Author Q&A on Goodreads.com

Okay folks, here's the scoop on my Q&A for Goodreads. The Q&A never took off, (ooohh, big surprise) however, over 500 readers signed up and requested a free copy of my novel. Not bad. I've only got 3 books to give away so I'll have to post it again to give others a chance to win. Best of all, I've made some very good friends along the way.

Q&A's are tough because a lot of people are not brave enough to ask questions for fear of sounding silly or whatever. Sometimes, they're just not comfortable with the author, especially if they look so mean in their Bio photo (like me) but I didn't want to change it. I like looking mean.

Anyway, aside from that, I think Goodreads needs to redefine their Q&A features so that authors get better and more exclusive exposure. The way it's set up now, it's nothing more than a Q&A Group the Author forms, which is too short a notice unless you already have a big following with another Group that will allow you to promote the Q&Q Group. It just doesn't work like it should. And I'm comparing Goodreads with LibraryThing's Author Chats which they promote with a special Author Chat page, including the author's photo and links to the Author Chat with dates for the chat, and so forth. This is far more effective and I'm sure will yield some interesting questions. At least I expect it too. But unless one is a famous author, nobody cares about asking you anything. It's not about the questions, as much as it is about making a connection with a "celebrity". (Yeah, I'm screwed.)

As far as the advertising on Goodreads, forget it. I spent $60 for an ad that is nothing more than a cover shot with a book description, which links to the author's website. (You get what you pay for, right?) Not very effective at all. The so-called ads don't look like advertising, which is what people expect to see. Advertising promo's, not a list of books. Big difference. Either way, it was a test, as all advertising is and for me, it doesn't work, just like I knew it wouldn't. You may have better luck. Who knows? Good placement also depends on how much one is willing to spend per click, and there are only 2 prime spots to feature the books though. I'm going to up my per click price and see what happens, but I don't think it will make much difference since the premium space is a list just the same.

I like an ad to look like an ad. With a headline and body copy and an offer of some kind. It attracts readers since they're always on the lookout for a bargain or something new. I'll make suggestions to the Goodreads staff and see what they come up with.

My "book giveaway" ends this Friday 14th and hopefully I'll get some reviews in exchange for the free book. That's the deal, sort of. The reviews are not guaranteed. Ufah! I thought this was a good deal? Well it is in many ways. It's all about exposure and credibility at this point. Sales are yet to pick up. It'll take a lot more promos and more time to get things rolling.

I did get a few good comments about the book and that's encouraging, so I need to connect with many more readers within the genre.

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A lot going on with my book promos and I'll keep you posted. I'm having a great time! My LibraryThing Author Chat starts on September 1-11th. I've also posted my book as a giveaway there and so far over 240 people have requsted it. I think I'll switch my author photo to something dorky. That just might help.

Click My Lit

With a name (anagram) like that, what else do you need? Well, for starters, a gorgeous face to go with it. Meet Erin, a very savvy and witty red-head with a great sense of humor and altruistic tendencies. (easy now) She likes to promote self-published authors on her Blog ClickMyLit. I peeped (forgive me, but what other word can go with "tweets") her Tweets (d.e. not intentional) and just couldn't resist finding out more about the blog and who was behind it. She's a sweetheart, check out her Blog and say hello. And if you have a book to promote, she just might feature it on CML.

Just let her know that ProseFreak sent you, you hear me. (That last part is an old expression from the Barrio. Roll with it folks, it's all I got for now.)

Jeff Bezos - Is He Money Hungry?

And the answer to that would be a huge, resounding, neon flashing in gigantic red letters, YES! You bet he is. Not only is Bezos money hungry, but he aspires to become the richest and most powerful man in the whole wide world. Something like the Sultan of Brunei, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffet all rolled into one. What will he do with all this power and wealth BTW? Well, he’ll try to promote and sell shiploads of Kindles, of course.


