Mel Hopkins

@Delano mmm, I'm on twitter - so I'd say whenever I log in. I usually don't engage.

@Pioneer1 @Pioneer1 Have you even read anything I've written? Remember me, “the overachiever” you once called me? I find solutions to my own problems. Nope, I’m not a damsel in distress looking for a knight... So, what the heck are you talking about? If you haven't watched the documentary "End of Poverty? then we can't have a conversation about it... As for the rest, you're the one who seems to be in love with white men. You give them all the credit for all that's wrong in the world. You are the one who speaks about "white supremacy" as if it’s enough to impact the lives of 6+ billion lives on this planet. And you're the one who wants to be the premier authority on white supremacy. I don't give white folks credit for anything. Ok, sometimes I blame an individual white person for some of the shenanigans. I will, however, give credit to individuals who are focused on making this world a better place for all to live in. Their color doesn’t matter to me. But back to this idea that I look to white men as saviors. Remember all the stats I posted about President Barack Obama's administration? Yes, his mom was from Kansas, but I admire him... You on the other hand talked down the first black (biracial) president of the United States. ... But if you've reviewed anything I've written here; if you were really paying attention, you’d see a pattern of those I admire most are black women, then women of color, then women... I find us fascinatingly strong and game changers and have been since the dawn of modern civilization. So, if there's anyone who is going to save us, my money is on black women. Not being racist or a misandrist, I just believe black women are fabulous. Then black men because, well, we create them, then give birth to them and raise them.

Speaking of white supremacy... check this out

I vote for --- 1)The Underground Railroad and its conductor Harriet Tubman. I especially like how the enslaved joined with like minded groups such as the abolitionists which powered the movement like coal and steam moves a locomotive. It even led to legislation because it was a force that disrupted the slave trade. 2) Civil Rights Movement - and it also led to sweeping legislation but this time to benefit minorities and women. 3) Third would be HIP HOP... it's a culture for us, by us and continues to influence the psyche of the western and eastern civilization...As of two years ago the Japanese were still into HIP HOP...

Working in economic development - I learned the first thing you do is determine your goal. Once you determine a goal and how to achieve it, that's usually when you can identify a problem. So, if racism is the problem facing the black community - this would mean solving racism would allow the black community to achieve its goal. What goal will the black community achieve when the racism problem is solved?

@Delano, It seems many have an opinion without a bit of knowledge. It's the way of this "new" world. smh I knew I was asking to borrow the group's time when I asked you all to watch the video - but I wanted to know what others saw. Documentaries are subjective. I don't mind tangent conversation but to not watch and still have an opinion on it - is just a bold display of ignorance. I won't waste my time on it. "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me." Anyway, like @Troy mentioned , it is an old documentary but the information contained within provides a map so we won't repeat history. Troy 's crusade combined with this video was a great wake-up call - especially since the five tech giants are poised to become Emperors -over an empire built on this millennium's most precious resource - "information" ...

Yes, Guest Philip Robinson! There's a lot of unlearning many of us have to do before we can shift into the entrepreneurial paradigm. Also we have to be willing to support each other with Su-Sus, microloans; donating skills, talents and time and anything that's needed to get a small businesses up and running.

Hi, Antonio, Have you checked in your personal network? Have you sounded the alarm to let your friends, family and associates no what you are looking for and where and what you want to do? Have you asked them if they know someone who knows someone who can get you the "hook-up" ... Creative writing jobs are a lot easier to come by from people you know in the business. I never went after a writing job per se - but I am a professional writer. My writing jobs have always been connected to the needs of an employer. My creative writing pursuits have always been freelance - such as writing a book, news commentary et al. Those opportunities have always come from my professional and personal network. People who knew me hooked me up with the gig. Sometimes it was a paid gig sometimes it was high-profile publications such as being featured in major newspaper or a major magazine. The clips are worth the "free" write. Be mindful not to write for free unless you own the platform or it's for a major publication. Ta-Nehisi Coates reported here he has written for free "for the exposure" https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/03/lucrative-work-for-free-opportunity/273846/ As he discusses in the piece, I definitely recommend writing on your blog to get exposure and growing your network to include influencers. Side note: It's been my experience, words are powerful and they influence your trajectory. I've never asked for "equal consideration" I've asked for top or the highest consideration. I don't feel there's anyone equal to me when it comes to my talents and skills. And I make sure that those who are in the position to make a difference in my career know it. Much success.

I found a post that explains the process but I don't want to lose touch with my handful of readers. I am anti-middleman LOL

AND the AALBC blog ranks #144 for industry focus!

And here is where we agree... I HATE that people sell "Jesus"...and to me they are no different than folks who sell quasi-quantum physics. It really boils my blood. And like the Amazon cult, once a person is a devotee there's not getting through to them... I'm definitely a mystic and yes I share my esoteric beliefs... but I will say, "It's been my experience"....when I find that people are looking for a guru.

