Omar Tyree

A Reason To Write . . .

2011-07-07T23:00:00.000-07:00

As I prepare to launch my anticipated ebook into the national online marketplace, I also pick back up my pen to write on a regular bases. It has been hard to keep my focus over the years to write new blogs without new career activity, a featured assignment, or a basic reason to write. But now I have one.

Over the next three to four months of Summer and into the Fall, I will feature a chapter a week of CORRUPTED, my new serial ebook, all about the dark side of the publishing industry. Each chapter will be offered for $1, or through a $7.95 a month subscription at my web site. And since we will all be limited to reading only one chapter of the new book per week, we will now have plenty of time to focus our comments on the characters, the plot, the dialogue, the flow, the general execution, and how you like where the book is headed overall.

And each week, I will respond to your comments in my blog. Not only that, but as I continue to edit and retool the CORRUPTED book to post each week, if your comments strike me as on point, I will edit and revise the work accordingly, while giving you guys the credit for it.

Man, I LOVE that idea! We are creating an interactive novel, where your comments actually COUNT for something before the work is complete. Now, that surely doesn’t mean that I will agree with everything that is said out there, because some of you may be off of center in your views. Nevertheless, to hear them all each week will be SPLENDID! FEEDBACK is what EVERY serious artist wants. We love to know that we are creating something that you enjoy, and we would also like to know how we could make your experience better.

With that in mind, all of your weekly FEEDBACK will be featured under our CORRUPTED summary page. All you have to do is click CORRUPTED to your left, and Read all about it! So let me get started with the first comments from my “inside group” of test readers.

My good friend and publishing associate, Vickie Stringer, who created the juggernaut publishing house of TripleCrown, saw the cover design and summary for CORRUPTED and immediately jumped right on it. So we are now in conversations regarding a future partnership. We just need to work out all of the details.

Then I got love from Abbie in the UK, or London. In trying my hardest to stretch my work and name recognition internationally, I need London, Canada, the Caribbean Islands, Africa, Tokyo, France, and everyplace else to follow me. So I must make a note to count ALL international readers in the mix of flow as we get started.

Corey in Florida, Shampale in Atlanta, and Tamika down I Houston, have all attached themselves to “Darlene” and “Antonio” as they dance the dance of new emotions. I guess you guys view CORRUPTED as a publishing industry love story, so I have to keep that in mind for you. As they say, “Love conquers all.” But does it really? We shall soon see.

Edward D. Sargent, the old-school newspaper professional from DC, went into deep details on the concept. Yes indeed, good brother, I ALWAYS set out to be innovative. Being new and different is what keeps my blood boiling. No one has really written about the publishing industry on the African-American side, or at least not in a novel like this one. So I’m as excited to write this as you are to read it. And I know I won’t disappoint you, because you like to THINK, and CORRUPTED will give you PLENTY to think about. Same deal with brother Ahmad Daniels in Charlotte. He’ another heavy thinker. So, read on, good brothers, read on.

My book-loving friend, Rashena Wilson, up in New York, jumped on CORRUPTED like she jumps on ALL of my new books. But she just thinks that I’m borderline crazy. “What is Omar up to now? He’s always writing something off the wall. Let me check this shit out!” Same deal with Dana Reddig in Chicago. She’s always asking me, “What’s new? What’s next?” Well, this is what’s new and next: CORRUPTED, a serial ebook.

Even Pam Hawkins in my hometown of Philly said she likes it. And Pam don’t seem to like much of ANYTHING these days. It’s all the same stuff to her. She wants to see how I plan to make it different. She doesn’t even have to say it. I just know how she is. “Prove it to me.” That’s that tough Philadelphia stance for you. “Nigga, prove it to me! But for right now, I like it.”

So I wanna thank Brittani Williams for giving up the Philly love immediately. The “hustlerette” as I call her, didn’t hold back at all. Thank you, sister. And keep spreading the word through your growing network for me. If I blow up with this new idea, and then you need my help with yours, I can’t even front on you now. You went all out for me.

But this FEEDBACK page is not all about a lovefest. Jolanda Ross, up in the cold town on Boston, gave me a cold taste of reality. She said it’s “too many characters” in it. She followed the “Darlene” and “Antonio” story too, and she advised me to introduce the other characters later on. But if I do that, you’ll have no idea how dense this book intends to be. There’s not just two people in the publishing industry. There’s a whole lot of different people in there. So I wanted to show you guys the many different struggles and personal demons that publishing industry people have.