You know, don’t ask me, but for some reason, Jeff Bezos thinks that the Kindle is the best contraption known to humankind. Don’t get me wrong, I think the Kindle is a good idea, but can you put some color into the damn thing for crying out loud? Now that would be ground-breaking! A new technology that would add full color, maybe even high def to the B&W Kindle and still cost only about $300 a piece. When you get to that milestone Mr. Bezos, I’ll by half a dozen Kindles and praise you from here till Kingdom come. Meanwhile, I’m not falling for it so forget it!


Okay, okay, what am I so huffed about? Oh, nothing really, just want to pick on Jeff Bezos, he’s such an easy target plus I hate the stupid Kindle too. Sue me Bezos, I could use the publicity, and I’d be glad to hand over the only piece of property I have left to my name, which happens to be this cheap-ass Gateway laptop that has a broken hinge BTW. You can have this beauty and revel in its splendor all day long, unless I fling it across the room and smash it to tiny pieces before the courts award it to you. Now that’s hilarious, if I say so myself. Laugh Jeff, it’s a joke!
All right, let me get to the real problem folks. First, I was born. Then, I was born again. But as Huck Finn would say, ‘I didn’t see nothin’ to it, so I let it go.’ Not true, but it sounds good right about now.


Jeff Bezos, WTF is going on with Amazon.com (USA) ? For the love of God, I can even log on to Amazon in Japan, Amazon.ca, Amazon.uk and every other Amazon on the planet, except the one I really need to log onto. Sure, could be my cheap-ass laptop, but I doubt it. Hey, I’m now buying from B&N, Target, and others. Check my purchasing stats for Amazon, they’re down to zero for the past month. You’ve just lost a customer Bezos. Is that what you really want? And to top it off, I couldn’t enter the godforsaken Amazon Ad Contest for the chance to win $20,000 worth of Amazon Gift Cards. Wow-wee,what a gyp!


Here’s the basis of my title for this Post. You better believe Bezos is money hungry folks. Lord forbid he gives away $20,000 precious American dollars with no strings attached. No way, he wants his money back! Hard to believe, but so true. This is shameful! Bezos, have a heart brother. You’re a billionaire many times over. Can’t you spare 2 cents? I pity the poor homeless!

Alberto R.Arias Author Chat on Goodreads.com

Hey folks, I'm back, feeling great and busy as ever. I didn't expect to be away for so long but I'm finally over 2 big hurdles (2 major surgeries) and I hope to recover and literally be back on my feet within the next 6 months or less. It's hard to believe that a hip replacement is worse than open heart surgery, but it is. Still on the pain train but dealing with it.

Okay, here's what's going on. I'll be available for a Q&A and Author Chat on Goodreads.com starting next Saturday morning, August 1st-15th. The novel is also available as a Giveaway and will appear in the Book Giveaway starting August 1st. Request the Book here for your chance to win it or any other book you might be interested in: Good luck! Book Giveaway. (I also have another talk scheduled for September 1st on LibraryThing.com)

If you'd like to join me next Saturday, click on the title above and that will link you to the Goodreads.com website where you can let me know if you can participate or not. I'm also testing some advertising on this website. I'll let you know the results next month. If it's a good place to promote you might want to check it out. So far I don't see any results of any kind but that could change once the book giveaway begins promoting it. I doubt it though.

Enter to Win a Free Copy of DFB. Wow wee Mama! Uhaaaaw! (Geeky thumbs up)

You can also enter for a chance to win a free copy of the novel during this scheduled chat period. You can increase your chances of winning if you enter another DFB Book Giveaway on LibraryThing.com too.

Here's the link for the LT DFB Book Giveaway: http://www.librarything.com/er/giveaway/list

I hope to meet you for the Chat next Saturday up until the 15th. Any and all questions are fair game. You can ask me anything about the novel that you've been curious about or anything about marketing, writing, graphic design, whatever you want. If you know anything about me, it's that I will make it interesting and fun and it will be time well spent.

