What does this mean for the writer? Well I see it as an exciting time for a resourceful person. E-book portals give writers direct access to readers. The cost of books are less but the profit margins are higher and a writer doesn’t have the same overhead costs as a major publisher. With the right Print On Demand partner you can produce books for sell directly. With e-books you may be able to do it all yourself, which saves you even more money. If the writer is a main stream published writer he or she can realize the best of all worlds, publishing mainstream while self publishing rejected works or personal projects via e-books.

Of course there are drawbacks. Publishing your own stuff means selling and marketing it yourself, too. And access to the marketplace still won’t sell a book if it’s bad or the public is not interested. Still, it looks like e-readers are having the same effect on the publishing industry as mp3s had on the music industry.  I envision a scenario where mid level writers who take advantage of the opportunities will gain, while the big advances paid by the majors will diminish because of the competition. Mid level writers may also find their books appearing as e-books initially until the book proves it has legs and is worth the investment for hard copy. So many challenges. So many opportunities.

Changa – Michael Jai White

My first choice for bwana Diop was Michael Clarke Duncan. I love him in movies where he got to play the ancient big dude sidekick (Scorpion King) but I wanted to see him in a starring role. But then I saw this guy and said, hey, he even looks like Changa! He’s also an excellent martial artist, which gets my vote because I used to be quite skilled in hand to hand combat back in the day. He also will attract the ladies to the theater, which is essential if we plan to make a billion dollars.  I actually hope he sees this blog; it might spark a few ideas. What do you say, Mike?

Panya-Genevieve Nnaji

I learned about this beautiful Nigerian actress on another site I frequent, www.blacksuperhero.com. In my perfect world I would select actors  that reflected the ethnicity of the characters they portrayed. Since Panya is Yoruba, selecting an actor from Nigeria would be essential. I have no idea about her acting ability and I don’t know if she’s Yoruba but I know she’s very popular in Nollywood. I’m sure she would be excellent. Just imagine it; a black leading man and woman. Amazing.

The Tuareg – Adewale Akinnouye Agbaje

The Tuareg is to Changa as Legolas is to Lord of the Rings. He’s a silent butt kicking man that handles two swords like a deadly dancer. His face is completely covered except for his eyes. Which is why Adewale would be perfect for the role. His eyes are very expressive which is how the Tuareg communicates with Changa and the others.  Adewale also had the physique to play my mysterious character. This ‘movie’ is getting better by the minute!

Mikaili – Forrest Whittaker

Forrest was not my first choice to portray the wise and experienced Ethiopian priest turned navigator. I think Danny Glover or Louis Gossett Jr, would be good choices but they’re a little to old to do some of the things Mikaili does and be believable. Forrest would demand big money so I might not be able to afford him, but then again this is the dream world so what the hell.

Prince Zakee – ?

It’s here where I ran out of ideas. In trying to stay with ethnically specific actors and I don’t know of any Arabic male actors in their early twenties.  Of course they’re out there. I just don’t know them.

So this is my dream team. After I release Changa’s Safari I’ll do the same thing for Changa’s villains. I already have a few folks in mind but revealing them would give away some of the plot. Feel free to make your own selections once you’ve read the book. I’m interested in who you would pick.

Changa’s Safari is being edited as we speak. My online friend Lyn Perry (http://www.resaliens.com/) offered his services and I quickly accepted. Lyn publishes a great speculative fiction magazine which I read and enjoy so taking him up on his offer was a no-brainer. Although I’ll miss my Onyx Con deadline I estimate Changa will be ready to set sail by September.

On the Meji front the second edition of Meji Book One is complete. The new cover was designed to complement Book Two and I’ve fished out the obvious editing errors from the original manuscript. Both books will also be available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble on-line by the end of August. Those of you who have waited for this no longer have an excuse. For the folks who have read Meji, please visit both sites and post up a review. It will be greatly appreciated.

Griots, a Sword and Soul Anthology, is moving along well. Charles Saunders (http://www.charlessaunderswriter.com/) and I have selected the stories and I’m working on the interior artwork  submissions. Cover art will be created by Natiq (http://www.artofnatiq.com/). I came across his work on Black Science Fiction Society (http://www.blacksciencefictionsociety.com/) and immediately recruited him for the project. We have a broad spectrum of stories and writers, from novice to experienced. Each writer brings his or her own flavor to the genre. This book will definitely crank up the excitement. Griots should be available January 2011.

