The Next Level

I kissed my daughter while she was sleeping. My family smiled with pride as my girl and I grabbed our luggage and headed for LaGuardia Airport. I was excited to be heading to Miami to claim my Book of the year award for urban fiction. When the plane took off, I reflected on everything that got me to that point.

When I first wrote “Monster” I didn’t know how it would be received. Would women hate it? Was my writing good enough? Would my friends who were part of the basis of my characters, hate it? Would it be looked at as just another “hood book”? Would more than just my friends and co-workers support it? While I had these lingering doubts, I was very happy to see that most people got the message I was trying to relay with my story. The lord knows the journey to promote it has been far from easy. Since I am self-published, in order for my book to sell, people have to know it exists. (Thanks to everyone who helped me to promote my book. You guys know who you are, and I love and appreciate you.) I, along with those that care about me, spent days, weeks, and months telling people about the book, hoping that others would give it a try. Most liked it, some didn’t, but that comes with the territory. I reached out to different reviewers and book organizations, trying my hardest to become known in the literary world. There were times when I wanted to give up. There were times when I wanted to stop writing, but I was proud of what I had created and I believed in it. It was that pride and the encouragement from those important to me that gave me the strength to continue. Time passed and I was voted as a finalist for Reader’s Favorites Book Awards. I was proud to just be named a finalist, but when I received word that I won, it was an unreal feeling for me. I thought of all the negative things that some people had said, I thought about those who laughed at the thought of me being a writer or discouraged me, and while it would be easy to want to rub it in their faces, I didn’t want to do that. The victory felt better because I was bigger than that. It was that feeling of rising past the adversity that made the victory great to me.

The next day, my girl and I headed to the Miami book fair. I was thrilled to see my book on shelves. I stood next to my novel, and people were excited and surprised to know that I was the author of the book on the shelves. The whole experience was both euphoric and humbling. Not too far from me was the author of “Beautiful Creatures” while I have a decent following, she had a following of thousands. Seeing that helped to keep me grounded and helped me to realize that I still had a ways to go. Later on that evening, I got dressed in the best outfit I could put together from Kohl’s (Lol, I told you guys I still have a ways to go, I’m not on an Armani level yet.) and headed to the awards dinner. There were tons of people, lights, cameras, and other award winners from around the world. I walked on the carpet holding the book I had written, the book that brought me here, and I smiled for the cameras. I pulled my girl in for some of the pictures with me. She deserved a lot of credit. When I vented about my fears with the book, she listened. When I spent hours writing and re-writing, reading out loud and pestering her to read it also, she was there. While she knew that 90% of the book was really about my life, she accepted it and understood that dark period of my life was what made me who I am today.

The time came to go on the stage and claim my award. The announcer called my name, read some info about my book, and placed the medal around my neck. I took more pictures, and headed for my seat. I took pictures of me with the medal and shared it with my friends and family on Facebook. Seeing so many of my friends, family, and supporters happy for my success is such a positive feeling that I cannot begin to describe it. I thought about the rejection letters from agents, I thought about some of the negative teachers that told me I wouldn’t amount to anything when I was growing up, and I thought about the people who hated that “Monster” was successful. When I had to go through those times, I hated them; but I realized that I had to endure those dramas as a means to keep me humble. All of those negative things helped me to appreciate what I was given. Before I headed to Miami for the book awards, I received a nice review from Writer’s Digests, but I did not win their book award. I was slightly disappointed, but I reminded myself that I should be grateful to have won an award, period. Many people have written books and have dedicated their lives to the craft. Most of them never win an award. Here I was going to Miami, and getting one for my first novel. I stopped myself from being greedy and thanked God again for the blessing.

So, what is the point of this blog? My point is even if people discourage you, even if you’re afraid you’re going to fail, don’t stop doing what you love. You should always believe in your work and your abilities. The point of this blog is to appreciate what you have and all the people along the way that helped you. The point of the blog is to encourage everyone to strive to not stay stagnant, to see that you can always improve, and to not become greedy with success. As we head into the New Year, I hope we can all reach the next level together.

