I AM a Job Creator
Because there's zero compassion in the United States, and lots of people out of work, certain people were telling America's unemployed to "create their own jobs." I'm sure some women would have taken up prostitution, except that it's illegal. There aren't any start-up costs for that. How many businesses can you start with NOTHING? According to some people, everyone who's unemployed has at least $10,000 or more to plunge into a business.
I've hit bottom financially. When I was last unemployed, I scrambled for work. But I sure as hell didn't have $10K parked, just waiting for me to conquer America. I took whatever jobs I could, until I landed what I have now. But I'm still broke.
However, I have more time to write, and started doing just that. Not just the bitching and moaning that I do on this blog, but fiction writing. I had a few ideas, wrote them down, and not wanting to wait, I self-published them. I published my erotic fiction, Anything For Georgetown And Other Stories the same year that Fifty Shades of Grey came out. I also published another collection of short stories, Served Cold: Tales of Revenge and Redemption. That was triggered by an ex-acquaintance who had basically been shitty for me for years. She posted a nasty card on my Facebook page on my birthday, and even though I told her off royally, I couldn't let it go. So I wrote a collection of stories dealing with underdogs who got even.
I'm not the smartest person out there, but I'm not completely stupid either. I rode the coattails of Fifty Shades, which, turned out to be a publishing phenomenon. I posted blurbs on hundreds of web pages, including YouTube videos. I published excerpts on www.short-fiction.co.uk. I joined other websites to promote my fiction. And today, February 2, 2013, I got my first royalty check. Yes, it's not a whole lot. Some naysayers might ask, "and just how long did it take you to make that paltry amount?" Over a year, but then I might ask of you, "how many royalty checks have YOU received in the past year?"
I'm damn proud of the check. Yes, it's not very much, but it couldn't have come at a better time. I also had to sell some stock, and both checks came on the same day, and I just deposited them about an hour ago. While I am grateful for my jobs, I'm also grateful (and proud) that something I created--something out of my own head, has earned me some money. So take that, you so-called "job creators." I really did create something. I uploaded it to Smashwords, and that company converted it to a number of different e-book formats. A check was generated, then sent to me. I created something that hadn't existed--an idea for a story, and several stories into a book. I created a job--struggling writer, but never mind those who might sneer at the paltry sum of the check. It means I can put gas in my car this week, buy groceries, and the other stuff that one needs to survive.
There's something different about getting a check from something that you created. Whatever the amount, it's satisfying to realize that people are willing to pay for something you made. That's why I think if you can afford to support local artists, that you should. If only more people had bought the paintings of a young Austrian, Hitler might not have risen to fame as a really bad guy.
I've hit bottom financially. When I was last unemployed, I scrambled for work. But I sure as hell didn't have $10K parked, just waiting for me to conquer America. I took whatever jobs I could, until I landed what I have now. But I'm still broke.
However, I have more time to write, and started doing just that. Not just the bitching and moaning that I do on this blog, but fiction writing. I had a few ideas, wrote them down, and not wanting to wait, I self-published them. I published my erotic fiction, Anything For Georgetown And Other Stories the same year that Fifty Shades of Grey came out. I also published another collection of short stories, Served Cold: Tales of Revenge and Redemption. That was triggered by an ex-acquaintance who had basically been shitty for me for years. She posted a nasty card on my Facebook page on my birthday, and even though I told her off royally, I couldn't let it go. So I wrote a collection of stories dealing with underdogs who got even.
I'm not the smartest person out there, but I'm not completely stupid either. I rode the coattails of Fifty Shades, which, turned out to be a publishing phenomenon. I posted blurbs on hundreds of web pages, including YouTube videos. I published excerpts on www.short-fiction.co.uk. I joined other websites to promote my fiction. And today, February 2, 2013, I got my first royalty check. Yes, it's not a whole lot. Some naysayers might ask, "and just how long did it take you to make that paltry amount?" Over a year, but then I might ask of you, "how many royalty checks have YOU received in the past year?"
I'm damn proud of the check. Yes, it's not very much, but it couldn't have come at a better time. I also had to sell some stock, and both checks came on the same day, and I just deposited them about an hour ago. While I am grateful for my jobs, I'm also grateful (and proud) that something I created--something out of my own head, has earned me some money. So take that, you so-called "job creators." I really did create something. I uploaded it to Smashwords, and that company converted it to a number of different e-book formats. A check was generated, then sent to me. I created something that hadn't existed--an idea for a story, and several stories into a book. I created a job--struggling writer, but never mind those who might sneer at the paltry sum of the check. It means I can put gas in my car this week, buy groceries, and the other stuff that one needs to survive.
There's something different about getting a check from something that you created. Whatever the amount, it's satisfying to realize that people are willing to pay for something you made. That's why I think if you can afford to support local artists, that you should. If only more people had bought the paintings of a young Austrian, Hitler might not have risen to fame as a really bad guy.
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