Oh snap! Your blog is for sale on Amazon? How, Sway?

@Troy now you're just being contrary for no reason. You wrote you never "heard" a scientist say the same thing as Neale. Neale quote: "Quantum Physics tells us that nothing that is observed is unaffected by the observer." From the article "Thus, (as in conclusion) the mere act of observation affects the experimental findings" Neale quoted the findings of physicists . and goes on to say "that statement from SCIENCE holds powerful insight." You make it clear that you have a bias against New Age-y folks but it shouldn't cloud your reading comprehension ability, right? Of course we all have opinions, so I'd understand if you disagree with Neale's summation. But even by disagreeing you make his statement valid. We see different "truths" based on our creations.

Actually Quantum Mechanics is pretty popular - that's how it made it into mainstream. The first time I heard of the observer effect was in What the bleep do we know. (2004) ... I already knew it was possible but to hear scientist validate what I already knew was fascinating. Still that movie made QM popular and folks such as me actually started following and reading what physicists were researching and writing about... Again, I'd been writing about this QM stuff since the 90s... but for me it was the stuff "dreams" were made of. I guess I was "New Age-y" By the time Angels and Demons was made into a movie - the audience was educated enough to follow along. It made it even easier for them to follow CERN's developments ... "Particle Fever" - was a highly rated and watched documentary - that wouldn't have happened without all the "new age-y" folks making science "cool" again. Neale Donald Walsch is not a scientist, but he echoed physicists in that meme. You mentioned you never heard a scientist say it - so, I was sharing with you that they did say it. New Age-y people as you call them may not be able to prove what they know but they don't have to. That's left to folks who get the fancy equipment like the LHC -to prove what someone "saw" years before in their mind's eye. For Us New Age-y folks - nothing is "unknowable"...

Yes... this is truth but there's also something novel about it... but you have given me an idea - when my book was mentioned in black enterprise - it wasn't a review but a mention related to how I used digital marketing to sell the book - but having a known publication mention my book is kind of cool to list with my book https://melhopkins.com/portfolio/news-hook-pitches-get-inches/

@Troy https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/02/980227055013.htm Do they qualify as scientists? "In a study reported in the February 26 issue of Nature (Vol. 391, pp. 871-874), researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science have now conducted a highly controlled experiment demonstrating how a beam of electrons is affected by the act of being observed. The experiment revealed that the greater the amount of "watching," the greater the observer's influence on what actually takes place." I think they call the phenomenon "observer effect"

@Faith U Here's something I noticed. I did a general search on Amazon for your eBook "Trigger is an easy name to remember) and it didn't come up on the first page...so I did a search for the book title and your first name. This time, your title came up #1 ... I went to read the reviews and I was sold! @Troy I forgot about the amazon reviews.... Amazon reviews are huge and can be a deal closer.. In fact, I almost bought the kindle version and then I remembered to buy directly from the author . I didn't realize how enticing reviews can be - and I don't remember seeing customer reviews on our author's pages. I remember I did notice on my page - that I have two reviews for other books here on aalbc - please link me to customer reviews here on aalbc. I know now that I have to get a customer review page for my website (I forgot how important it is) @Faith U I went right to your website. Nice site and your sales page is ALL OF THAT! You have, reviews, a trailer and soundcloud playlist for your book! Awesome ... Plus the upsell is an excellent tool! I bought the signed book but I was tempted to by the magnet and bookmark too! Great sales eSheet! I look forward to reading "Trigger" . Also before you sell digital copies from your site - I have to put in that disclaimer to beware of bootleggers.

@TroyI did this once -for a print title back in 2008. If I remember correctly, the $2.13 came back to me through my lulu.com royalty distribution. (You know me too well LOL) Btw, I also purchased a digital copy of my book through the fetchapp to see how it would work. (the cost of doing business LOL) and fetchapp works perfectly. After the buyer makes a purchase - the app sends a link to download the pdf. The difference between fetchapp and gumroad (which also allows for direct digital sales) is fetchapp is free based on volume. Gumroad charges $15 per month whether you sell or not. But gumroad provides an imprint/watermark for each pdf it distributes. This cuts down on book bootlegging.

@Troy Selling more books and making money are two different things. Now that publishers have to compete for the Amazon buy box - I don't believe these authors are actually making money. I didn't get most of my sales from amazon but that's because I promoted the sites where I would make more money such as lulu.com, my own website or link and of course direct sales or through personal booksellers. When I sold through amazon - I only made $2.13 per book - lulu was $8. 68 and of course when I sold from my website or direct - it depended on how many books I ordered in advance...My royalty could go as high $10 per book. Direct was best because even if I didn't sell in person, I could offer free shipping - Priority mail and still have a decent royalty per book. I first published in 2006 - so no stores would buy my books. Since I had an isbn # folks could still order it through their local stores - but I didn't see any of those royalties. Aside: My daughter purchased 10 Kindle copies of one of my short stories to send to her friends - and I got none of those royalties... It made me suspect that wasn't the first time - I got cheated out of my KDP royalties. I removed my short story from kindle and I sell it directly from my site using fetchapp ( FetchApp allows you to sell and digitally deliver downloadable goods) I will be the sole distributor for my next release. I'll keep good notes so I can report how it goes. Oh by the way, when I get a large order - I will definitely use AALBC printing services.

