50 before 40

There are plenty of challenges most indie authors face. Sales, time management, motivation, relevance, but one of the most intense struggles we have is to get reviews. This isn’t the first time I write about this though I’d love for it to be the last (crossing fingers). 

Here’s the thing, being an indie author I don’t have a team of people courting influences, bloggers, book reviewers, BookTubers, and bookstagrammers. I’m a one human army in the pursuit of my dreams in relation to plenty of things, reviews included. This means I depend on people like you and anyone kind enough to drop a review. You might be wondering on the title of this post and if you’re wondering what the relevance of the number 50 is, it’s the magic number on Amazon that opens a couple more doors to more readers. If we hit 50 reviews on Amazon, our books start appearing in more searches. Simple enough, right? Not so much.

Still… that’s what I’m aiming for in regards to any of my books: 50 reviews. 

For some context, take into account that I published Only Human in 2013 digitally and have been selling physical copies since 2014. In that time, I’ve sold around 300-400 copies online in total. Might be more, but not sure. From all those sales, I’ve gotten 30 reviews and that’s actually a great percentage. Still, I do my best to earn those extra 20 reviews, even if they’re bad, because I know every review helps. I write about it once in a while, but I try not to pester because people have enough on their plates with their day-to-day lives. I also ask, because I’ve made it a habit to review everything I read. I do that for a couple of reasons. First off, to help others. Secondly, because it helps with retention and reading a review I can remember a LOT of what I’ve read. 

When it comes to music, I may enjoy listening to things online, but I also share videos and tell people about new music, and when I really like something I buy the album, even in this age of streaming. The same with restaurants and I’m pending to write a lot of reviews to help out the places I love once this Corona Times pass. For me, it’s all about sharing the things I enjoy and giving a heads up about the good and the not so good. Some people write reviews just to be catty and nasty and although I see the entertainment value, I’ve only dropped one scathing review of one book because I had it recommended constantly at Borders, in Barnes & Noble, and other websites and when I read it, it was pretty awful. Since then, it’s not to say I haven’t left bad reviews, but I’ve desisted from spilling the tea for entertainment’s sake. It’s not to say you shouldn’t do this, but I’ve stopped seeing value in that approach.

Still, beyond sharing the wealth, I know the difference a review can make. I’ve known to be having a horrendous day only to be greeted with the wonderful surprise of a review, or someone who shared one of my vids or random posts on social media, or a comment, or a thank you note, or a picture with an Estrada Crate, or a shout out, or a mention, or an invitation to a podcast or live panel, or countless other generous things and I feel the need to pay it forward and to also show people I care about their work, their passions, and their dreams. 

Does a review take much time? It actually totally depends on you. Want to dive in depth to the next level? Bring it. Want to leave a one-line review? That also works. Do you think the book sucked? Then give it a 1-star review. Seriously, don’t feel bad and let her rip because if you do, even if it brings the average down, it brings the total review count up and in some way, it still helps. As for the 40… I’ll be turning forty this coming August 13^th and a boy can always dream, can’t he? So what say you, care to share a dream even in these peculiar times? 

As always, a pleasure to have you in this nook of my hyperactive mind.

Peace, love, and maki rolls

Ps: here's the link to Only Human. Cheers

https://smile.amazon.com/Only-Human-Cycle-Book-ebook/dp/B00COMVDY4/

Cheers to support and surprises

I’ve been an indie author now for 6 years and if I’ve learned anything, it’s that support doesn’t come from where you expect it.

Some people might be tempted into thinking that if they have 600 friends on facebook, at least 10 will read their book. Although some people have an overwhelmingly large support base from people they know, this isn’t necessarily the case for most people. In actuality, having anyone you know read you is more challenging than you can imagine. This could be for a couple of reasons, but one of the main ones is that people are unaware of the power that they have or the difference they can make. On the one hand, getting anyone to read your book is a challenge when you’re starting up and that anyone reads an indie author can fuel their fire more than you can imagine. Additionally, if a book has no reviews and no one talks about the book, what chance does it have for success? So in their hands, there’s plenty of power to make or break an author’s dream. 

Another thing that I’ve come to learn is that your tribe finds you, not the other way around. 

On one hand, people who know you have expectations of what you can do or on the flip side, maybe they see a disconnect between the person and the creator. People who don’t know you as a person react to you as a creator first and don’t have to bridge the two personas. The best way I can describe it is that people who know you will say something like: “remember the little people when you make it big,” and leave it at that, while someone who get to know you through your work will go out of their way to support you in ways you would have never imagined, just because they want to see you make it big. 

