TRANSPARENCY. I HAVE SOLD 200,000 BOOKS AS OF March 28, 2004. THE FIGURES GO UP EVERY DAY. I USE AI AND AMAZON FOR CURRENT BOOK DATA. ALL THE TALK ABOUT HAVING NUMBERS SOUNDS CLOYING ENOUGH BECAUSE IT'S A LIE THEY LIVE ON. THE REALITY IS THAT THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT THEIR PRECIOUS NUMBERS. IT IS A FRONT. WHAT THEY WANT IS FOR YOU TO BE LIKE THEM. BUT A GREAT WRITER DOES NOT GATEKEEP IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM. EVER. DO NOT LET THEM EXPLOIT YOU IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE EXPLOITED. I LOVE BEING EXPLOITED. GO AHEAD. PUSH ME. SLAP MY FACE. SPIT IN MY MOUTH. SEND ME DEATH THREATS. EVERYONE ELSE DOES. IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO RECOGNIZE THAT SELLING 200,000 BOOKS MIGHT BE A NUMBER THAT COULD GO EVEN HIGHER, BUT THEY ARE NOT INTERESTED BECAUSE THEY WANT TO SQUEEZE YOU JUST TO SEE IF THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH IT.
I PROFOUNDLY DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THEY CHOOSE TO IGNORE THE VERY NUMBERS THEY WILL TELL YOU ARE IMPORTANT. I AM ALWAYS BEING TOLD TO BE SUPER NICE TO THEM. NO MATTER WHAT. I AM SUPER NICE TO THEM. BUT IF YOU SHRED MY WORK, I WILL REMEMBER YOU. I WILL REMEMBER YOU. FOREVER.
AGENTS, PUBLISHERS, AND EDITORS WILL WANT TO KNOW HOW MANY BOOKS YOU MIGHT HAVE SOLD. THIS IS ALWAYS A PART OF THE PUBLISHING EQUATION. YET, THEY REFUSE TO EVEN SPEAK WITH ME, THEY WILL NOT TAKE MY CALLS. THEY SEND ME BACK MANUSCRIPTS, SHREDDED. HOW IS IT THAT I AM NOT SUPPOSED TO FEEL THE HOSTILITY PUBLISHING SEEMS TO THRIVE ON. JUST LIKE THE INTERNET THRIVES ON CONFLICT, BOOK PUBLISHING HAS ITS OWN VERSION OF HUMILIATION, CRITICS AT YOUR FRONT DOOR, AND YOU HAVE TO TOLERATE BEING ABUSED. BEING CONDEMNED TO PUBLISHING'S BLACKLIST IS ABUSE TIMES TEN.