@Troy , I'm not surprised... I used to be a amazon devotee. hell, I used to be somewhat of an evangelical christian... now I barely say "grace" . I'm still a media junkie but now that I've focused on achieving my goals - I don't read everything. My point is you were dealing with a "cult". They are addicted. The ease of Amazon fulfills their needs - especially their need for acceptance. If you really examine their words you can easily read through them to see how they believe amazon is their savior. Even hearing the possibility of someone wanting them to boycott AMZN, the messiah, makes them ill and you the enemy for suggesting it. You want to deal with independent thinkers. (self-acceptance is probably the Number 1 trait) Also, forget about the bargain-hunters. The only thing that will change their mind is if the prices go up or the product is cost-prohibitive. For those addicted to their kindle -or the ease of digital readers, there will have to be an alternative with a perk. For example, they will be able to "own" their purchase and transfer their content to any device at will. Yep, you'll have easier time recruiting folks who have already soured on Amazon or even those looking for another way to publish independently. Those people are usually business-minded and for them the bottom-line is their bottom-line. For those recruits, the book business isn't an extension of their personality. It's a business. So you're right, you don't need an MBA - you just need to be clued on business operations and "the cult of personality".

Here's an article from EDC, publisher who pulled 2000 titles from amazon.com, Ingram and baker & taylor (because they're distributors to Amazon) and big box stores in 2012. He said it meant $2 million in annual sales but after a few tense months, they started making money again... http://www.businessinsider.com/edc-beat-amazon-2014-8 One more thing; EDC also has home sales consultants who sell their books - I mentioned that's how I sold my first book. There are other ways to sell books besides Amazon.

@Cynique Yes! (or as they say on twitter " I get so excited when folks live their truth! Not what society expect of them -but what they feel is right for them in the moment... We have enough of folks doing their best trying to fit in . When we have people doing to suit themselves - it allows the rest of us to figure out what is true for us.. Reading your words allowed me to check my own barometer... where I stand. I believe this may be true for a lot of us - all it takes is for one to speak up - and we are all freed.

and me!!! How far would you go to find love? An ingénue will go to hell and back to find the man of her dreams. Or is it her nightmares. * * * “Sleeping with a D-Man” is a supernatural tale of forbidden love, conspiracy and sacrifice in a world where nothing is as it seems.

@Pioneer1 1) I asked if you watched the film because I asked my questions within context of the film. Since, you answered "No” then you can't provide an informed opinion that is relative to the film. That's cool. In the documentary, the problem is NOT white supremacy... Now if you want to go off topic, that's fine. 2) But for sake of argument let's say the film discusses "white supremacy" then we see it's not a goal or a problem per se, it's a tactic. In this film, the goal was empire building and where necessary” white supremacy" was used as a tactic to divide the people from their natural resources and riches. 3) THE PROBLEM, both in the film and globally, is the goal of a pseudo emperor attempting to seize and control resources, even natural resources to amass a fortune for his/her empire. Thereby reducing the rest of the planet and its inhabitants to slavery and servitude. In sports, such as basketball, I know you don’t get distracted by your opponent’s fancy footwork & dribbling – that’s how you get your ankles broken. You maintain your focus on achieving your goal. Leaving the sports analogy, defense can be a goal but it’s not an effective one. There are a few countries that have created their own goals – and as a result are not at the mercy of the World Bank or IMF. One country has already taken steps to create its own world bank. They may have problems but white supremacy ain’t one. If you really understood white supremacy, you'd know you fell for the illusion. Then you’d know it’s a distraction to keep alleged “non-white” people on a defense to lose sight of their own goals. You’d know the would-be emperor is skilled at the art of legerdemain. The easiest way to defeat him is to stop letting him rent space in your head. @Cynique thank you for this - I think I've been a victim of this eggcorn

@Troy, how can you help people who are looking for an EASY-BUTTON? Remember what you told me about not everyone living in "my world"? Well, that's the task you're about to undertake - barging into worlds unlike your own. Independent publishing came long before amazon or kindle... but Independent publishing was never easy that's why only a few people did it. I self-published in 2006 because I learned about print on demand. But I still had to do the heavy lifting to get the book into the reader's hands. And I wasn't even as dedicated as Zane and the others who self-published and sold out of the trunk. All this to say, you don't have to convince the willing because we already know... If you're attempting to convince people who aren't used to doing the heavy lifting; refocus your energy. Showcase people who can and do publish without the help of Amazon/KDP - Those looking for an easy button might be more incline to follow those who can light the way.