Friends from high school and college, co-workers, even friends are sometimes a harder sell than people who’ve never met you. I’ve been fortunate that I have friends from most of my circles that have come out to see me at events and have bought and reviewed my work, but I can’t say it’s an overwhelming majority. People know you from contexts, they know you have a career so they think that what makes your soul smile is just a hobby when it’s actually what you’d like to spend most of your time doing. In addition, there’s that bit about feeling awkward about talking about your work with some people you know. It’s not like you’re a stripper and people found out because they were having a bachelor party and saw you twerking for the weekend, but there is a learning curve in regards to feeling comfortable when talking about what you create with people that don’t know that side of you. I’ve learned that it’s not something you can force and is best when it happens organically. 

For me, it’s important to be thankful for the people who support you genuinely, who invest time in you, who honestly believe in you and how you do things, and I’ve been blessed with a lot of people who support me in countless ways. I always work hard to be extra thankful to the people who support me, who write me out of the blue to say something positive, to the people who read and review me, the people who bust my balls to write more and get cracking, the people who write me with questions about my books, and the people who inspire the best in me for the right reasons. So to all of you who are in this wonderful group, my cheers and my best to you always. 

Peace, love, and maki rolls   

Writer Events: Broadleaf Writers Association - Self-Publishing Seminar (March 16, 2019)

Some things are so obvious that we forget to do them. I’ve lived in Atlanta for almost 3 years and I hadn’t been to writer events in all this time for several reasons including life, work, and mother nature derailing plenty of plans. Still, 2019 is up and running and if you read my assessment of the year, I mentioned the word “Breakthrough” and I’m focused on finally leaving a mark in the ATL and going for it in several new ways, which includes going to these events, meeting new people, and putting myself in a proper position to learn. 

Last Saturday, March 16, Broadleaf Writers hosted a Self-Publishing seminar with the participation of Lynne Hansen, Jeff Strand, Margaret Johnson-Hodge, Bernette Sherman, Bobby Nash, and moderated by Zachary Steele, Executive Director of Broadleaf Writers. Each of these creatives brings a different aspect and perspective to the discussion and I think that was a key to why I think it was such a solid event. 

Lynne has gone from doing any cover design she could get a hold of, to focusing on her genre of choice – horror. Jeff Strand is a hybrid author with over 40 books and a cheeky sense of humor. A peculiar thing to mention is that while many people post wide, he has honed all his efforts to focus on Amazon and KDP, dropping all other channels. Margaret Johnson is not a fan of Amazon, KDP, Createspace, Ingram Spark, or traditional publishing due to past experiences with each, that definitely offers a lot of food for thought. Her approach has been to connect with local printers, buy her own ISBN numbers, and focus 100% on physical books, something I hadn’t witnessed before, but refreshing to see. Bernette Sherman is a multi-genre author, has music out on CD Baby, and goes wide with her distribution. Her take was interesting because her fiction work has been quite uphill but she’s made it work through LOTS of effort… and then her non-fiction work resonates with people so much that with NO promotion, it still sells pretty solidly. To round out the panel, there’s another hybrid author, Bobby Nash, a friendly happy-go-lucky creative who is extremely keen in finding small, mid, and large events where he takes his books and makes it work. His approach was interesting because he had novellas that went out of print, got the rights back and sells them as standalones, compilations, and hard cover compilations.  

What’s curious is that although the crew was diverse, everyone was friendly, talkative, and engaging in their own way, offering honest advice and sharing raw experiences to show people what could happen, good and bad. The event started at 9:30 and went solid until 4:30 with a lunch break in between. Tea, water, and coffee was offered, which was actually a great place to chat it up with people. Funny how water alone doesn’t cut it, but when you add tea or coffee to it, magic.  Also, during the day, all authors participated in all the panels.

In regards to what was covered in the event, I’ll post the sections and my biggest takeaway from each panel. 

1. The Choice to Self-Publish: Why You Should (or shouldn’t)

Self-publishing is not an easy road. It has great things if you’re successful but success is something you have to constantly work at. But if you have the itch, then why not? Main thing to remember is to have a back-up plan because you won’t go from zero to Rowling in one published book. 

2. How Long Will It Take? The Process of Self-Publishing

Every single person will have a different answer to this and you have to be flexible enough to find what works for you. Also, don’t jump the gun. If you think it’s not ready, make sure. One of the authors published and pulled out a fiction work 3 times before they were satisfied with the end result. 