Fire

I get asked often, “What inspires you to write? What motivates you?” There are so many answers to that question. I’ll try to explain some.

My biggest inspiration/motivation is my daughter. As a parent, I want nothing but the best for my child. I look at her as an extension of myself. I didn’t have a great childhood. My parents didn’t have a lot of money, I was insecure about myself, I lived in poverty, and I missed out on opportunities due to a lack of funds. While my childhood wasn’t the best, I had a great role model, my Mother. I watched my Mom struggle to pay bills, work two jobs, put herself through school all the way up to her doctorate, and moved us out of the bad neighborhood we lived in into a house in the suburbs. She did all of these tasks on her own. My Mother did the best she could to push for me to have better opportunities than she did. She pushed me to want more out of myself and to become the best person I could be. That is exactly what I want to do for my child. I want to instill in her that strong work ethic and will. I want her to realize that with hard work and dedication, she can do anything she puts her mind to. I want her to see how I juggle being an NYPD detective, personal trainer, Father, and author. I love her and I want to be that positive role model she looks up to like my Mother was for me. Every achievement, every award, every acknowledgement I receive, I want her to understand that I put 100% into everything I do. I pray that it pushes her to be a great person.

When I was a child, I had a teacher tell me, “You’ll never amount to anything. You’ll just be another drug-dealing thug like the rest of the people in your neighborhood.”(That’s the light version of what she really said.) I had two choices. I could’ve proven her right or proven her wrong. I chose the latter.

As an adult, I still face those who put me down and I fight to prove them wrong. For every five people who praise my books, there’s at least one who despises it. It’s those people, the ones who tell me “You can’t do it. You’ll never be good enough.” That motivates me to keep trying and to keep pushing. When I wrote my first novel “Monster” I tried to publish traditionally. Many publishers and agents believed my book was too dark. I received tons of rejection letters and I was told that my work wasn’t good enough, it didn’t have mass appeal, and it wouldn’t do well in sales. I could’ve given up, but I wanted to prove them wrong. I decided to ignore what the publishers and agents told me, and self-published. “Monster” did very well. It was on the Amazon best sellers list for a few months, is used in two high schools in NYC for their reading curriculum, and received very good reviews from credible book reviewers.

While I had those positive aspects, I also had negative ones. There were those who told me that “Monster” was nothing more than porn and smut. Some readers didn’t see the true message in my work and while it hurt (Still does), I had to understand that everyone will not like me or the topics I write about. Again, I wanted to prove those people wrong.

I entered writing competitions and I’ve won the 2013 Readers Favorite Book Award for Urban Fiction, the 2014 Beverly Hills Book Award for African American Fiction, and I was a finalist for both the 2014 International Book Awards, and the 2014 National Indie Excellence Awards. Recently, I’ve won the 2014 Readers Favorite Book Award for my latest novel “Wounded.” I’m very happy for winning the award and the reviews that came with it.



As I’ve grown as an author and matured as a man, I’ve learned through my literary journey that while turning negative things into positive ones is a good motivator, the most important motivation and inspiration comes from within. Writing to prove people wrong shouldn’t be why I write. If anything that should be a small source of my inspiration. The real reason why I write and what I can never lose consciousness of is that writing makes me happy and I believe my words can truly help people. When I receive a good review or I get an email from a reader explaining how my book helped them, that’s my real inspiration. That’s what helps to keep that “fire” burning, to encourage me to keep doing what I’m passionate about.

In conclusion, I know I still have a long ways to go in the literary world, but as long as I have the “fire” to keep pushing my limits and trying to reach as many people with my books as I can, I know I will make it. I have to continue to write outside the box and, write about topics that will make people think and change their perspectives. With hard work, I know I will continue to be successful as long as I don’t lose that FIRE.

A MOMENT TO SHARE with Ben Burgess

A MOMENT TO SHARE with Ben Burgess.