Look out for some major changes on my website as well. I’m making changes to accommodate additional titles and to focus more on MVmedia and our future projects. In addition we now have Wagadu the Ning site ( http://wagadu.ning.com/) and Wagadu the Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Wagadu-The-Home-of-Sword-and-Soul/118615671483466?ref=ts) two social sites for us to hang out and take Sword and Soul.  As we build we’ll offer specials for members of both site. What’s the use of being in the club if there’s no perks?

That’s it for now. Stay tuned for book reviews, more favorites and other stuff.

This set back will also delay the release of Changa’s Safari. I was hoping for an August release at Onyx Con (www.onyxcon.com) but I won’t be ready. We’re probably talking September, October at the latest. If that’s the case I may wait unitl November to catch the holiday season rush. We’ll see.

Griots, the Sword and Soul anthology, is coming along nicely. We have the stories and have selected which ones will appear. I’m making a formal announcement next week and then the real fun begins. We have a wide range of stories and authors, so I think it will be a great read. The artwork will be fantastic as well. Griots will also be my first book available as an ebook. I think this anthology will be another brick in the foundation of Sword and Soul.

That’s it for now. I’m posting a few book reviews and excerpts once things are up and running again. Stay tuned.

I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching leading up to my 50th birthday. I’m taking a good look at everything I’ve done, everything I’m doing and everything I want to do. I want to spend more time doing things that are important and enjoyable and less time with things that are a waste of time and joy. I wont get too personal; I’ll just limit this blog to the things pertaining to my writing pursuits.

1). I will no longer attend any writers meeting that discuss mainstream publishing. I know how the system works now, and since I don’t plan on participating in the process it’s a waste of time. I don’t have anything against it, but it’s not my focus.

2). I will not participate in any discussions on the merits of self publishing. It’s a sensitive subject for me and I can’t understand the hostility some writers have towards it. It’s what I do and what I will continue to do. I will gladly give advice to anyone planning to self publish but I will no longer defend the practice.

3). I will no longer go to hear writers speak unless I’m a fan. I’ve heard the story many times; years of submissions and finally success. Most of the advice they give concern mainstream publishers. See reason no. 1.

4). I will work on increasing my internet sales. I currently sell 10% of my books online. I want to sell more, so I’m going to spend more time studying and implementing online marketing strategies. The first move is to get a better website. I heard y’all talking about me.

5). I will increase my distribution options. This is the most important challenge for a self publisher. I’m cranking up my efforts to make my books more accessible.

6). I’ll continue to enjoy this wonderful hobby. I love writing and I love talking to readers. I love working with editors and artists. Most of all I love holding the finished product, my book, in my hands.  The next 50 years with be a little better because of it.

May Flower

April’s showers actually brought May flowers. I’m back on the selling track again. I sold a few books at my two events this month and also made some sales online. Made a few trades, too. One trade was with Wendy Raven McNair for a copy of her book Awake.  It’s a tale about a young African American girl who discovers her boyfriend is not what he seems to be. Yeah, it sounds like Twilight and it is, but then it’s not. I’m not going to give the plot away, just go to her website and check it out (http://www.wendyravenmcnair.com/).

I also did a swap with Jason Waltz, editor and owner of Rogue Blade Entertainment (http://www.roguebladesentertainment.com/). I’d been hearing good things about one of his book, Rage of The Behemoth,  so we did a swap, Behemoth for Meji Book One. One of my Changa stories, Mbogo Returns, will appear in his upcoming anthology, The Roar of The Crowd.  Make sure you check both books out.

Other than that I’ve been working hard. Changa’s Safari goes out to edit next month so I’m reading it over one more time. I hoped to have a story posted for this month but it looks like I won’t. I will have at least one posted next month; the other I’m considering submitting to a magazine of a friend. I’ve been itching to write some sci-fi so look out for something fresh soon. If all goes according to plan the second edition of Meji Book One should be ready. The new manuscript will correct the editorial errors of the first edition and will also have a new cover that complements Book Two. Oh, I almost forgot. The deadline for the Sword and Soul Anthology is May 31st, so I’ll have plenty new material to read for the summer.  And then there’s the Meji animation project…

Looks like a busy summer ahead. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

John Middleton does a good job describing the complexity and intricacies of Swahili culture. The book can be confusing at times as you attempt of follow the rules of their society, but the information provided gives a good understanding of the culture and the people. It’s a good start for anyone wishing to understand the history, culture and customs of these unique people.