3. Putting It All Together: Editing, Cover Design, Interior Design, and More!

Do not skip the steps. In theory you can do it all… but be honest with yourself in regards to what you can do and what you can’t do. Cutting corners helps no one and the difference between success and failure is often in the details. 

4. Sell More Books: Publicity and Marketing Before and After Publication

If you don’t promote, you will not sell. Set a budget for this, ramp up enthusiasm, and remember that you need to maintain momentum. If you lose it, you pretty much start from zero again. 

5. Something Learned, Something Shared: Self-Publishing Success Tips and Tricks

Allow yourself to make mistakes, be realistic with your goals, and set milestones so you can progress your journey. Also, celebrate the victories, big and small, and use whatever means to stay motivated. 

* * *

Now for an overview. 

From the topics covered, it showed that the seminar was designed to touch on topics for people at all points of their Writer Journey, whether you are just about to make the decision to self-publish or if you’ve already done it and are curious to learn more to see what can apply to your experience. There were about 30 people in the crowd and it allowed for everyone to be able to ask their questions and to get to know each other with whoever you hit it off. 

The price for the event was $75 and I do think it’s a very reasonable price, since a LOT of what they shared could potentially save you a LOT of money. Simply put, people sharing the mistakes they’ve faced and the scams they’ve identified is worth the price of admission. That you get to meet fellow writers, get some valuable information, and later on access to audio files from all the conferences is just a major bonus. Each speaker offered their no-nonsense 100% honest perspective and answered every question they got from the crowd. Another valuable thing was to showcase just how DIFFERENT each of our paths is and that what works for one person won’t necessarily work for another. That was key throughout the day and I think it was very helpful for people who weren’t sure how to progress or what next steps to take.

The people at Broadleaf are very lovely and I’m sure that if you have any question they’ll be more than happy to answer. They answered all of mine and I had a ton. 

Thanks for reading and if you’d like to learn about my experience with the Atlanta Writing Workshop, click here. 

Peace, love, and maki rolls.

Writer Events: The 2019 Atlanta Writing Workshop (March 9, 2019)

When you live in a big city, there will be events of all types to enjoy and Atlanta is no exception. A couple of weeks back I was able to enjoy my first writer event in the city at the Atlanta Writing Workshop, coordinated by Jessica Bell with support from the Broadleaf Writer’s Association. 

This was an all-day event that started at 9:30 AM and lasted until 5:00 PM. It consisted of Five Blocks, where each block had three simultaneous conferences occurring. So naturally, the first thing I had done is identify the conference titles that drew my attention. Below I’ll put the topics covered and will bold and underline the ones I chose. After that, I’ll talk about why I chose the conferences I did and give a brief overview.

BLOCK ONE

Getting published in Today’s World: 10 tips to Make You The Writer Agents and Publishers Want

Writing Other Worlds – a Guide to blending Setting, Plot, and Character in Science Fiction and Fantasy

How to Add Comic Relief to Your Fiction (And Make it Better)

BLOCK TWO

Pitch, Please: An Agent’s Guide To Pitches & Queries

15 Tips on How to Write Like the Pros

*Here are the main takeaways courtesy of Lydi B (Thanks so much for offering your insights!)

- Open a book with conflict, introducing characters in unique ways
- Keep dialogue short and natural (skipping hellos and goodbyes, etc. pleasantries)
- Unusual character names are more memorable

Savvy Strategies for Creating Realistic Romantic Relationships

BLOCK THREE

Writer’s Got Talent – a Page 1 Critique Fest

Another interesting series of tidbits courtesy of Lydi B: Writer's Got Talent was immensely helpful for understanding what excites agents as well as what types of mistakes make them dump your manuscript before finishing page 1.

- Strong opening sentence/paragraph that draws attention
- Get to conflict quickly, pepper in details about how later
- Don't get bogged down in details, especially environment
- Read first pages of stories in your chosen genre on Amazon to see how published authors succeeded

How to Sell a Non-Fiction Book: The 9 Musts of a Proposal

Breaking in with Picture Books

BLOCK FOUR

The 10 Principles of Building a Platform

New Southern Writing

The Fiendish Art of Crafting Suspense for Thrillers, Mysteries, and Crime (& Any Novel Really)

BLOCK FIVE

18 Frequently Asked Questions About Publishing

From A to Z: Strategies for Plotting & Pacing Tightly

How to Make your YA or MG Book Un-Put-Down-Able

BLOCK ONE: Getting published in Today’s World: 10 tips to Make You The Writer Agents and Publishers Want