Check out my EVENTS page for some of my new pix. I'm suppossed to be talking up a storm. Not sure if that comes across or not but I tried not getting caught making an awkward face. Come to think of it, I think I look a little like Cameron Crowe if I had longer hair. (I'm sure one of us is insulted.) He directed Vanilla Sky and Almost Famous, which BTW are two of my favorite films. My kind of Director.

Here's the link to the pix: http://www.adeathforbeauty.com/events.html

See you on Saturday or beyond. Yeah, I'll be there, don't you chicken out!

Alberto

BTW, I have a feeling I'm going to be talking to myself for most of those chat days online since Goodreads.com doesn't promote the Book Giveaway's in advance of the Giveaway date like LibraryThingy does, where I already have 150 requests for the novel with over a month to go before the Chat begins on September 1st. By the time the Chat starts, hundreds of people will already be familiar with the book and more likely to discuss it online. Then again who knows, it may be a cricket festival after all.

Either way I'll survive at least until the next gorgeous sunrise dawns over the Yunque Mountains in sunny Puerto Rico. It's always like a dream come true.

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BTW, next Monday I'll be Posting an ad I put together for the Amazon Ad Contest, which I've been unable to uplaod and enter into the contest because my computer has some sort of virus and Amazon happens to be the only website on the planet it won't load up. (A coincidence? Please!) I can log onto Amazon.ca and Amazon.uk, even Amazon in Japan! But Amazon in USA, no can do folks. That may never happen again in my lifetime. I'm now ordering books from B&N and Target.com instead.

Come on back and check out my 30 second Amazon ad next Monday. I don't think it would have won anyway for too many reasons, and It's not LOL funny, but I think it'll put a smile on your face. Poor Frankenstein, he's in trouble again folks. You'll see what I mean.

The Secrets of Impulse Purchases

Are you using them?

A few weeks ago, I posted an article and mentioned impulse buying. It’s an important topic I’d like to expand on. But why so much importance on impulse buying? Because, most of the time this is how sales are made. How many times have you not bought a product you really liked because you didn’t have enough information about the product to justify its price, or maybe you were interrupted in the sales process and abandoned the shopping cart, especially when you found out the so-called shipping and handling charge was too high? Or maybe the product presentation was so boring and so lacking in emotion, that you quickly passed on it because it didn’t move you. Maybe you were in a hurry for whatever reason, didn’t order and then forgot all about it five seconds later, forever.

There are a number of legitimate reasons why prospective buyers may not, or simply refuse to buy from you.

Here are the most popular:

1. Your price is either too high or too low. Your price is too high? There’s not enough information about the product to justify its price. And that includes the shipping and handling. What am I getting for $16.95 plus S&H? Is this book worth it or am I getting ripped off? Your price is too low? How can any price be too low? It’s too low when it’s so low that it says: This product is probably damaged and therefore this is why it is dirt cheap. Damaged how? Physically damaged, broken or torn? As far as books go, is the written content inferior? The printing and construction of the book shabby quality? Will it fall apart as I turn the pages? You get the idea.

2. Your credentials are shaky. Who is this guy or gal? What’s their expertise? How much experience do they have in their field? What makes them an authority on this subject? If it’s a novel, what qualifies them as a competent writer? What else have they written that proves they can interest me with a meaningful 400 page story? A story that will add something valuable to my life.

3. The presentation of your product is lame and unexciting. It’s boring and uninspiring. It’s lifeless and meaningless.

4. You’re trying too hard to sell it. You’re too pushy. It’s a hard sell. Something must be rotten in Denmark.

5. You’re not using any photos or videos of yourself. There’s no face to attach to your product. Do you have something to hide? Is this a scam?

