BY AL KING
I
had to share my most recent journey with you all in blogger fashion which is
something that I don’t normally do. However, my experiences from the past two
weeks have been nothing short of interesting. Now as you are all well aware I
have released my debut book “Let it be
Known” and have been diligently doing whatever it takes to get the book
into the hands of the reader. One of my first moves since releasing the project
was returning to my hometown after being away for two years due to my transition
from the concrete jungle to North Carolina where I set up my publishing
company. To be quite frank, my return to the big city from a life in the suburbs
is taking me some time to readjust. My entire premise in coming to New York is
to get in front of the people and mainly begin to execute my direct approach in
expanding the visibility of Let it be Known. One thing I have taken heed to is
that everyone wants to make it big without taking the necessary grinding steps which
is usually left out of the equation. My first week, I spent just making my rounds
in seeing family and friends before I even delved into the project. By my
second week, I begin to hit the streets and feel out the people throughout the
Bronx and Harlem.
Let
me share that in being both a writer and publisher I must take both sides of the
business into consideration—the reader and the operational side of the project.
By sustaining my independence and doing what I can to be innovative, my
approach has come in layers. One thing that I have always been adamant about is
making the human connection. It doesn’t matter what product you have if you are
not able to connect with the people it will not be received. I have been
aggressive in exercising my rights to be a “First Amendment Vendor” which
enables me to utilize the public sidewalks to not only showcase my book but
also sell it. Being on the streets and touching the people has provided me the
opportunity to meet new people, network, sell my book and keep me in the mix of
what is going on each day. A lot of authors presently believe that they can
just sit in front of the computer and sell their books through Amazon or Barnes
and Noble and NEVER have any direct contact with people. You have to get out
there and market your presence right along with the product. I wanted to share
that real quickly but allow me to continue….. So I set up tables and dived
right into pushing the product. For any of you that have done any form of
vending on the streets of NYC know that this is a very interesting yet
difficult process. You come across a very fickle consumer that will show you so
many different faces right along with the competitive vendors that you are sharing
the same sidewalks. The tons of different personalities that you come across
are beyond words with each and everyone having a different approach.
THE
PEOPLE………With this being my stomping grounds I know that a New Yorker needs a
lot of convincing which is why I always give them more info before they even
ask. What I’ve noticed about the NYC avid
reader is that they are very misleading and you can’t judge them by their
cover. Understanding the demographic, I investigated what other vendors are
carrying to notice that they are fictional driven and very rarely do you see
any non-fiction on the tables. I have immediately deciphered that substance is
something that is needed and this provides an opening for me. (Sidebar: You can’t
execute an attack without watching the board). Based
on my conversations with consumers I found that their expectations were very
low for what content they are seeking out which also baffled me. What has
become the general consensus is that people are just not willing to exercise or
broaden their perspectives to anything that they deem different or fresh. The
mere mention of the word substance is like mentioning the word submissive to a
woman these days. Some of my encounters have gone like this……..“Is this a HOOD
Book?”, “What’s this S*** about?”, “Is this about the street life?”...... So I
definitely have my work cut out for me.
THE
ATTITUDE…… I have consistently come across so many angry and frustrated people
that are not even approachable. Attempting to be cordial with someone that is
rude and obnoxious is just not a good mix. It can be very easy to be brought
out of your character if you allow it to get to you. I have a chapter in the
book titled “Black on Black Grime” and I have seen my own words continuously play
out right in front of me. I’ve had some very supportive and positive people say
to me with so much conviction that it’s troubling how my own kind are not instantly
supporting something that has so much to
offer to us all. It’s definitely a sad reality and challenge that we must work
on correcting. We are less inclined to come behind the things that can actually
promote our forward movement as opposed to those things that constantly set us
back. We have so much to repair inside our mindsets that spills right into our
attitudes that it will require a mass collective of HARMONY. I tell them all
that I will continue to do my part and keep pushing for better.
As
I continue to push to Let it be Known
I take each day as it is granted knowing that I represent a large portion of
the solution and for each book sold it’s a step toward that difference. No
vision can surmount to higher heights without the support of others. If you
believe in substance and want something different, you have to get behind what
is a representation of that source—don’t talk about it, be about it.