Momma said there’d be days like this

Momma said there’d be days like this

Last Friday, I knew it was going to be a shitty day. It was cloudy, I was exhausted from working long hours all week, and my allergies were kicking my ass. Despite those things, I was in a good mood. My latest novel “Wounded” was #4 on the best sellers list, and positive reviews were starting to roll in. One of my co-workers at the gym (my second job) asked if she could buy my book. I was happy. I never in a million years believed she would support it, but that happiness was cut short instantly when another co-worker said out loud “Ugh, I couldn’t even finish it. It had rape and shit with kids and I just couldn’t stomach it.” I was embarrassed, and a little angry by the comment. Apparently she didn’t get past the third page. While it was true, my story does have dark parts in it. “Wounded” is about overcoming your past and not letting it ruin and control your life. Luckily for me, the co-worker who was interested purchased the book, but I feared her mind was already tainted by the comment.I took a deep breath, calmed myself down, and went to breakfast. I tried to push the negativity of that comment out of my mind until I received a text message from a friend from my old office (my main job). The message explained that someone that I respected and thought was a friend, went on a rant when a group of women were speaking highly of my latest book. She said that while I had won some awards for my writing, they were minor awards and true literature companies do not give awards for porn. I was hurt. I thought highly of this woman, and it turned out she didn’t like me or my writing.

Already in a bad mood, I stopped by my current office to work on a project and clear my mind. My Co-worker waved at me while on the phone and told the person he was talking to that I was an author. “From the exert I read, the novel is “pure sex” but women seemed to like it.” He said. Was that how people perceived my books? Did they see it as smut or did they see the true purpose and messages that I tried to relay with my writing? He then asked me if he was right about his description of my book. I was already upset beyond belief. I told him that he needed to read the book in its entirety before thinking it was just about sex.

I was discouraged and apathetic the rest of the weekend. The reason I became an author was to make books that would move people the way I felt Richard Wright’s “Native Son” had done for me. I had a lot of soul searching to do. Is my writing style too dark? Do people view my book as smut?

Later on that day I went out to lunch with my cousin Nicole and to put it lightly, she told me to grow a pair and to have thicker skin. I needed her humorous but blunt talking to. Every day will not be a good day as a writer. There are times when the slightest comment or critique can bring us down, but it’s all part of overcoming adversity. There will always be those who are not fans of our work or will not see the message we’re trying to relay, but you can’t dwell on things you have no control over. A line I wrote in one of my book that I need to follow myself is “Every day isn’t rainbows and smiles” Sometimes as authors we need days like this to keep us humble, and to motivate us to continue evolving with our craft. There is a higher level that I want to reach, and instead of using these negative experiences as setbacks, I have to use it as motivation to push myself.

What is the purpose of this blog? To show writers and aspiring writers that we all have bad days. We all suffer through criticism (believe me I get just as much hate mail as I do fan mail) but we can’t lose focus of why we became authors in the first place. I learned an important lesson being in law enforcement. When I became a cop, I thought I was going to change the world for the better and truly make a difference. As time passed and I matured as a man and a cop, I realized that I can’t change the world entirely, but I can help change the world or at least modify the perspective of those I meet. The same rules apply to my literary career. People see things differently. While there will be those who don’t see the reasoning of my books, there will be those who understand and love them. Those that love them are the ones I write for and appreciate and they will get me through the tough days                                                                                                    .

Supporting Other Authors

Sometimes we as authors can be selfish. We promote our own work, begging our family and friends to support our books, but when we see other author going through the grind we fail to support them. Could it be because we are scared that they will surpass us? Are we worried that people will see that their books are better than our own? Are we just selfish and view our fellow authors as competition? In my eyes, there is room for all of us to succeed.

During this long grueling road for me struggling to make it as a writer, I’ve met some great authors. I feel to be the best, your style has to evolve. In order to do that, you have to read other authors books. Some of these authors I’ve met or spoken to in person and it’s great to get a new and different perspective on topics and problems. I’ve discovered new writers like Janelle Kahele, Kennedee Devoe, Christiana Harrell, J’son M. Lee, Christopher McGoldrick, Shatika Turner, Christine Hazel, and countless others that have pushed me to want to go further in my craft.

