Excerpts of all Russell Blake books can be found at Wattpad.com. The Geronimo Breach, Fatal Exchange and How To Sell A Gazillion.

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I was first going to write this blog about clowns, but that seemed just too creepy, because as we all know they’re usually alcoholic pedophiles and sex offenders hiding behind the makeup, red noses and oversized shoes so they can’t be easily identified by their victims.

Not that I’m encouraging stereotypes or profiling, but when I see a mid-forties man wearing face paint and working for peanuts at the circus, I’m judgmental. That doesn’t end well. Don’t even get me started on what series of wrong turns in life have you dodging elephant poop while wearing a funny hat and spraying other reprobates with seltzer. I think I’ve spent enough time heavily-medicated and at the therapist to put the obvious trauma my early run-ins with them caused behind me, but it’s still uncomfortable to go there.

So instead, I decided to do a blog on editing, and the value a good editor brings to the table for self-published authors.

Then I had a few drinks, and decided to change the topic yet again, to the topic of money.

Look, whoever said that writing was its own reward was obviously delusional in the extreme. It’s not. You can’t write your landlord a sonnet to keep a roof over your head. And the groupies aren’t anything to get excited about.

So let’s be honest. I, and most other authors, would like to see some cash for their books, assuming the work doesn’t suck a bucket of d#cks, to borrow a phrase from someone I stole that from. But then there’s that whole process where I have to write something, and then you have to be discerning enough to hear about it, and then buy and read it – although in truth, my interest in the process stops at the point you buy it. I really don’t care if you have to sit, lips moving, sounding out words to get to the end you likely won’t get anyway. I’m more concerned with the part where you pay for it.

But having said that, the process is grossly bloated. Kindle and the other eBook readers are doing away with the publishers, so that makes it more streamlined from one side, but from the other it still has drawbacks, as mentioned. So I’m thinking we can make it even more efficient by you disintermediating (that’s an erudite way of saying eliminating, and erudite’s a fancy way of saying scholarly – or close enough for our purposes) the part where I have to create something you then read, and instead, we just cut to the chase and you send me money!

I know, I know, it’s frigging brilliant. Magic, really. We do away with the entire system, and you just paypal me a few bucks so I can buy tequila and carouse with women of questionable virtue or buy black market organs to keep me fingersnapping till the wee hours.

You probably haven’t read half the books you downloaded for free on your eReader anyway, so let’s not kid around that you somehow are getting shorted on this. I actually just saved you the drama of feeling really stupid when you can’t make out half the ideas or concepts I sculpt with words, presuming you ever tried to read my work in the first place.

I recently saw a statistic (actually I just invented it, but you’ll never know the difference) that says that 81% of all eReaders have a large backlog of downloads they’ll never get to reading. That’s a huge resource drain those readers have to face. And the guilt will slowly poison their souls, as the weight of obligation crushes their spirits and creates yet more misery in their otherwise likely empty and meaningless existences.

So let’s just do away with that, and get very post-modern, and you send me money. We can eliminate the part where I become an investment banker and cheat you out of it in the markets, or a politician and tax it out of you – again, that’s inefficient. Better for both of us is you send it to me, just a little, mind you, hardly anything that will be life changing for you; but it will be a game-changer for me, I guarantee you, especially if we get some lift for the concept and millions of you send me a few bucks.

I mean, I suppose if you want to stay all medieval on me, we can stick with where I churn out a few thousand words about some hackneyed ex-covert operative who gets into improbable and poorly structured and executed pseudo-adventures written in mono-syllables, and then tack on 20K of self-congratulatory reviews and blurbs and such in exchange for your loot, but I’d much prefer if you just wing the shekels my way, and we just proceed from there. I see no downside for either of us. So that’s really best.

Just think about it, OK? Pretend I’m a starving, mewling little third world kid with flies laying larvae in my eyes while I’m sucking the water out of a mudhole to stay alive, if that makes it any easier for you. In fact, we can set up a program where you send a few bucks every month, and you’re “sponsoring” me! Change Russell’s life for only $5 a month? Christ, I’ll crank out some form thank-you letter from Sally Struthers or whatnot if that’s the only thing standing in the way. Because you can sure as hell change my life, if enough of you sign up for this.

Are you with me? Do you feel the change? Are you excited? I feel it! I feel it ENOUGH TO USE CAPSLOCK AND LOTS OF EXCLAMATIONS!!!!!!!

I know a few of you are selfish, money-grubbing misers, whose every waking moments are spent only thinking of yourselves, so I have yet an additional incentive!

I can set up a fraudulent 501c-3 if you want to write it off on your taxes – the IRS will never question $30 bucks of charitable contribution from your side, and I’ve got a beancounter who was doing Madoff’s books, so we’re golden.