6. They don’t like what you have to sell, regardless of your offer.

Okay, we’ll leave it at that. There are other factors but these are the most responsible and the most prevalent for losing a sale, or at least the thought of buying from you. You must realize that selling your book is an uphill battle, but you can level the ground by removing many of the obstacles that block a potential buyer’s way. Above, I’ve listed seven reasons why potential customers may not buy your product. Here’s how to overcome all those objections:

1. Pricing. If you’re not sure how to price your book, just take a look at the prices of similar books in your genre. You want the price of your book to be comparable to those. A little higher or maybe a little lower, but not by much, or the same price will do. Of course you must be able to make a profit at whatever price you set. This will also determine your price and sometimes that may put you out of the running if it’s much higher than other similar books. If so, you’re going to have to re-evaluate the company you’re doing business with. Find another with lower prices so you can mark up your book according to its retail price in the marketplace.

2. Who are you? Do you have some sort of Platform, whether political, societal or in the entertainment industry. If not, what kinds of issues do you stand for now with your book? What are you offering in exchange for trust? What are you promising in your book? A better life? A fulfilling revelation or story that will enhance their life in a meaningful way. What’s in it for them? Let them know with sincerity, passion and conviction.

3. For the love of God, put some emotion into your presentation. How does one go about doing that? Easy, you tie your all-important message, your hook, with relevant music. Not just any music, but music that inspires and moves people to react and take action. You put a lot of heart and soul into your presentation. People can feel it if it’s sincere and heartfelt and most likely they will respond to it.

4. You’re desperate and come across as pushy. You want people to buy your product without giving them a reason to buy it in the first place. You use the word BUY too much, an instant turn-off. You’ve placed Buy Buttons all over the place with red flashing arrows (good Lord). Stop trying to sell and start trying to introduce your product by featuring it in a way that seems useful and meaningful to the prospect. Show it off as large as you can without blowing people away with a huge image they have to back away from. Keep your presentation simple but interesting. Present, don’t sell.

5. Can people see you? Do they know who they’re about to do business with? What about you? Are you trustworthy? Are your photos or videos interesting and assertive, candid? This doesn’t mean you have to smile in every shot, but you must play the part and come across as legitimate and trustworthy. It’s not always easy to get the right shot, but keep trying until you do. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and when it comes to helping you sell your book, this is truer than ever.

6. Now, if people just don’t like what you have to offer, then maybe they’re in the wrong place. Not much you can do there except adjust your keywords for Search Engine Optimization. Maybe folks are landing on your homepage by accident, because of irrelevant keywords and then quickly back out. Then again, search engines are not perfect either.

So what does any of this have to do with impulse buying and how do you encourage people to buy on impulse? Glad you asked:

1. Present your novel in such an irresistible way that people want to learn more about it. You can’t tell too much. This is the biggest mistake most people make. Stop trying to tell the whole story in one fell swoop. Leave something to their imagination. Tease them, make them curious, motivate them and show what’s in it for them right away. You can do that with the right title, something short (one word is best) and memorable. You must use the right artwork. Something that is thematic to the story or something that will entice them to ask “What’s this all about, what does that mean, why do they show this and not that?”

Give people more reasons than they know what to do with to buy your book. Yes it’s beautiful, yes it’s priced right, yes they trust you, yes they want it, but how do they get it, what’s keeping them from buying it, why should they buy it now?

Because they must have it now and they can’t wait to get it. Why? Because it means so much to them. Why? Because without it, their life will not be the same. Their mundane life will be missing something. Your book will feed their need for, whatever. Their need to understand, their need to be inspired, their need to learn, their need to laugh, their need to cry, their need to hear something different, bizarre, or fascinating. Take your pick, their need to “fill in the blank”.

