Look Who Just "Got Served"

John Edwards and Hillary Clinton.

I feel sorry for John Edwards. He has got to be the first White man to lose the presidential primary to both a woman, and a Black man in South Carolina. Not only that, but he lost in his "home state". That has got to chafe his behind.

Think about it. This is the state that nearly came to blows about the Confederate flag (which is still a sore issue). The thought that 55% of voting democrats would rather see a Black man in office over him should keep him up tonight. Things like that don't generally happen here. The really sad part of it all, is the fact that he ran a clean campaign. He didn't get boggled down in the race issue; didn't hurl insults and accusations at his opponents; and still lost. I feel for him, somewhat.

Now Hillary. Well I'm glad the heifer lost. I can't stand her. You see she wanted to be pissy about it, issuing a half-azzed statement. After all that scheming, she still lost. You know she had to be hurt. To top it all off, her Ace card, Bill is messing things up for her.

Bill darn near had his Brotha card revoked for his attack on Obama and this crap.

Stepping Up The Game

It is a known fact(to us at least) that there is a racial disparity in the publishing industry. Many Black writers have complained about book segregation in book stores, lack of review site support, etc. I won't bother to go into detail, because WE already know the deal.

Knowing how rare it is for more "mainstream" review sites/blogs to take the time to review Black writers, nothing hurts my heart more than to see a poor review. See, every time they give us (I say us because when it comes to Blacks, we always serve as a representation of the entire race) it justifies their reluctance to review our work.

How many times have we heard a non-black reader claim that they don't read OUR books because they find them inferior? How many times have we heard Black readers make the same claim? It makes no sense to generalize all our work by one or two, since we all can think of several non-black writers that produce nothing but crap (I won't call names but everybody know). Unfortunately we have to prove our books' worth.

WE NEED TO STEP OUR GAME UP!

We need to stop sending out this poorly edited crap and calling in gold. I know, I know, WE don't get good editors. Well Honey, God helps those that help themselves. Invest in a dictionary and thesaurus, then USE THEM. If your writing still needs help, get an editor. You don't have to invest in those con artist editors, go to a local college and find some English majors. It's amazing the work you can get for $50 bucks. Stop depending on the Company editors, I'm sure they will appreciate the effort put behind your work.

Then we come back to the issue of lack of reviews. First of all, STOP GRIPING about "mainstream" review sites not reviewing you work if you haven't submitted any books. Stop jumping the gun. Don't give me that "I only get a limited number of copies". Pardon me, I know I don't have a publishing credit under my belt and all, but I believe that holds true for ALL authors, Black; White; Plaid with purple polka dots. This is a business which means you are going to have to invest in your BUSINESS. Ever hear the saying "It takes money to make money"? They don't say it just cause it sounds catchy. Buy some extra copies of your book and send them out (it's a tax write-off anyway). You don't have to keep sending to that particular review site if they keep refusing your work. Point is, stop accusing people of "hidden racism" if you haven't given them a fair chance. Now if they act a fool with you, that's a different story.

I'm not saying there isn't racism in the publishing industry. Heck, racism can be found any and everywhere if you look hard enough for it. We need to stop playing victim and take charge of our destiny. Work harder, smarter, produce the best darn book we can. Prove to the "mainstream readers" that Our books are just as good if not better than mainstream. Break down those barriers one at a time. But we can't until We make conscious decision to STEP OUR GAME UP.

What Cha Really Know 'Bout Da Dirty South?

The lovely building in the background is a Klan museum and memorabilia store. It is located right on the town square, which is why you see the Martin Luther King Parade passing it. Makes you wonder how far we've really come.

*Laurens Advertiser 3/17/07