While some of these authors are in the same genre as I am, I never view them as a threat. If they sell more than me, if there book gains more fame and success, I applaud it. I don’t let vanity get in my way and become envious. I look at it as a personal challenge and learn from their success to obtain my own. Looking at the big picture, there is no need to view my fellow authors as my competition. As a writer, sometimes the way another author explains a topic or words their writing may resonates better with people. It is my job to observe this and learn from it. It’s in good taste and in good karma to help others succeed, so I will support other authors. Now I’m not saying that I will blindly buy every book but if I like an authors style, I will continue to purchase their books. I’m also a firm believer in supporting authors that support me. The literary world can be a hard and humbling place. If another author has the decency to purchase one of my books, I would gladly do the same.

The point of this blog is, there is enough success to go around for everyone and if I can help to raise another author up mentally, emotionally, spiritually by supporting their work, I will. We need each other. It helps to keep us motivated and to become stronger writers. I hope anyone that reads this, writer or reader, will have a more open mind when they see other authors.

P.S. my friend Janelle Kahele has just released a new novel called “Blink: The Series – Breaking Branches” She’s and indie author like myself. Here are some reviews on her new novel: 

Brief Book Description: Christia runs from a past she can’t forget. When nightmares close in, she seizes the day—or alcohol—to drown her woes. Her life is a blur, her future uncertain.Enter Michael, a man with ghosts of his own. Can these two broken souls find solace in one another, or will his desire for Christia lead to yet another broken ending?

“The writing flows effortlessly and captivates. Impressive debut.” ~Amazon reviewer M.

“Incredibly thrilling adventure. The twist that concludes the novel is genuinely staggering and intriguing.” ~Amazon reviewer Toni

Get The Book Here: http://www.amazon.com/Blink-Breaking-Branches-J-Kahele-ebook/dp/B00H7HVC9W/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1399060461&sr=1-1&keywords=blink+j+kahele Read More About the Author Here: http://janellekahele.com/

Please help to support her new novel!

Promote to stay afloat

I remember when I was publishing my first book. I fantasized about being on Oprah. I dreamt about making the New York Times Best-Sellers List, and in my head the sky was the limit. One thing I didn’t think about was…How would people discover that my book was out there? Every author has that dream of being extremely successful with their book. Everyone wants to be the next Stephenie Meyer or E.L. James. A writer can have the talent, but to make it to that next level you need more than talent alone, especially if you’re self published. If we can’t solely rely on talent, what more can we do? Promotion is highly essential to the success of a book.

Why is Twilight and 50 Shades of Grey so successful? Not only do people find their books entertaining, but they are heavily marketed and talked about. When I wrote my first book “Times Have Changed and Life is Strange” (Shameless plug-in. I know, but it serves a purpose, bare with me. LOL) I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t know what else to do besides getting my friends and family to buy it and pray that they spread the word. The first piece of advice that I can share is to have a plan. You need to know what you’re going to do besides getting your friends and family to support it. You need to know how much you are willing to spend to get the word out on your book. For me, my second time around with my first novel “Monster” (Shameless plug-in #2, I’m on a roll!!! LOL) I wanted and still want to this day to make this book super successful. I want the world to read this book, and I’m willing to pay whatever is necessary to make that happen. It was never about the money for me. To me, I believe my book can change lives and the world, and I want to see my book do that for people.

Now, getting to the important tips. One of the most effective ways to get your book known is through book reviews. Here, you have to do your research. You have to find out if the reviewer reads your genre because if you give your book to any random reviewer, chances are they will not like it and leave a less favorable review. Some will say that reviews are not important, but they are. If you see a book that is getting favorable reviews, chances are you will check it out to see what all the talk is about. While good reviews are great, you want quality reviews. YOU NEVER WANT TO PAY FOR POSITIVE REVIEWS. Take pride in your work. If you get a positive review, know that you got that review because a person was really feeling your work. Some reviewers also do interviews. I recommend doing all types of interviews. You want to get your name out there and reach as many people as you can. You never know who is reading or listening (Some reviewers are on Blogtalk Radio which is a great tool and an awesome experience) to interviews that you’re doing.
Another effective tip, search for book clubs. Book clubs are great because you can get a lot of people to read your book (and possibly leave reviews) all at once. I must warn you, not everyone in the book club may like your book. Book clubs have members with different likes and personalities. There is no guarantee that everyone will care for your book. You have to take the good with the bad. With the book clubs that I have had the pleasure of working with, I like to talk to the members of the group over skype. It allows for the book club to really get to know you and ask questions. I feel it enhances the experience for the readers. Book clubs also help with word of mouth. If lots of clubs are reading your book and enjoying it, they are going to talk( they will talk whether they like it or dislike it, but let’s think positive.)