Buyer’s needs are emotional. It is always that way and no other way. They are human, after all. Fulfill their emotions with your product. Showcase it in a way that fulfills their every desire. Reach deep into their psyche (based on demographics) and universal human needs and tap into their hot buttons then push them all. This doesn’t take force, it takes persuasion. How do you persuade? By answering as many questions about your product as you can and allowing them to come to their own decisions. Offer them more than they expect, if possible, for the same reasonable price. Give something of value away with your product if you possibly can. Make it easy for them to buy. Accept all forms of payment. In short, you must hit a home run with the bases loaded. Nothing else will do. Take no chances. Leave no stone unturned.

And remember this little gem: none of this will do you any good if your presentation falls into the wrong hands. There are plenty of wonderful books, and products out there that I have no interest in whatsoever. Why? Because they don’t hold a special emotional meaning for me and therefore, they are useless to me in all their grandeur and splendor. I can’t respond to (or buy) something that I feel has no emotional value to me. Period. You must get your message to the intended audience. How do you know who your intended audience is? You’ll know in part by instinct, in part by research, and in part by trial and error.

Most of the time, impulse purchases are the only chance you’re going to get to make a sale. People are busy, they are jaded, they’re in a hurry. Use these factors in your favor, not against you. Put together a lean and mean product presentation at the right price, in the right place, and at the right time, and see the difference it should make in sales. My definition of an Impulse Purchase is when a prospective customer is sold on your idea alone and everything else is icing on the proverbial cake. In other words, they've immediately decided that they want and must have your product, for whatever personal reason, and they want it now, and click away without a second thought. This is the ideal sales scenario. What if after they've bought your book and have second thoughts about it? Well, if they can't return it, they can always use it as a doorstop. Why should you care, you already sold it. (Oh my, how callouse. Although you should care because it hinders good word of mouth. Then again, any publicity is good publicity. Shameful.)

"Your objective is to align the moon and the stars in all their glory, insofar that they will shine upon you and your book in the most irresistible and flattering moonlight. In other words, get everything right the first time and don't look back."

Don’t keep this article a secret for fear of competition in the marketplace. Surely, it must have value to you. And it’s free. Read it again. Learn from it. Improve your marketing. Dare to share it. I just did. (Whatever.)

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I’ll be away next week but there are plenty of interesting articles you probably haven’t read before. Check out the archives to your right for more good stuff. I’ll be back soon. I bid you peace. Godspeed. (Look, they're right there -->>)

Chip Kidd--The Master of Design Disaster, and More

Meet the rock star of Book Jacket Design

If you haven’t heard of Chip Kidd, well now you will. And the only reason I learned about him was because, as a designer myself, I was curious enough to find out who designed McCarthy’s Border Trilogy book covers. Not because I liked the designs, but because I found them…odd. Not odd in a bad way, but just strange enough to make me want to look into the story behind the designer.

His oddest cover of the trilogy is the first, from All the Pretty Horses. Every time I looked at that cover on the internet, I couldn’t make out the imagery. It looked like some kind of furry, freakish Teradactile, belly-up, wanting to take a bite out of something. (I know, I need help.) Of course, the image was just not large enough to figure it out. But when I got the book, I was amazed at the composition of this image. It was, of course, the mane of a young pony and what had appeared like the beak of the Teradactile was the pony’s ears. Why couldn’t I figure that out to begin with? Good question. I think it was like one of those Rorschach Inkblot Tests. Like when you look at the Batman logo, sometimes it looks like a pair of large fangs, sometimes it looks like, well, the Batman logo. It all depends on which image you see, the negative or the positive.

Okay, you get the idea. I’m delusional. The point is, opposites attract, meaning that unlike my designs, which are more like reality taken into another dimension, Kidd’s designs, for the most part, are very abstract, unconventional, and to me, disturbing. And I mean that in the sense that they’re so unusual, they make me uncomfortable, and I’m referring to my mind’s eye, as a designer.

Kidd certainly breaks every rule in the design book, over and over again. Of course you have to know the rules in order to break them. And I think it’s safe to say that Chip Kidd does not aspire to be the next Da Vinci or Michaelangelo of the modern art world. He’s very happy being Chip Kidd, the rebel, anti designer. Have you seen Tarantino’s Death Proof? There’s an interesting comparison, right there. (BTW, Tarantino’s upcoming Inglorious Basterds is sure to become a masterpiece.)

