Last week at a Vietnamese restaurant, I received a fortune cookie with the following message: “Mediocrity is self-inflicted. Genius is self-bestowed.” I thought it might be the wisest fortune I’ve ever seen in my life. It reminded me of my favorite line from The Matrix. “There’s a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.” For example, no matter how much I read, or talk about writing, or think about how I want to accomplish something through my writing, calling myself a writer won’t make any difference. On the other hand, I — more than any other person — can most effectively prevent the realization of my own potential. Many outside forces seem to prevent my progression, but in reality I am totally free to fulfill my ambitions. And that, “my friends,” is the most terrifying thing ever.
In related news, Amazon BookSurge is the first source I’ve seen for self-publishing books. They claim to help with editing, design, publication, and promotion for independent authors. Also, they’ll work with the publishers and book stores so that you (the author) don’t have to. It seems like a great idea, very much in line with the concepts behind Supraterranean.com. I say, let’s take it to the extreme. Remove the literary agents and publishers of creative writing. The industry is build on absurd notions of only publishing what can be sold in mass quantities. Writers and artists need a community to learn and grow. Progress is now more self-directed than ever before.
Speaking of Supraterranean, I just wrote a press release for the site and put it on as many web PR sites as I could. Here is an excerpt:
“The Internet has opened the power of publishing to all. Or at least, that’s the hope. The web brought about an unexpected amount of interaction, cooperation, and sharing that has bolstered creativity on many levels. But the publishing industry has remained particularly static, with traditional stop gates still in place. Supraterranean wants to change that, so that the Internet continues to foster personal expression and cultural progress.”
Please do us a favor and send a release link to friends and family!
Links:
PR.com
Free Press Release
Widespread PR
I-Newswire.com
(Sorry this post was so random…but sometimes randomness is fun.)
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