Another effective strategy is advertising and promotion. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many promoters on Facebook, and I can honestly say if it weren’t for them constantly promoting my book throughout various groups for me, I wouldn’t have had the success I’ve had with “Monster”. Again, you have to research to find a promoter for your genre. You also have to assess to see if it’s in your budget to constantly run promotions. Facebook has millions of people on it. If you can reach a fraction of those people, then you’ll be a success which leads me to my next strategy, fan pages.

At first, I made the mistake of having an author page and a book page. While having a book page is cool, you only need the author page. The author page is beneficial because you can post info for all of your books compared to a book page where you’re only talking about one of them. An author page allows you to reach lots of people, and you can advertise certain posts to expand your reach. People like what other people like, so you want to gain lots of “likes” for your page. Post things you enjoy, post quotes, post pictures thanking your fans for the support. Show the readers who you are as a person. It is important to be active and do more than just advertise your books. You want people to see that you’re human, and not just a person looking to sell them a book. Which brings me to another helpful tool, blogging.

Some people aren’t fans of blogging. I find it cool because I feel people can see my true self in the blogs. Blogging gives me the opportunity to vent or to talk strongly about topics I’m passionate about. It’s also another way to gain fans and potential sales.

In conclusion, if you wrote a book because you planned on getting rich off it, you need to rethink your reasoning. Write a book because you need to write it. Write it because in your heart and soul you know (not think, know) that the story you have needs to be told. If everything is done correctly, with word of mouth, fan pages, blogging, promotions, interviews, family, friends, and co-worker support, etc, your book should do well. A big part of your success is YOU! Nothing is going to come easy. You have to work hard and want that success. Do what’s in your means, and make your dreams come true

Editer….I mean Editor

You’re excited! You worked so hard writing and re-writing, trying your best to make your first self-published book perfect. You read, and re-read your book a million times, combing it for errors. You’ve even gotten your best friend who got straight A’s in English class in high school to proofread it for you. You finally publish your book and then…that dreaded comment, post or review pops its ugly head. “Hey do you know you have a lot of errors in your book?” Hearing those words can drive some crazy. As authors when we hear that, we forget about how talented we are and only focus on those flaws found in the book. Those flaws can be the difference of a 5 star rating and a 3 or 4 star rating.

My first book “Times Have Changed and Life is Strange” was a poetry book that I had been working on since High School. I’ve read and performed the poems so much that everything felt perfect. I was so excited to release a book that I cut corners. I used a vanity press to publish my first book, and they claimed to do a “Professional Edit” on my book for an extra charge. In reality, all they did was spell check. Shame on me for not checking the final draft before it went to print. I relied solely on the claim that they would “edit” my book. I didn’t take the time to read it over again before it went to print. Time passed. My book was finally online for sale. I convinced everyone I knew to support my book, but then the comments came. “Did you mean to say this?” My book was filled with errors.

Now you may be asking, “If you read and performed these poems a million times, why were there so many errors?” The reason, As a writer, we know what we want to say. When reading it to people sometimes our minds are so into what we mean to say, that we overlook things. These things happen. We can read our work a million times, but sometimes we are going to miss things because our eyes can skip over things. There are ways to improve on this. First step, read your work out loud. (reading your work out loud and performing it are totally different. Read your work as if you are the reader not the story teller) Another step, repetition. You can take breaks here and there with reading it, but continue to read your work. Your story is your legacy, don’t let it get tarnished with errors.