So let’s get to the real question. How do book cover designs influence your decision to buy the book? Or do they have any influence at all? I’ve never bought a book just because of its cover, I think. Although, book covers weigh-in as far as my decision to buy certain stories. Although, as an art lover, I’ve been tempted to buy a book just because of the cover artwork. Too many to mention, though. But the story does come first. It’s just so much better if I really like the cover. It makes my buying decision so much easier. And there you have the reason behind alluring covers. They help sell stories. If I had money to burn, I suppose I would collect thousands of books just for their cover artwork, but for the most part, I don’t. There are a few exceptions that I couldn’t resist and will remain unmentioned. (Go ahead writers, burn me at the stake.)

That in no way suggests that I’m putting art over literature. Although, I will buy a book based on its cover art, even if the story is not a genre that I usually read, as long as the story has something to offer that is useful to me. That said, I’m a stickler for Literary Fiction.

So here’s the thing. Many people do buy Chip Kidd’s cover designs for the sake of the art, not so much the story. Why? Because Chip Kidd is a brand unto himself, and his artwork is collectible. Yes, his art is hideous at times, “monstrously ugly” in the words of the late John Updike, but Kidd has managed to break through the stereotypical world of design and has become an icon of sorts to those who appreciate the Avant Garde. Not a bad position to be in if you’re a graphic designer.

But not all of Kidd’s jacket designs are hideous. I especially like, Celluloid Skyline, for James Sanders, Hard Rain for Tim Riley, and Augusten Burrough’s cover for Magical Thinking, to name just three.

So who is Chip Kidd, after all? Glad you asked. He’s more than a graphic designer. He’s also a writer and a musician. (Cool music too. He might have missed hi real calling—so far.)

Bottom line: Chip Kidd is a brave man. Check out this hilarious video to see what I mean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cChkIpYAvO0

Here’ his website: http://www.goodisdead.com/

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So What's going on for next Monday? I'm delving into one of my favorite topics, Impulse Buying (yes, I'm preaching to the choir again) only this time I'll talk about another aspect about buying decisions that also influences the impulse purchase and how you can apply it to marketing your book. See you then.

Who the heck is Jerry D. Simmons

Find out right now.

 Last week I had mentioned something about a link to a website, which I highly regard as a place for accurate information about the Publishing Industry and how to get your books published. If you’re thinking about self-publishing or just trying to find a way to get your books through the grinding wheels of the publishing gatekeepers, go here: 

http://www.writersreaders.com/freearticles.php 

You’ll learn the nuts and bolts, in a real world scenario, on how to go about it with less frustration. Jerry D. Simmons (author and former executive with The Time Warner Book Group) puts out plenty of good information that should steer you in the right direction. His most recent book, titled: What Writers Need to Know About Publishing, is featured throughout.

 

What I like about this website is that Simmons doesn’t sugarcoat anything. He gives you the cold, hard facts and pulls no punches (any more clichés?). Once you get through that website, he also has another website, which is geared more towards promoting yourself and your books. Here’s the link: www.nothingbinding.com. I have an author’s page on this site and there’s a lot you can participate in, such as writing book reviews and getting your own book reviewed. Although, let me say that I had emailed one of the reviewers about reviewing my book and never got a response from him. I suppose he was swamped with reviews, so I just left that alone. I’m sure that with a little more determination I can get my book reviewed, I just don’t have the time any more.

 

Either way, you’ll want to check out these very generous and informative sites from someone who knows publishing from the inside and is willing to share his knowledge and expertise. Thank you, Jerry D. Simmons.

Now you know.

 

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In next Monday’s Post I’m going to delve into the world of cover design. A topic that, as a graphic designer, is very near and dear to me.

