Some Great Advice and Insights From The Man Behind RELENTLESS CONTENT
Some Great Advice and Insights From The Man Behind RELENTLESS CONTENT
In my initial correspondence with Aaron from Relentless Content, I was struck with one of the quotes that he placed at the bottom of his email. The quote was from Oliver Wendell Holmes and it read, “A man’s mind once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.” I thought it was a fantastic quote, and it definitely made me want to learn more about Aaron, his insights, what prompted him to create Relentless Content.
Aaron began his writing career while still in prison, and says that he maintained the mindset of an author throughout his ordeal in prison. Once out of prison, he registered his company with the state of New York and began his company by having fifty copies of his own book PUSH printed. He sold PUSH for $15 dollars on the streets. However, now as a result of Aaron’s vision and perseverance we can now find his book on the shelves of Starbucks! I was motivated to learn more about how Aaron was able to get his work on the shelves of such an iconic international chain such as Starbucks.
Aaron’s story with Starbucks is an interesting one. His journey began in Harlem. It was in the Harlem Starbucks location that Aaron was first able to get his books on the shelves. During the four years that his books were on the shelves in the Harlem Starbucks, people from all over world were buying his books, regardless of race.
This success in the Harlem Starbucks afforded Aaron the opportunity to expand into several Starbucks outlets in Atlanta when he relocated. It was in Atlanta that one of Starbucks’ branch managers recognized the quality of Aaron’s writing, and encouraged him to set up a table inside the store for the day. Soon Aaron found himself in dealing directly with the Regional Manager of Starbucks, which opened the door for Aaron to make appearances at even more Starbuck branches. This exposure has allowed Aaron to meet a wide array of individuals including numerous professors of literature and history. He also met professionals in law, real estate and government who admired his work.
So what advice does Aaron have for young or new writers trying to market themselves and their work? He begins with some fantastic advice, stating, “My way is MY WAY. You cannot do it my way. You need to find unique ways, unique markets and emerging markets. I hold exclusive partnerships with some of the biggest, wealthiest business owners thanks to this strategy.”
This rather sage wisdom would likely help any new writer looking for guidance. Aaron’s point is a great one- it is important to carve one’s own niche in order to find his or her audience and reach true success.
Aaron also had some great observations on the difference between writing for a major publishing company and writing for a independent one. He feels that a major publishing company can quickly get a writers work out to the world, but that it is still up to the writers to get out there and promote the work themselves. On the other side of the coin, if you are going the independent publisher route, then you are going to have to tackle it head on, one book at a time. Aaron feels that hunger, discipline and talent must all be present for success to occur.
So what’s next for Aaron? 2009 looks to be a very interesting year as Aaron has scripts, films and reality television shows all in the works. You can follow Aaron on Twitter at www.twitter.com/relentlessaaron His website is www.relentlessaaron.com
