into the game. Self publishing seems the way to
go given the odds, though submitting my work and getting denied doesnt
detour me from my dream of becoming a writer. I've researched the
pro's and con's of self publishing and although it is a great idea,
now and days it is hard to find money and time to put in the necessary
work to follow through. Income is tight and working full time with
plans to go back to school and juggling family leaves little time for
much else .. or so it seems. Could you pass a little wisdom my way on
how I can make it work ... or a few tips or something, because Im
still looking around as far as self publishing my book but I know that
a large part of that is networking .... advertising .... etc ... and I
just moved to a new city and Im kind of at a lost, though I really
want to dedicate as much of myself as I can to make my dream come true
:)
Thanks for listening!
>sholonda h.



Sholonda,
again, thank you for your kind words. i really appreciate it.
you're right, i do get questions all the time about how i made this self-pub thing work for me so i guess it's time i address it. remember this may not work for everyone, but this is how i made it work for me and what i do. something that most people don't know about me, is that i'm a family man and i leave very little to chance. i love what i do as a writer, but i'm realistic about my dream in that, this business is still entertainment. the entertainment industry is frugal and your success is really up to the fans. you're either hot...or you're not. so that being said, i hold down a full time, stable job, just like most of america out there; so i definitely feel you on balance and being pressed for time. one thing that has helped me is constant networking with everyone that i share similar interest with. i work with aspiring musicians, singers, poets, authors etc all from different genres. the more you get your name out there, the closer you are to getting your big break (six degrees of separation theory). one place to start is finding out what's hot in your area in the writing world. look for poetry cafes, spoken word cafes, book clubs, writing clubs, etc. i started out frequenting these places, performing pieces, networking until people started recognizing me by name. another tip, research, research, research...did i mention research? oh hahaha after you research, research some more. there are companies/individuals out there looking to promote, enjoy, read what you have to say. find those with like minds and network some more. i'll come back to this point in a sec. confidence is very important. to me it's number one. as you can see on my blog, i call myself the "writer of the year". on the surface, this statement might seem arrogant but really, if you know me, it stems from the confidence that i have in my abilities. it's a goal that i live everyday. writer of the year. i have my hand in a lot of different things, but i live, breathe, and live some more what i do...writing. i am comfortable with what i do. i perfect what i do daily. so therefore, i network (told you i'd come back to this) by emailing strangers in industries that line up with my goals. for example, i emailed a movie producer and told him about who i am and how i have an opportunity for him to further his career. the result? my first novel is being converted to a movie. you see? so what i hope you gain from this is confidence. confidence in what you do. knowledge. know that if you have time to read this email, you have time to send one to someone who may further your career or network with those who are doing the same. a friend. someone who knows what you're going through and has been there and is still there. i'm by no means a household name at this point...but i will be. and i never forget the name of a hard worker. keep writing so you can write your happy ending.

Dom
if nobody feels you, i feels you, feel me?
be easy coz life is hard...