If you still don’t see it, don’t make any hasty decisions. This has merit. They laughed at Ford before he invented the lightbulb, and look at how that turned out. You’d still be debating the shadows on the cave wall by burning dung patties if it hadn’t been for him. So don’t be a Luddite and stand in the way of progress. This really is the new new new thing, and you can be in on it for once, at the ground floor.

In fact, maybe the way this works is, everyone send me money, and then every week I’ll hold a contest where I give some of it away in a lump sum to those who contributed! Like 10%! Are you seeing it now? You’ll be rich!

Get back to me on this, OK? It’s for a good cause. Really. I think we can make this work for everyone.

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Comments

  1. Sat 03rd Sep 2011 at 3:39 am

    I AM FUCKING EXCITED ABOUT THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
    • Russell Blake  –  Sat 03rd Sep 2011 at 4:09 am

      Now that’s what I’m talking about. Steve Jobs. Richard Feynman. Einstein. Andrew Dice Clay. All pioneered ideas that were initially mocked, then changed the world. This is our time. These are our crossroads. Large denomination bills work fine for me, BTW.

      Reply
  2. Sat 03rd Sep 2011 at 3:03 pm

    You are hilarious! I love how you start your post with the process of starting your post! You had me laughing all the way through! I won’t be sending you a check, but I will look forward to more of your posts! (I used 4 exclamation points!) – now 5! okay I have to stop…Hahaha!

    Reply
  3. AG
    Sat 03rd Sep 2011 at 3:40 pm

    YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    YOU ARE TOO FUNNY! And awesome! I mean, brilliant, right? RIGHT?!
    Totally loved it, pimping it ouuuuut.

    Reply
  4. Sun 04th Sep 2011 at 3:43 am

    It’s a great idea, but it’s already been done.
    You can reinvent it, but you’d prolly need to go on TV. Or bury hidden messages in youtube downloads. Or hack google and have your face and bank account #flashed subliminally every time someone goes on the ‘net.
    But keep up the good work. I’m rootin’ for ya.

    Reply
    • Russell Blake  –  Sun 04th Sep 2011 at 5:09 am

      I like the way you think. I’ll get the team of Ukrainian hackers on it, and will be flying a G6 to Monte Carlo in no time…

      Reply
  5. Sun 04th Sep 2011 at 4:44 pm

    I’m glad connived me into reading your blog. This was a great read. And about books on my Kindle I’ll never read. True. Funny. Sad.

    Talk to you soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Darlene

    Reply
  6. Tue 06th Sep 2011 at 1:52 am

    I was fully entertained by your entire article and pointing my finger laughing at my girlfriend knowing she has nine pages of unread books on her kindle. You sir are brilliant. Best of luck!

    Reply
    • Russell Blake  –  Tue 06th Sep 2011 at 3:09 am

      Why thank you. Anything to build harmony between the sexes is validation of my role in the universe. Ahem. I hope the money part wasn’t lost on you…

      Reply
  7. Tue 06th Sep 2011 at 2:58 am

    Russell – how do you do it?!? I do not want to be a sycophant, but really? I have yet to read anything of yours – Fatal Exchange and The Geronimo Breach included – that wasn’t damn good. This post is right on, too. Unfortunately, you make the rest of us look bad, but fortunately, you elevate Indie authorship and the blogdom. Keep on trucking.

    Reply
    • Russell Blake  –  Tue 06th Sep 2011 at 3:10 am

      Don’t knock sycophantism. Maybe it rocks. Who knows?

      Thank you, especially for taking a chance on my work. You’ll be the intro paragraph in my next blog, so stay tuned…

      Reply
  8. Tue 13th Sep 2011 at 9:12 pm

    I’m going to have to tweet that just for the inventor of the lightbulb…Ford.

    Reply
    • Russell Blake  –  Tue 13th Sep 2011 at 9:48 pm

      Okay, it could have been Dodge, or Mr. Chrysler, but my point remains valid as it ever was.

      Reply
  9. Wed 21st Sep 2011 at 3:16 pm

    This is a hell of an idea and could change things considerably. Says me that has a book deal, but I’d be doing the same as you, if I didn’t and will be joining you if it goes down the swanny. Rock on!!!
    As ever you made me laugh my socks off. I’m still trying to find them???
    The only thing I have misgivings about; other people jumping on the same bandwagon, who can’t sling two words together that anyone wants to read and they’re out there, thinking they’re great. You’ve seen talent contests. Need I say more. I only watch them to laugh at the idiots, who think they can sing.
    Russell, this idea is great so lets hope others think so too. You;re a trailblazer and someone has to be the first to dip their toe in so Good Luck; I might be joining you.

    Reply
    • Russell Blake  –  Wed 21st Sep 2011 at 5:34 pm

      I don’t know why the blog SW moved this to this blog post when it should have gone under the new Book Promotion Boot Camp blog. I’ll look to see if I can move it back. Sorry.

      Reply
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