Some people might be surprised I chose this as one of my seminars since I’m an indie author and do enjoy a lot about being an indie author. The reality is that I’ve heard the term hybrid author, where you publish certain things as an indie and other things as a publisher and that flexibility does appeal a lot. The reality is that being an indie author, reach is something that will be far limited when compared to traditional publishing and it’s something I’m curious to explore. This conference was offered by Brian A. Klems, author of “Oh boy, you’re having a girl.” From the get-go I have to say that Brian has great energy and honestly spoke like one of those professors in college that inspire someone to follow a path to win a Nobel Prize or something. Super nice guy, engaging, answered all questions, and he was honest… and consistent (this would be the first of many times I’d see Brian, lol). The tips he offered were sensible on several levels and my main take away is that talent might go a long way to getting an agent’s attention, but being easy to work with is absolutely golden. When you read pitch/submission guidelines, follow them. Don’t get creative, don’t try to cheat the system, play by the rules and you’ll be ahead of over half of the pack that is trying to be clever and not follow instructions.  

BLOCK TWO: Pitch, Please: An Agent’s Guide To Pitches & Queries

I have several author friends of all likes who have pitched to an agent, be it on Twitter, or through snail mail. I was curious to see what I could learn from this conference, and thanks to Caroline George, I learned a lot… almost too much, lol. She shared some stories of the weirdest submissions she’s gotten, and from riddles to incomprehensible manifesto-like queries, she hasn’t seen it all, but she’s seen a lot. Following the line of the first conference, she insisted: follow the guidelines. Be clear. Also, don’t harass and always be professional. Just those tidbits will go a LONG way to ensuring you don’t waste anyone’s time, because although Caroline does read every single submission, some take a long time simply because of how out there they are. She talked about the difference between a pitch and a query, described the agent-author relationship, and insisted on the importance of being able to talk about your WIP in 30 seconds, 3 minutes, and half an hour. Also, when you pitch, do your research and personalize it. No one likes boiler plate letters…. And agents are in fact, human. 

BLOCK THREE: How to Sell a Non-Fiction Book: The 9 Musts of a Proposal

I honestly believe most people went to the Writer’s Got Talent 1 page critique, but since I write non-fiction, it was important to me to go to the Non-Fiction conference… and who do I find, but Brian A. Klems. Once again, Brian brought an A-game in regards to energy and information and honestly opened my eyes to how different non-fiction is to fiction when it comes to pitching it. Rather than a synopsis, you include the idea and from the get-go, you NEED a logline (i.e. a one-line pitch of your work of non-fiction, who it is for, and why it can sell). For me, this particular conference put a LOT of things in perspective if I also want to try my hand at non-fiction (and we all know I do, because why not?) Main take away is that for non-fiction, you don’t need a finished manuscript, you just need an idea that knocks it out of the park. Also, memoirs are more fiction than non-fiction so if you’re thinking of a memoir, you’ll need to write all of it before pitching. And one last tidbit, becoming an expert in an area and engaging people on that topic on your author platform will be invaluable. 

BLOCK FOUR: The 10 Principles of Building a Platform

I chose this conference because I honestly wanted to know if what I’m doing online is on the right path. I do a lot of things to try and have a positive impact but there are recurring themes: socks, tea, cheeky humor, and of course, bananas. Also, guess who was giving this conference. :) Once again Brian offered some great and practical information, a lot of which I’ll be implementing. My main takeaway here, commit to platforms, be consistent, and engage. If you try to do too many things, you won’t find your audience. 

BLOCK FIVE: 18 Frequently Asked Questions About Publishing

For my last conference, I wanted to get more info on publishing because I’m genuinely curious. And once again, the Energizer bunny known as Brian A. Klems was offering this conference. I make a point to highlight Brian’s energy for several reasons. A. His energy never wavered in any conference. B. He does this without the aid of caffeine. C. He might repeat some points from his Writer Journey, but at NO point was he redundant or even remotely boring. To be honest, Brian gave a hell of an example of professionalism as a public speaker. He made such a great impression on me, I gifted him a book but more geared toward his 3 daughters. Sure, I had copies of my non-fiction books with me, but I wanted to thank him by thanking his daughters. I don’t mean to digress, but honestly, if you see a conference with him in town, give it a chance. I think he has a lot of knowledge to share and a very kind heart, and I’m all for supporting that. As for his conference, solid again. He recommends to query multiple agents, always be working on something and when you pitch something, always have something else you’re working on. I’m ridiculously oversimplifying what he offered, but re-read that last sentence… each point… and apply it. It makes a LOT of sense and offered a LOT of food for thought. 