One of the most important things you must do as an author is find a credible editor. After two rewrites for my first book, I felt I learned my lesson the second time around. I searched online for an editor. I found one and spent a lot of money. I felt with the money I paid, I would have the perfect book. Wrong! When researching an editor, it is important to make sure that they read books in your genre. I can’t speak for all, but for some of them, if they aren’t interested in your genre you could receive a half hearted job when it comes to your edit. It doesn’t stop there. There are several types of editing. There are : Line editing, developmental editing, and content editing, to name a few. When finding an editor it’s up to you to know what type of editing you are looking for, what to expect, and which editing job you are paying for. I tried to take care of everything with one shot, and find one editor to do all of the edits, (This isn’t a total bad thing, it can be done) my mistake was my first editor didn’t read my genre. There was a little bit of a culture gap, and I feel that hurt the edit. Again, we live and we learn. My book was published, and while I had received good reviews, many reviewers had explained that they had given me a 4 instead of a 5 due to my edit. It sucks, and that hurt. I found another editor to fix the flaws. This editor read my genre, and kept an open dialogue with me. He explained what needed to be changed without hurting the flow of my book or making me feel uncomfortable or stupid. (Thanks J’son.)

Whew! This is a lot. Another piece of advice, don’t let your pride blind you. You have hired an editor for a reason. Sometimes revision is necessary, and we have to swallow our pride and accept it. A good editor has been doing their job for awhile, so they have experience and see flaws that we might not see. Also, you’re not off the hook after you found your editor. The book writing process is a big one. You also must find a credible proof reader. Like the author, sometimes after reading something over and over, even the editor might miss an error or two. It’s always good to get a fresh pair of eyes to give it an additional once over. (Thanks Penelope) Lastly, you as the author should read it over once the editor and proof readers have approved it. Remember this is your legacy. Take pride in your work. If you don’t care about what you’re putting out, you can’t expect readers to care about supporting your book. Your story can be great, but if your editing is flawed, it can cost you dearly. I’ve learned this lesson, and I hope everyone reading this will learn from my mistakes. You live. You learn. You improve. You evolve.

Hurts Don’t It

As an author, I feel the greatest joy we can have is reading the review of a person that has completely understood the message that we have tried to convey with our book. To see that the hard work that you put into your writing is appreciated is a feeling that is euphoric. While it is great to have that positive review the truth is, not everyone will get the points or view your book the same way. It is inevitable; we will all receive a negative review at some point.

I remember my first negative review. I was excited and happy that I produced a book that people were really enjoying. I saw lots of positive comments and reviews, and I felt like I was on top of the world. Then that nasty review came, the dreaded 1 star review on Goodreads. I felt as if I was punched in the chest. There was no comment, or statements, just the rating. I had so many questions. I wanted to know what they hated so much about the book, and was it so bad that it deserved 1 star? It took everything in me not to personally message the person (*NOTE: NEVER EVER MESSAGE A PERSON ABOUT A REVIEW!!! Take it on the chin). Everyone is entitled to their opinion. The truth is there are different strokes for different folks.

As time went on, my book continued to do well. I was pleased with the feedback I was getting, but then I received another review. This review wasn’t terrible, but the review expressed that they just weren’t feeling it. They hated my characters. They thought my story was boring. You name it, they hated it. When you receive a harsh review like that, you feel like the person is “Calling your baby ugly.” Every book I write is a reflection of me. My first novel is an even bigger reflection because it was based off my life and experiences.

How do you deal with the stress of handling a negative review? There is no direct answer to that. Like reviewers, who have different opinions, authors have different ways that we handle stress. For me, I do a variety of things. I vent to friends (God bless those who I am close to that have to put up with my venting. If you’re reading this, I really appreciate you guys. You have no idea!) Next, I push my pride aside and try to pull out of their review anything constructive that I can use to improve my writing style. In our minds, we might feel that we are the next Hemingway, but everyone can stand improvement and as an author I feel we should always strive to evolve. We can’t let our pride blind us. Next, I try to let it go. When it comes down to it, the review is there. It happened, and there is nothing we can do about it. It’s not going to change. While it hurts, and stings, dwelling on it will only drive us crazy. Lastly, I continue to write. While a big part of me writes for the enjoyment of entertaining people, the most important reason and the basis for my writing is that I write for ME! I write because it makes me happy. It’s my stress relief and to allow someone to discourage me from doing something I love to do is to admit defeat. I’m not a quitter and I hope that any writer, author, or aspiring author who is reading this blog feels the same way about themselves.

