Music Before the Money

One of the credos that stands tall with almost every writing instructor I’ve ever met is that: you don’t pay to get published. Of course, this is not the case for self-publishers who are in a different category. Self-publishing is a business with good publishers and many successful authors who are willing to market their books in place of the publishers.

I’m talking about the ones who charge you reading fees and offer to partner in your marketing for you. Most authors I’ve met do not like the marketing end. They just want to write and be published for their efforts. Unfortunately, it is becoming easier win a lottery than it is to get a publishing contract. So, these companies slip in and get you at your weakest.

I know this first-hand because, in 1995, I was given a standard contract by Commonwealth Publications, a mass-market company who did an amazing job of marketing my first book, Ice Break. However, they also ran a marketing-partnership option which I was offered and subsequently turned down. It’a a very long story but, in a nutshell, the owner, Donald Phelan, sold more partnerships (at around $5,000US a pop) than he could deliver books and the company collapsed taking many authors down with him. I never got paid for my 16,000+ sales and my books were sold off by creditors. You’ll see them bouncing around on the many used books sites.

So, as much as you want to see your words in print beware of the sharks who want to stroke your dreams.

Remember that you are a writer first and that should be your stimulus. Like this blog there are many ways to get your word out there.

When I started out performing I used to have stage fright so bad that I once hid behind a curtain at the school auditorium. We had a trio and I would always choose the most dimly-lit part of the stage. Thankfully, this did not last long but the first song of the evening is still the most important to me.What I look for before I step up on stage is the type of people in attendance. Are they sports teams; business managers; teachers; young; old? What if they are a mixture? I am luck enough (and old enough!) to have a large repertoire that includes many good starters. In a lounge setting or a warm-up for an after-dinner crowd I choose Mack the Knife. Why, because it’s a classic and, based on results, I do a good job of it. I also get to show off a decent piano solo. If I have a sports, or rowdier clientele, I may choose Hotel California because everyone likes the tune and I can introduce myself in the middle of the tune. It also calms the place down. For a dance crowd I may do one of many quick songs.

The next trick I use is to follow up the first song quickly to avoid lags which may cause me to lose the audience. It also doesn’t give any would-be hecklers an opening to build an audience of their own (although, these days, that isn’t even an issue)

My first sets are always an hour. To me, timing my sets was always low-brow. Part of my success has always been: give ‘em more. Of course my timelines have to coordinate with the person who is hiring me so none of this is written in stone.

The way you dress is also of great importance. Being anti-establishment in a corporate gig is a sure-fire way to lose you audience and future engagements. You can be anyone you want to be on stage - but not if someone else is picking up the tab.

Remember my take on an old adage: First impressions will decide how the night will go.

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful. - Buddha

For the first few years I used to watch Oprah Winfrey because it was fresh and there were a few shows on subjects relating to self-empowerment. When Dr. Phil came out he was rehashing a lot of the materila I had already taken in courses or had already read.

Though I was not an avid watcher after the intial years I did catch a commercial for a show I wanted to see. This was on gratitude and though I can’t remember the show that well I do know that she advocated writing down in a book all the things that a person had reason to be thankful. I know that my list went on for pages.

One of the days I will always remember is taking my five year-old daughter to the childrens’ hospital to remove a cist on her arm. She was cranky and didn’t like sitting in the waiting room. All of a sudden a woman came by pushing a wheel chair and my daughter stopped squirming and stared at the little boy the woman was transporting.

“Dad,” she said, not taking her eyes off the scene, “why doesn’t that little boy have hair?” The boy, around eight years-old I learned later, had leukemia and I suddenly mlooked over to my astounded daughter and realized how lucky I had been in my life. My daughter had a very operable blemish on her arm. This boy may never be a teenager and his pain and torment, not to mention that of his family, I knew was bordering intolerable.

Every morning I make it a practice to give thanks for what I have. Even on those days which I know are going to be a challenge to remain both level-headed and upbeat I give thanks. Gratitude has become an important part of my hour of power in the morning.

The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings. - Eric Hoffer