 

The Mystery Question: Which book cover designer has earned his place in the world of book design as an “anti-designer” (my phrase). A designer whose designs John Updike had described as “monstrously ugly.” I’m sure you know some of his covers, and next week I’ll put a name and a face to the man behind the book cover design controversy and how he has influenced a generation of young designers. Believe me you don’t want to miss this Post. I have some funny video links to go with it too.

 

“A Death for Beauty” A Debut Novel by A.R. Arias

Okay folks, as part of my shameless self-promotion tour, I’m announcing the official publication of my debut novel, now available on Amazon.com. If you’d like to find out more about it, there’s plenty of info on this Blogspot (Duh!) and on my website, of course.

 

Let me just say that I’m glad this is over with. I mean, getting to the point of featuring my novel on Amazon. I know I have an uphill battle to promote it and get things going, but as I’ve said before, for the most part, I’ve written this novel for my children as a way to encourage them to explore literature and possibly write their own books. But of course it would be foolish to let a product sit there idle after all this work so I intend to sell as many as I can, but I won’t be devastated if I don’t.

 

I think they’ll enjoy the story whenever they’re ready for it. They don’t even know it’s published and I don’t intend to let them know until they’re much older. I realize they don’t have the time to read novels these days, especially a heavy-handed tome by their father. But it’s out there and I’m thrilled to get it done. I’ve accomplished my goal after several years of intense work and I’m on to the next thing, and whatever that is in my list of projects remains to be seen. Plenty of stuff on the backburner and if I can survive this horrendous heart surgery, I’ll be back pounding my keyboard after a much needed break from writing.

 

So, if you get a chance, check out this unusual story, set during the Civil War and it's populated with some interesting characters. The story revolves around a murder mystery, but at its core, it is really about death and life and it's filled with many relevant literary references and other motifs. I’m proud of it (depending on my mood) and I’m betting that anyone who likes this kind of story will enjoy it. I think it has a lot to offer in so many ways. Enjoy the words.

Alberto R. Arias

author, “A Death for Beauty”

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Next Monday’s Post will be short, but comes with a link to an amazing website. Whether you’re looking to self-publish or just learn about publishing in general, this is a great place to start. Come on back and check it out.

The Star-Trek Legacy

 

Who can be against it?

Last week I touched on something that I’ve been giving a lot of thought and to some of you may seem obvious, while younger generations might be clueless about this observation. The question was: What does the evening news, President Obama, and Star Trek have in common? The answer is racial integration. But, it goes much deeper than that.

 

In 1969 a writer by the name of Gene Roddenberry created a TV series, which today we know as Star Trek. A popular TV series that spawned many current movies, which have introduced younger generations to this old television series. The newest installment of Star Trek movies is out and breaking box office records, exceeding studio executive’s expectations. What is the reason for Star Trek’s mass appeal? In a word: HOPE. At least that’s what the old TV series was selling at the time and that’s what the premise of the show embraced to begin with. Everything else that followed was derived from that one premise. The hope of a continuing future beyond planet Earth, not just for white Americans, but for all races and cultures. Today’s message or motives may be different altogether, however, the inference of UNITY (Queen Latifah) still survives.

 

Roddenberry at the time found himself on the cusp of something extraordinary in historical world events. He helped break the racial barrier in America, at least, and presented the world, via his Series, a brotherhood of humanity in deep space. Not only did he foresee a bright future for the world at large, but he did so with the inclusion of a new world order, a conglomeration of race and cultures that would set a new standard for years to come.  His legacy has lived on ever since, but more importantly, it had its beginnings at a time when America in particular was barely beyond its cultural divide, which began in part with the race riots of the early sixties. Yes, a century earlier, in 1863, Abraham Lincoln declared the Emancipation Proclamation, abolishing slavery in the southern states. (President Lincoln represents the freedom embraced by our current President Obama.) Others such as, Malcom X and Dr. Martin Luther King took up the cause in the sixties, but despite their sacrifices, blacks were hardly free at all. There was still widespread segregation, which limited where blacks could go and what they could do. Where was the freedom in that?