So that was my overview of what I watched, but if anyone reads this that saw any of the other conferences, and you’d like to offer your perspective and some info on those other conference, feel free to writer a comment or reach out to me on any social media to offer a more comprehensive overview of this event. For me, it was pricey but I think I got a lot from it, though that will ALWAYS be up to you. Please remember, being at an event will not guarantee you anything. You either pay attention, engage, ask questions, or are just a passer-by. The choice is yours, but I think there’s a lot to gain from the experience and think all the conferences offered a lot of information that was new to me, and I’ve been writing and checking out information since 2014, so there’s also that. 

In case you’re curious, here’s a list of the price for the event and the other things you could add on:

$189 — EARLY BIRD base price for registration to the 2019 ATLWW

Add $29 — 10-minute one-on-one meeting with any of our literary agents or editors in attendance. 

Add $69 — for an in-depth, personal critique of your one-page query letter from Brian Klems, one of the day’s instructors. 

Add $89 — for an in-depth personal critique of the first 10 pages of your novel. 

 * * *

I’d love to hear from other people who attended the event and people who went all in with the add-ons to hear your experience. I honestly think that sharing experiences will benefit us all. I’m also very happy to have met and interacted with Lydia Boatright, J Brice Odom, Madhav Mathur, Matt Ward, Karen D. Murphy and another Matt whose last name I simply can’t remember lol, which brings me to my last point… Take business cards and exchange with fellow authors at these events. You never know who you’ll meet that’ll become a lifelong writer friend. 

Thanks for reading and if you’d like to read a bit about the other writer event I went to during March, check out my recap of the Self-Publishing Seminar hosted by the Broadleaf Writers Association by clicking here. 

Peace, love, and maki rolls

Don’t tell me I don’t try

When it comes to my Writer Journey, there are a lot of things you can say. Some things I could have done better, other times I could have released things more organized, but at the very least, no one can say that I don’t try different things, that I don’t give well over my 100%, and that I don’t throw caution to the wind and go for it. 

Some people are fortunate enough to get an easy ride, a contact, a mentor with connections, and countless other things. I’m not saying everyone gets spoon-fed to success but a lot of people do get a break and that's great for them and power to anyone whose gotten that help. It makes a hell of a difference, I'm sure. For me, any success I’ve achieved is thanks to the generosity of people who read me, friends and family who push / motivate / read / review / motivate me, and for me saying what the hell and finding out if I can do X or Y thing rather than wallow, wonder, and remain idle. A lot has been far from neat and easy. Everything has been with time, effort, and money and although it can be frustrating at times, I'm proud of what I've achieved because it's been mostly through my own volition. No easy rides. No short cuts. 

I’ve been asked how I got events at Libros AC in Santurce, The Poet’s Passage in Old San Juan, and The Bookmark at San Patricio Plaza (all locales in Puerto Rico). Answer? I walked up to someone at a register, asked for the manager, and found out if I could do an event. I left them a card, asked for a contact, and followed up. That’s three events I got just for asking although it has to be said that this hasn’t always worked, by the way. I tried to do the same at Librería Norberto González in Plaza las Américas, spoke with 3 people on the phone, emailed two people, and unfortunately wasn’t able to schedule an event or even get my books in the store. I've also not been able to get a response from Barnes and Noble here stateside, but I'll keep writing, asking, calling, and doing my best.

In regards to getting my books in stores, Libros AC and The Bookmark were the only ones that agreed to have my books on there and it was because I asked, I took the product to the store, and I did whatever was asked of me to make that happen. Mind you, having an inventory at both stores and getting consignment payments was also a challenge. As an indie author, you dream about getting your books in a store, but after you do, there’s more work to be done. I had to send people to the stores to ask for my books… people did, because people rock that way… and they were told I was not in stock…. Yet when I visited, there were my books. Sure, they were at the bottom shelf treated like expired generic cereal, but there they were. I organized the shelf so that all the books were visible. Not mine over others, but all equal… something apparently uncommon. I even went to el Festival de la Palabra at el Paseo de La Princesa in Old San Juan representing one of those book stores. They let me be there 2 ½-3 hours. I sold 8 books. 3 were mine, the other 5 were other books available in the exhibitor. Maybe it’s that mom and my grandfather had a store, but I felt a need to sell something if not my own and to me, any book was game. I would have liked if it were mine, but I offered information on other books and even sold a book on hamburgers (a sizzling read, I'm sure). I treated all the books equal even if I love mine way more, because to me it’s the right thing to do. The other two people in the tent sold 2 books during my time there (but that’s another topic altogether). My assessment was that their sales force might have lacked focus even though they were kind enough to help if you asked, but they were more interested in selling books that were easy to sell than making a concerted effort to sell any book and get great books to readers of all genres. So I decided to pull my books from those stores, which offered me the delightful experience of learning to keep my cool when I was told that either I picked up my books by a certain day or they would toss them. 