People will look at your book in different ways. Some people will see it how you intended it to be seen, some will not. For some your book will mean the world to them, for others it will be perfect for leveling a table or stopping a door. While we have no control over how people will receive our books, we do have control over how we handle negative reviews. Remember this anagram K.I.M –G.O.I (Keep it moving – Get over it) Ben Burgess Jr.

Different Worlds?!?!

The world is slowly changing. Things that I never thought I would see in my lifetime are occurring. We have a Biracial President, and interracial dating is on the rise. While I love these new changes, and love seeing people become more open-minded when it comes to racial relations, I still have to ask the question: Are our worlds still divided when it comes to literature? Let’s be honest, culture, social and economic statuses, and our environments play a role in our taste when it comes to what we are comfortable with reading.

While these things may have an effect, are our book tastes segregated? When I was working on my first novel, I had numerous strangers read samples of my book. I wanted honest feedback to see if I had actual talent, and not just have my family and friends stroking my ego. I chose numerous people from every race to act as a beta reader for me. One thing that I didn’t want is to be labeled as “African American Fiction”. Why you may ask when I am clearly African American? The reason, I didn’t want to limit myself.

Books like 50 Shades of Gray or Twilight, aren’t labeled “White Fiction”, they are labeled as Fiction. People of all races support these books, and enjoy them, and that is what I wanted for mine. My thoughts were if I labeled myself as purely African American Fiction, I would be limiting myself to only attracting African Americans to read my book. When I wrote my novel, I intended it to be for everyone. I felt I wrote about a topic that everyone goes through. I wasn’t thinking about the color of my skin being a factor. I met an agent who read my novel, and her first impression of it was that she hated it. She didn’t sign me, but monitored me closely. I was a little discouraged, but with my fan base on Facebook, and 79 out of 80 people who beta tested it expressed that they loved it, I decided to self-publish and I have had success with doing so.

The agent was surprised by the diverse audience I seemed to have, and was a little taken back by it. She expressed that she was actually shocked that so many “white” reviewers actually enjoyed the novel. Rather than ask her why, I left that question alone because I feared what her answer would be.

Another thing that I’ve observed is my book sales. While I’m proud that my book is attracting a diverse audience, I’m still labeled as African American Fiction. 80% of my audience is still African American. When it comes to reviews, I feel that there are some Whites who have read my work and have seen the message that I was trying to convey, but there are some that have totally missed the point.

While this can happen with anyone (I know that it’s all a matter of interpretation, and I’ve had a few Black reviewers who have missed points also) I have to wonder if culture plays a part in how it’s received. Is my book not appealing to certain races because our environments, and backgrounds are too different? Are our worlds different? Is there a sort of racial segregation when it comes to literature? I question these things because I look at literature groups on social media. I’ve noticed for the most part that groups tend to stick with their races with a few other races sprinkled in (I’m not saying all. I’m saying the ones that I’ve observed. I’m not an expert, I’m merely giving my opinion.)

I saw an indication of this division when I talked to my good friend Savannah Mae. She is a member of my book group on Facebook, and is one of the few Whites who has accepted the invitation. We expressed our feelings on how interracial relationships in African American Fiction isn’t common, and we wondered if the reason for this was because African American Authors fear that they would lose fans, or hurt sales by including those types of relationships in their work.

I won’t lie, in my novel my character has interracial relationships, and it was a fear of mine when publishing the book. I wondered if people would view my character as a “Sell out” because he was sleeping with a few white women. As a new author, this is a big fear and concern. While our world is gradually changing. I wonder if in time people will be more open minded to reading cultures that are different from theirs.

What are your thoughts? Monster Ben Burgess Jr. Monster 

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