The Book

Money

What happens when you receive extra copies of your first book and it is finally published? You feel a rush with a sense of wonder and excitement. You ask yourself, will people enjoy the book? Will they truly understand it's content? Will it become a bestseller? Would the books popularity land me on a radio talk show? Perhaps finding a local book store who's manager will find my book interesting and worthy of having me appear for a book signing. This advantage would bring me prestige and indeed attract a larger audience. Could the story someday be interesting enough to attract a screen writer? Finally, will it sell globally? All these questions went through my mind but never once did I ever ask myself if I would make allot of money.

It has been almost three years since the publishing of my book and many of these questions have not come to fruition. There is an emotional letdown and the question now shifts to did I do something wrong? Did I not spend enough money to market or advertise the book properly? Was my audience restricted? Did people not like the story? Did they not fully understand its content? Did I gather enough reviews? The sales have slowed way down and there isn't as many royalties coming in. Did I lack the proper channels or connection's. Why am I not selling any more books?

These exact feelings mimic many other areas in our lives that just don't pan out for some reason, whether it's a book, an invention, a work of art, an audition, a part, a film, a speech, a business proposal, not getting the job, not making the team, non acceptance into the college of your choice, missing out on the best offer on a home, and so much more that happens in life when we fall short.

I believe it may have to do with three important ingredients. The first ingredient has to do with being connected, like, who you know or who they may know. The second is timing, and the third is a pinch of luck! Money still has no place in this scenario yet, or does it? I now believe it is the forth ingredient. Does money make things happen? Can it buy us happiness, love, popularity, fulfillment, good health, power, control, recognition, success, and even luck? Does money bring you peace of mind, stability and security? I believe Money does indeed play an influential part in many of the scenarios I have touched upon.

Money definition: The most common medium of exchange, the official currency issued by a government or national bank, and wealth reckoned in terms of money. In order to buy anything of material worth essentially you need money.

Going back to the subject of my book the questions I should be asking myself is, did I need more money to promote my book? Interested readers will purchase my book if it is constantly in their face. Did I spend enough money in marketing and advertising? Did I need to hire a publisher and an agent? If I had done everything right and spent the money needed would my book have sold any better? Looking at this scenario from a different perspective interested readers could prioritize and ask themselves, "I really have to buy this book no matter what it costs," or my favorite, "I don't care how much it costs I have to have it!" Have I exhausted all measures and exploited every possible tool using social media? Did I work through all the right channels to expose my book to different readers. Perhaps I failed to use money as a tool instead of thinking about as just a means to an end.

I truly thought I spent enough money on publishing my product? I did have a budget so keep that in mind, but should I have paid a professional to read a rough draft first before skipping to the next page? Yes this I could have done. If I had paid an editor to review my story the results would have been essential to the popularity of my book. If it wasn't written well enough it could have been corrected. So in this case spending the extra money would have worked in my favor.

We are conditioned to think that money can fix whatever is broken or that needs to be repaired. Without money there is little to no success rating. It can improve and richen our lives, fulfill our hearts desires, feed our careers and even at times buy our way out of trouble.

We live in a society where money becomes the object of desire. It is controlling everything. It is said that money is power and could lead to greed and at times may be infectious. In history it has been known for bringing countries and empires to it's knees. Wealth is growth, independence and prestige! How many times have you heard these sayings "It's just money," or "Money makes the world go round," "Money is the root of all evil." The best one comes from the bible. "No one can serve two masters."

All of us perceive money differently it is quite a diverse subject. People all over the world use it, handle it and discuss it daily. Money speaks loudly, it motivates and inspires us to push harder. It supports us in the way we choose to live our lives. Money in the wrong hands can spawn evil, greed, lust, conspiracy, and war.

I suppose if we took all the money away in one day's time eventually the world would stop, silence would be deafening, and for the first time people would all react in the same ways. Mankind would finally realize that without money we are basically all in the same situation. The world would stop, and suddenly all we would have is ourselves and each other. Whether we are alone, with loved ones, coworkers or standing next to complete strangers the reality of the situation would slowly register in our brains. That in fact is there is no money anywhere that it is all spent and there is nothing left. Money is no longer of any use to us. Humanity is without a cushion, or a ceiling feeling quite vulnerable without a security blanket or an umbrella of protection. All we have left is literally free for the taking. No charge, no penalties no restrictions. Money has no meaning it serves no purpose there is no material use for it therefore it is no longer needed.

So I guess the question I should be asking myself now is what kind of world would it be without money? Everything in the world would be free. There would be no worries, no anxieties, no stress, no competition, no deals and all those questions and analogies I just presented to you would mean nothing. Can such a world exist without money? With no money would there be order, desire, ambition, drive, determination and the will to succeed. Are humans conditioned to own something of value, obtain wealth, feel a sense of prestige, honor and self esteem? Money undoubtedly is what makes our world go around. Obtaining money is a way of life and without it we would not survive for very long. The poor and homeless get by barely. It all depends on how you interpret money, your priorities and what you choose to do with it. If you end up buying my book I'll indeed be grateful not because of the money but for the sheer pleasure and inspiration you received while reading it..