Most recently I had my books on Libros 787, a Puerto Rican website dedicated to promoting Puerto Rican literature worldwide. When I got on the site, they were kind enough to do a piece where they mentioned my bilingual collection Twenty Veinte. It was nice to have some type of exposure but I do believe that having the website exclusively in Spanish hurt my ability to sell books since I predominantly write in English. Not only that, but when I began supporting the site, I’d get likes on my posts, retweets, and even shares. I even did a demo of electronic music to encourage people to buy on the site, but that didn’t work to drive sales. (I’ll be offering this later in the year, but more news on that soon). I also wrote the descriptive for my latest book, Given to Fly, in Spanish to see if it could help sales on Libros 787 and drive traffic, but the descriptive uploaded was the English one and I only sold a couple of copies. I was in Puerto Rico for two weeks and even asked if there was any chance to say hello to people from the company and possibly do an interview on their live shows to try something new or at least say hi. Didn’t get a response for that but hey, you can’t get a "yes" for everything or even an acknowledgment. I know that and I’ve always known that. Still, I tried. I always do my best, and always try because I always prefer to find out rather than wonder. Recently, Libros 787 changed their policy and to carry your books, you’ll get charged an amount for storage and shipping, plus you’d be limited to a certain amount of titles available on the site, both measures I understand but that would eat into any profit I make and limit me, and I'll never be about limiting myself. So between the combination of lack of results and feeling a disconnect with their business, it led me to pull my books from that website. 

Also, people might question why I am naming names and saying the exact places where I've had my experiences even if they were not positive. For me, I'm big on accountability and on being honest and rather than beat around a bush, I'd rather tell people my experiences in places, the real experience. Not just the frosting and the good bits, but everything so people have a clear image of the effort it takes in case they want to go for it. My intention is never to deter anyone from their dreams, but I'll never BS you and say everything is an easy ride. My dream is to dedicate my life to writing and creating and I will always keep pushing because I believe in my work, I love writing, and I think I have interesting stories and writes to share. I'm also for positivity but sometimes you need to be clear, to thank people who have been there for you, to businesses who gave you a chance, and to let people know when things don't work out to avoid surprises. I used to always expect the worse and life has taught me that's a foolish way to live, but it's also foolish to think it's all sunshine and flowers. There's challenges in the road and I'm happy to tell anyone about my experiences without tearing anyone down. 

You see, that’s the thing about books. Even if it’s a passion, at the end of the day, it’s still a business, and if you don’t sell, then you have to try something else… and like I said, I’m always up for trying something new. Mind you, I’m not saying any of these businesses were particularly mean and I actually do wish them much success. Didn't like the whole prospect of tossing my books or the tone of that communication in that particular instance, but at the end of the day, it's a business and I wasn't helping their business as much as they needed it to be worth their while. But it’s like a friendship, you can’t be the only one investing in it and expect things to work out.

I’ve been asked how I got into the Puerto Rico Comic Con and the answer is this: the same as everyone else. I applied for an exhibitor, wished for the best, paid for a booth, and got it. The event coordinators have always been extremely kind, supportive, and helped me to get more exposure when it’s possible. They’ve always made sure all is well with me and my booth, which is why I thoroughly encourage people to attend as a fan or an exhibitor. They go all out with their event and I’m proud that it is by far my best event. People who go to the PRCC are inquisitive, they love to talk books, and they’ve given me a chance to get on their bookshelves... and  when it comes down to it… that’s all I ever want. A chance. Will I always get the best results? Not necessarily. Sometimes I fail. A lot of times actually. Sometimes I sprain my back pushing and the needle doesn’t budge… but sometimes I do connect. Sometimes I succeed. And that’s because of three things… always giving my best, always going forward, and the kindness of every reader. 

So like my 2019 mantra says, forward is the way to go… and I thank you for joining me on this ride. It's bumpy, but with good company, any ride can feel like smooth sailing or at least can be fun.

Peace, love, and maki rolls