 

Enter, Gene Roddenberry in 1969, at a time in U.S. history when race relations and disruptions, were at their peak and in desperate need of social change―at the cusp of societal evolution, in fact. Roddenberry single-handedly proposed to feature not only a woman as a lieutenant on a Starship, but a black woman at that―Lieutenant Uhura (which means “freedom” in Swahili [Uhuru]). Groundbreaking? Controversial? Almost impossible? You bet it was, but Roddenberry’s vision of a future with hope of equality, an integrated humanity, and equal rights for women, was set in motion.

 

His cast of space-bound explorers included a Russian, a Scottish, an Asian, and another species altogether, a Vulcan, by the name of Dr. Spock. (The Vulcan greeting symbolizes the letter shin, the first letter of the word Shadai, a secret Hebrew name for God.)  I believe he also featured African Americans and Hispanics, however they were not part of the main cast.  Nevertheless, his point was made and eventually well-taken by the Studios and the first to embrace his magnanimous vision was none other than NASA and MIT among many others. Yet, it was NASA who would exemplify Roddenberry’s vision by populating the Challenger with a similar “cast” of astronauts. The result? NASA’s high profile of its historic launch, which included such a diverse crew of astronauts, similar to the Starship Enterprise, set off a tsunami of societal change that has been fruitful until this day and planted a seed into the subconscious of America, which was one of the reasons President Obama was elected into office. Far-fetched you say? Is this a radical idea formed by a conspiracy theorist, or is it part of the truth?

 

I submit to you, that the collective conscience of America was finally ripe for the picking of this extraordinary President, partly because of Roddenberry’s vision set in the sixties. Many other factors of course contributed to Obama’s election, however, the number of voters who voted for this president was in fact due to the coalescence in America’s mindset, a shift in white America’s thinking―their acceptance of someone different into mainstream society and into a position of power. Not to mention their many years of guilt by association to slavery and its aftereffects. This goes beyond quotas and the NAACP, folks. We’re talking about the collective conscience of a nation in desperate need of not only change in its politics, but a shift of power to a people, a race, which they maligned for hundreds of years.

 

Let’s face it, white America is always trying to make it up to the black community for slavery. White guilt shows up everywhere. (Is there any reason why an Italian like Jay Leno always hires a black band? I think he panders to black folks and it’s insincere and self-serving. You never saw a white band on Arsenio Hall’s talk-show.) (Pull out your barf-bag right here and hurl like you mean it.) At first, the guilt grew out of fear, and still does, but now, it stems more out of commercialism and greed. White folks finally realized that black folk have money to spend and they now market exclusively to them. That “business model” has worked so well that their advertising now markets directly to every race and every culture. The result? A brisk economy fueled by more buying and spending from groups, cultures that had forever been left out of the marketing loop. Show me the money.

 

All this out of White America’s guilt and fear of black folk? Well, have you ever heard of the White Miss America Pageant, or all White universities? The White this or that? Yes, there are double standards and White America, comprised of a majority of Jewish and Irish folk, must now swallow it without as much as a peep. And they do.

 

Have you ever seen a news anchor team that did not include an Asian or a black woman? Email me when you do so we can both share this shocking event. I have yet to see it in America.

 

So what’s my problem with all this? What am I an agnostic, as Roddenberry admitted being, yet included godlike entities in many of the Star Trek shows? Am I racist? After all, I’m among the minority too.

 

What’s wrong with diversity and unity in America and beyond?

 

Nothing. Nothing at all, as long as it comes from the heart.

 

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Next week it’s all about publishing again and I’m going to point you to a website that I believe is groundbreaking in its approach to getting your book published. Good stuff.

 

Godspeed. (Guys, get your eyes back up here.)