    
H_i_c_k_s_o_n
Newbie Poster
Username: H_i_c_k_s_o_n
Post Number: 11
Registered: 05-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, July 31, 2006 - 11:32 am: | 
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“YOU WANT FAME? WELL, FAME COSTS! AND RIGHT HERE IS WHERE YOU START PAYING…WITH SWEAT!”
DEBBIE ALLEN, FAME
June 2003, sweat pouring from my forehead as I trekked in the hot., blazing sun in Harlem, 125th Street, handing out 5000 “GHETTOHEAT®“ flyers by myself in Grant Projects on Broadway—only to have ignorant busters and chickenheads try to play me out; laughing in my face while throwing my promos onto the ground. Sweat then running down my face while picking up those same flyers, handing them out to other folks on 125th Street that afternoon; migrating all the way across to Lexington Avenue—getting rid of each flyer. Ten minutes later, jumping on the number “4” train downtown to Brooklyn—handing out 5000 more flyers on Fulton Street, wearing a Harlemade “Harlem” T-shirt, sticking out like a sore thumb; cats on the block shooting me dirty looks, wondering why I’m “reppin’” uptown in BK.
T-shirt drenched with more sweat that day, carrying ten, 42-pound boxes of “GHETTOHEAT®“ books to a local distributor, before heading cross town to do my first book signing at a “mom-n-pop” neighborhood book store; learning within the first 5 minutes that I wasn’t going to sell any books sitting at a table with my hands folded, thinking I’m cute. More sweat beads appeared, soliciting people from off the streets, convincing them to enter the bookstore to buy my book. Later that evening, sweating feverishly in front of Club Envy, handing out the remaining flyers until 4 AM that morning.
I sweated in the sweltering heat while doing a book signing on Jamaica Avenue in Queens for 10 hours with street-vendor, Massamba, as two girls nearby, started arguing over some dude, as “po-po” (the cops) ignore them, being more interested in harassing the man who double-parked his BMW, only to purchase my book for his girl. Wet with sweat, meeting and greeting many folks that day, giving hugs and handshakes to all, even to dope fiends, cleverly avoiding getting oozing pus on my hands from raw open wounds.
Sweating early the next morning while quickly dragging a pull cart packed with 100 books, racing to Greyhound’s bus depot to do two events in Philly, before rushing back to New York City to perform at a poetry open mic in Harlem at Nubian Heritage, within moments apart; finally eating breakfast at 11 PM that night. Moments later, going to every hair and nail salon straight across Flatbush Avenue that morning, still dealing with the unhealthy humidity, trying to sell books to customers while being an “unknown artist”, would definitely cause you to sweat, especially when no one cares about an unknown new jack…
“YOU WANT FAME?…”
“Hello, ladies. My name is HICKSON—“
“HICKSON?!”
“Yes, HICKSON…I’m a new author and publisher from Harlem, and I have a new book out called ‘GHETTOHEAT®’.”
“Ghetto what?”
“‘GHETTOHEAT®”’. It’s a book of poetry—“
“Poetry? (Sucks teeth with disgust) Don’t nobody up in here read no damn, poetry! Son, yo, you got that new joint by Zane?”
“Ladies, have a nice day.”
“Whatever, son!”
“WELL, FAME COSTS…”
Costs you plenty if you don’t maintain your integrity, pride and self-respect while coming up in the game, as you may even be “propositioned”…by “the powers that be”…in order to receive better recognition, the proper tools of trade, or to excel in your career faster. Fame also attracts low-life leaches who sometimes pose as writers/publishers, deceivingly trying to befriend, with goals to suck you dry like a black widow spider for your knowledge and resources, as they foolishly covert what you have.
In addition, fame costs dearly when you acquire overzealous, obsessed book-groupies and stalkers, who not only show up at most of your signings, in state and out-of-state, but ones who, no matter how well you stay tight on your game keeping a low profile, purposely not providing your business cards, phone number or address, find you…late at night…Yet you get another chance to “properly” introduce yourself to such folks: “Tazer, meet stalker, stalker, meet tazer…S-S-S-S-S-S!!!”
Doing something positive like promoting literacy worldwide also has a cost. See for yourself, the “love” that people send me:
Look you bastard, your fucking nigger ass better be gone by the time I'm done taken a shit; And when I get back, you better fucking wipe my ass you slave, Forever love,
“Crispy KKK”
7 April 2004 – Florida
I wasn’t feeling the book dawg, a book is supposed to keep the reader involved in the reading. I read a lot and I only read African American authors, this book is by far the worse book I have ever purchased. Stay positive and work on your skill.
“Anonymous”
11 May 2004 - Philadelphia
HICKSON, stop sending me your stupid shit!
“Glamour Girl”
15 June 2005 – Harlem
Standards of excellence in literary skills, like spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc. are still followed by some of us who also happen to be retired history professors. And you wonder why there is a generation gap? Some of us still respect and prize the education that we struggled to obtain that got us out of "the ghetto." That does not seem to be the case in the way that you have chosen to express yourself with an attitude of hostility and rudeness which is "why you are where you are.”
Why is it that when you are questioned about who you are and what you are all about that you decide that the response is "negative?" That is your own point of view and if you don't get that then you don't seem to understand that a part of marketing yourself is to be ready for such questions? That emotional outburst and the poor grammar, syntax, etc. is how you are choosing to hold yourself back. The words and style with which you choose to present yourself provokes a judgment which is perpetuated by your own anger and rage. No one has attacked or judged you. I'm still asking what you have to say that makes it worth my time and energy to pay attention to you.