I met Valjeanne Jeffers a few years back at the social website Black Science Fiction Society.www.blacksciencefictionsociety.com/. I was  introduced to her writing skills through her excellent poetry. I love poetry and I envy poets for their natural ability to bend words to their will. At the time Valjeanne’s poetry was contemporary, so I challenged her to write a sci-fi poem and she responded eagerly. In response to her effort I wrote a story based on her poem; the result was the collaboration titled ‘Leviathan.’  (http://www.mvmediaatl.com/Leviathan.pdf)

A little later I became aware of Valjeanne’s book, Immortal. I was hesitant at first because I’m not a shape shifter fan. Well, I’m still not a shape shifter fan but I’m a definite Valjeanne Jeffers fan. She takes the genre and tosses it around, combining sci-fi, horror and romance resulting in an exciting and interesting series. Valjeanne also makes her characters very believable in this fantastic setting. She never fails to incorporate the character’s personal and ordinary struggles into their extraordinary and public lives.

Immortal Fantasy is a trilogy. Immortal I and Immortal II are available now; Immortal III is on it’s way. If you’re bored with the same old mainstream vampire and werewolf stories or even if you’re not, do yourself a favor and check these books out. You’ll be glad you did.

You can visit Ms. Jeffers at  http://www.immortalfantasynovels.com/

A DIFFERENT SAFARI

By Charles R. Saunders

Once there was a world in which sea lanes and trade winds connected scores of exotic kingdoms on opposite shores of a great ocean.  Nations of black, brown, yellow and white people interacted in rivalry and harmony, war and peace, trade and treachery.  This world was not conjured out of a story-teller’s imagination.  It was real – the world of the African and Asian lands washed by the Indian Ocean.  This world reached its peak during the 14^th and 15^th centuries, only to experience a downfall that lasted half a millennium.

During the best of this world’s times, a vast and intricate commercial network stretched from the interior of Africa to the farthest reaches of China and India.  That network ultimately unraveled with the coming of the Portuguese and other European nations bent on conquest and colonization.  That was the downfall of a trade that was likely the richest in the world – a fact glossed over or ignored in subsequent history books.

That world lives again in Milton Davis’s Changa’s Safari.  The title character, Changa Diop, is a merchant who drives a hard bargain, and can back it up with a sword-blade when necessary.  Of West African ancestry, Changa fights his way out of slavery in the glittering cities of Africa’s East Coast, and becomes a force to be reckoned with on two continents.

With his companion Panya, an enigmatic Yoruba sorceress, Changa goes to places whose names echo in the halls of history: Mombassa, Calicut, Zimbabwe, the Middle Kingdom of China, Sofala and Indonesia.  Larger than life but hardly superhuman, Changa contends with mercantile rivals and political intrigue – not to mention supernatural perils – malevolent sorcery and mythical beings that come to terrifying life.

The word “safari” means “journey” in Swahili, the lingua franca of the East Coast.  These days, that word is associated with khaki-clad white men and women chopping their way through the jungle, accompanied by black porters bearing bundles of supplies on their heads. Changa’s safari is a journey of a different kind: an epic passage that makes the Odyssey look like a walk in the park. 

With this novel, Milton restores a world of magic and mystery that is nonetheless the real world of our past – a past that centuries of colonialism obscured, but could not destroy.

Changa’s ship is about to depart. Get on board, and enjoy the ride.

The month was slow sales wise but definitely not uneventful. First there was the BSFS glitch, then the closing of The Grounds Coffeehouse, the setup of www.wagadu.ning.com, then the announcement by Ning that they are ending free services. So suffice it to say I found myself doing some serious adjusting to this brave new world. But that’s life; change. Those who can adapt to change are the ones who are successful. I re-learned a few lessons during all this turmoil. I sharpened my focus on what I’m trying to accomplish and how I’m going about it, and that’s always good.

Some new things for May. I’m running a special on Meji Book One, I have an exclusive Meji story that will start its run on Wagadu and I’m continuing my story Destiny on http://blackscififantasy24.ning.com/profiles/blogs/destiny-1. I’m writing Destiny in a series of blogs so be sure to check back for updates to the story. I think you’ll enjoy it.

So here’s to May and its flowers! (hopefully)