Friday, April 22, 2011

MARKETING YOUR PRESENCE

BY AL KING


 You can be present and still be invisible...... what does that mean? It means, you're not doing anything for your voice to be heard or your presence to be felt.  It's like being in a room and no one even notices that you're there. Sometimes it's not only what we're doing that makes a difference but what we're not doing. The only way to get a point across is to actually step out into the realm and make your presence known. 

There are so many people gifted with a radiant presence; unfortunately it's only displayed in private with themselves. When in public the same person is nowhere to be found. Keeping your true persona hidden in the dark doesn’t do you any good.  Actually, it will only impede you from the enormous potential that you could have attracted to yourself. I think we all would agree that outgoing and assertive individuals increase their opportunities. So, why place limits on yourself when there is so much to gain, concur and execute.
 

Thursday, April 14, 2011

SELF-PUBLISHED AND OVERWHELMED

BY AL KING

You've found many reasons why you refuse to take the traditional route and opted to take the self-publishing lane (I don't blame you). What you didn't take into consideration was all the WORK you would have to put in—ALONE.   What would have been expected of the entity that provides the book deal has now been inherited with your decision to remain independent? With or without a team, you will be responsible, working as your own Publishing Company which entails wearing many hats, all on your own. Whether it be, marketing/promotion, administrative duties, monitoring and controlling finances, distribution, operations, bookings (appearances, book signings), and also the choice of vendors –it all must be done.  Keep in mind, these examples are just to name a few since there will be countless miscellaneous duties that your company/project will require to ensure that it’s proficient and effective. Even when it’s all is in place, it still has to be MAINTAINED so that continuity is achieved.

Unfortunately, none of this is taken into consideration by most authors, who are driven primarily by the monetary benefits of being indie. If you're not savvy enough to put together a solid team to handle these areas, it will all fall on YOU. So while the company has to be overseen, the creative side of being an author is not as easy to cater to as aspiring authors may presume. This can pose a challenge, when asked to juggle these roles as well as respond to inspiration by writing new material. We all desire success but to achieve it there is a rigorous demand for pure excellence at every aspect of the vision. Too often, the work that is required is under-estimated, as we tend to just look at the payback or profit while neglecting to weigh in the entire process. This is why so many projects fail before they even get an opportunity to get off the ground—due to poor planning and poor execution. You must plan and organize your attack with concision to avoid being in way over your head!

Monday, April 11, 2011

THE FIRST STEP IN WRITING YOUR BOOK

BY AL KING


As an author that has chosen to pursue my own writing passions, I have a lot of aspiring writers that ask me "what is the first step in writing a book". Well, first I just want to say it’s awesome when you make a decision to pursue your passions and move to bring them into fruition. Now, I do my best to share input that may actually help others so here is what I suggest—the first thing you want to do is determine the direction you want to go in; fiction or non-fiction. Once you have decided on that you should proceed in coming up with a title and concept. Do your best to be original and innovative with the direction of your content as you begin to work on forming the manuscript? What is the Manuscript? It is another word for book before its final and made physical. One thing I strongly suggest is making bullet points of your ideas which can potentially provoke a chain of thoughts that will lead to a writing frenzy. Before you know it, you will begin to write pages and begin to see your idea taking form page by page. The more you write the more ideas that will come to you. I hope that this helps those that are itching to take the jump at writing a book!
  

Friday, April 8, 2011

WHO'S REALLY DOING IT FOR THE ART?

BY AL KING


Who's really doing it for the ART of it and the HEART of it? Today, there's just as many self-published authors than rappers, yes I said it. The same vices that exist in music with many questioning the motives of those that are over-saturating the music industry, the same is rashly happening in the literary world.  For myself, I intend to exert my authenticity and talents to raising the actual bar with my forthcoming non-fiction release of "Let it Be Known." If I were interested in just making money, my focus would be to just remain in the brutal economy depending on an employer to control my destiny. However, I wish everyone luck in their endeavors but if things are done for the wrong reasons it only compromises the art. This was just a quick thought that I wanted to share and I know you may have something to add so feel free to do so.

Friday, April 1, 2011

TALENT vs CHARACTER

BY AL KING



After spending many years as an Entertainment Manager in the music industry and working as a Manager in the corporate sector, I wanted to share my outlook on two assets that are extremely important to every artist.....Talent and Character. Emphasizing the disparity of the two on many occasions, I've witnessed how they work hand in hand in completing your persona and creating an identity as an artist. If you're in business you must understand—TALENT will get you in a position to showcase your gifts but CHARACTER will keep you there.  Regardless of the forum, these two attributes will play a major part in your path to success and actually sustaining your success after you've accomplished it. The two form a marriage, coming together to truly define a person's "make-up" and ability to bring others into their world. If not, the talent can be attractive and the character doesn't make the cut. If this transpires (which I've seen often) it diminishes the potential growth in one's artistry from all aspects. The proactive and curable process is development, there is no way around it and the goal should be gaining maturity and proficiency in both talent and character. For example, we have all witnessed the self-inflicted sabotage of those that are successful, who regrettably do something that is outlandish and distasteful.  Such foolish acts leave talents and artist open to the public's judgment and assessment of their character. Although, we are all human and will fall short, there shouldn't be constant blunders repeated. If so, it's time to re-evaluate our person and give that area immediate attention. We're not perfect but why not aim for it by encompassing both the talent and the character to compliment our person!