After living in a foreign country for several years and working in West Africa, one thing I have discovered as a major cultural difference which has not been transferred across the waters is a respect and reverence for the elders who could teach you something about how to present yourself in a positive light, but you are not willing to learn that from me, which is "why you are, where you are."
HICKSON, you are very rude and do not seem to understand how to have an intellectual discussion or accept a question that challenges you to think beyond the limited boundaries which you seem to have set for yourself. The very fact that you don't seem to know how to spell properly indicates to me that there cannot be much of an interesting subject matter to read about in your work.
Bad spelling, punctuation, lots of grammatical errors. You decide to use them, therefore, you decide to keep yourself trapped where you are. Consider me the person in the crowd who tells you that you "have spinach in your teeth" when none of your friends have mentioned it, but since you don't want to know the obvious flaws that are holding you back and have made the choice to resist any directions improving your chances to succeed, then, you are the one who has to live with the results of those decisions.
“Stephens NN”
3 July 2005 - Chicago
Fuck off, Bitch! Remove me from your email list NIGGER!!!!!!!!! Remove me from your email list immediately if you have brains enough to accomplish this. I do not want any additional emails from you or your business. You know, I've thought this thing over and I've changed my attitude. I think the Government should continue to subsidize you folks. They should send you all back to Africa and issue you each your own Banana tree, just when you get there - Don’t come back!!! And since you think you walk on water, if you decide to come back - WALK BACK.
Everywhere in the world that blacks have governed themselves you have failed miserably. I rest my case. Bill Cosby, J.C. Watts, and several others have tried to tell you this but you refuse to listen. Look at the State prisons and you'll find an 80 to 90% black population as well as the welfare roles. My opinion is based upon the actions and lack of accomplishment of the black population in our society.
Even Jesse Jackson, the absolute fool that he is, said if he saw black teenagers walking toward him he would walk on the other side of the street. I want nothing to do with you, HICKSON.
“David McMinn”
18 April 2006 – Out of Space
Recently, I discovered that the cost of fame, also results in me receiving several death threats from folks…”Peace, haters!!!”
“AND RIGHT HERE IS WHERE YOU START PAYING…”
Paying lots of money on: a business license, trademark, legal fees, accountants, book printers, graphic and web site designers, photographers, models, hotel and travel expenses, office equipment and supplies, warehouse fees, advertising, promotion and marketing, promotional items, copies, shipping, postage, booth/table rentals, literary services, etc., etc., etc. You’ll spend a small amount on Advil headache pills, which you’ll unfortunately, began to eat as you would M & M’s—you’ll pay even more for not doing the proper research on business, the industry, the players, especially the bad ones, or on how to achieve the professional goals you desire, losing a great deal in the long run.
Let’s not forget, paying your dues, making appearances at places/events for free at times, at early/late hours, knowing that you would rather just catch up on sleep/work, or have fun elsewhere. Yet, because you’re a new artist, and “the powers that be” insisted that you show up, because if you don’t, it may ruin your business relationship with them, you arrive to the function with a “big smile” on your face instead, while cursing them out silently, in your head. How about calling up certain bookstores to clear invoices, only to have the store owner/manager try to disguise their voice, or lie and tell their co-workers to say that “they’re not in the office today”, while you’re actually calling from your cell phone, looking at both of them, within their own establishment…
What about actually being paid a large debt from a book distributor, in which they broke the checks up in two, yet they’re unsigned? You’re told to come back in an hour to pick them back up, only to return, having those same two checks voided out, now being presented with 10 new checks…all postdated with 3 weeks in between each check…what do you do? I’m not sure what you would do. What did HICKSON do? BLACK OUT!!!
I raised my voice violently, called them everything in the book but “GOD’S CHILDREN’, ripped up each check in their face and threw them up in the air like confetti, began slamming my left hand on their desks, rearranging paperwork while pointing my finger in faces with the right. Told them to, “Print out another check with the full amount postdated today, or create a problem for yourself…NOW!!! No one is leaving this office until I get my money—ALL OF IT!!! Oh, what? You thought I was some stupid idiot who would be more than happy to accept scraps off the table? WELL, I’M NOT!!! I make way too much money for you and yours in this piece, don’t you ever try to play me or undermine my intelligence. Disrespect me like this again, and you will feel it… People, you have three minutes to properly accommodate me: 180, 179, 178…” is what I counted down while pacing back-in-forth in their office, as they began to scurry. I then reached into my knapsack…
“HICKSON, PLEASE, SIT-DOWN-SIT-DOWN! BE CALM!”
“I AM CALM!!!” I then went to unzip my bag.
“HICKSON, W-W-W-WAIT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”
I sighed, “Look, no one is going to shoot you! I digging in my bag for gum, my mouth gets dry when I’m tight! …Want a piece?”
“IN SWEAT!”
Managing, grooming and promoting artists, even difficult ones, dealing with new prospective artists, touring nationwide, writing, reading, editing and typing up books, while being an art director. Maintaining 100 e-mail accounts to date, making phone calls to bookstores, both urban and chain stores from Alabama to Wisconsin, following-up with book buyers, regional and district store managers, retailers and distributors. Maintaining web site, paying royalties and expenses, executing administrative duties, being an accountant, while dealing with the media constantly.
Making drop-offs to stores and street vendors in all 5 boroughs of New York, shipping out boxes of books daily, maintaining mail-orders and online store accounts, clearing invoices strategically, writing 300 convicts to date nationwide—by hand, constant internet research, composing/mailing newsletters, while promoting literacy worldwide. Teaching sales associates/managers how to merchandise products, having meetings frequently, attending seminars occasionally, handing out flyers constantly, researching foreign markets, seeking new money, all while staying “sucker-free”, and religiously dealing with haters who attempt to make my situation HARDER. (HICKSON’s soaking wet….)
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