Nevertheless, a good story needs to have a solid focus. So I’m forced to listen to ALL of you guys over the next couple a weeks, and then months, as we pull together this interactive success story that spreads like wildfire.

And yes, I do agree with the naysayers, that this idea is totally radical. But I LOVE THAT! As publishing professional Dawn Davis stated, “Omar Tyree has carved out his own niche . . . and I admire him for that.” And Dawn knows the industry well. She’s published several top-selling books over the years, including Steve Harvey’s “Think Like a Man . . .” Well, I still got my sharpened knife with me, so let me get to carving again.

Now here we go, brother Rasheed! Let’s see how high we can go with this thing. In a publishing marketplace that seems to be clamping down on the new heights of black writers, we ALL need to keep adapting our careers to the hard times. So as you guys all continue to read and respond to CORRUPTED, my new work, I will continue to have a reason to write . . . every single week.

Sincerely,

Omar Tyree

Omar Tyree, has published 19 books, including 16 novels that have sold more than 2 million copies worldwide. With a degree in Print Journalism from Howard University, Tyree has been recognized as one of the most renown contemporary writers in American. He is also an informed and passionate speaker on community-related topics, urban literacy and entrepreneurship. For more information on his career and current projects, please view his web site biography and various links @ (www.OmarTyree.com).

Slim Thug’s Black Women Views

2010-06-14T23:04:00.000-07:00

It has come to my attention in a recent Vibe magazine article, that a southern rapper by the name of Slim Thug, has irritated the population of black women by stating plenty of frank views about the shortcomings of his personal black-on-black relationships. Particularly, the cat stated, with much irritation I might add, that black women were all about what a man could do for them, while white women, and or mixed women, were willing to accept a successful black man’s place as a king, treat him right, listen to him, and add her own personal change to the pot of relationship economics.

And boy has Slim Thug heard it from a number of very responsive sisters. But as I carefully read his article, a few obvious points came to mind. Number one; any white woman who is willing to date a black man, even in year 2010, is already willing to cater to a his needs. If not, she wouldn’t gone there in the first place. And as for a mixed girl, if she’s been raised liberally, which would mean more on the white side of our society, she may lean closer to fulfilling a black man’s ego-stroking needs as well. But let’s stop this stereotypical conversation right there.

What exactly does it mean to “cater to a man”? Because that’s what we’re talking about. Does a woman let him lead? Does a woman not question him? Does a woman do everything that he asks her to do? Does a woman not sweat the small stuff? Does a woman not run her mouth, complaining and such? And does a woman bend over backwards to make her man feel comfortable by any means necessary?

Accordingly to Slim Thug, all of the above may apply. And that’s where he’s going to have a problem with black women. First of all, in the slave-labor history of America, no one as EVER catered to black women as a norm. She, in turn, has been forced to cater to everyone, including several children without fathers in many situations. So there was no man there to lead. And in the absence of honorable or respectable leadership, that we ALL need at one point or another, many young black women have now fortified a resistance to EVERYTHING!

In other words, “Don’t try to lead me now after being missing-in-action for all of my life. And what about you doing something for ME for a change, after I’ve been constantly doing things for everybody else? And yeah, I sweat the small stuff because I’m always on edge after this world has done me, my mother and my grandmother so badly. And since I’m tired of being walked over, I’m gonna run my damn mouth when I FEEL like it! And if you have a problem with that, then you can run on back to your white woman or your confused little mixed girl, because I’m not bending over backwards for NOBODY!”

Does any of that sound similar? I know I’ve heard it PLENTY of times in the black community. And it’s all true and valid arguments. On the flip side, I can’t help but think about a young white woman sitting up in the big house, playing with her Barbie and Ken dolls, while a poor black slave girl does all of the work there, only to return home to her slave quarters, where she’s expected to do even MORE work. Now just imagine three or four hundred years of that for a minute . . . Hell, I’d be pissed off as a black woman after all of that extra work too. At EVERYONE!

Now, I know, I know, we are no longer in slavery days. Every white girl was not that privileged. Every mixed girl is not utterly confused. And every true blue black girl is not that unfortunate. I just wanted to give us all a very clear psychology to think about here. There are a lot of extra reasons to view a black woman’s anger in this country that white women have never had to deal with. And trust me, every white woman does not want to bend over backwards for a man either. In fact, there are plenty of white girls who are told to not even consider a man who doesn’t make a certain income or come from a certain family background, who can afford MAIDS and housekeepers. So PLEASE don’t believe that every white girl is willing to jump into a black man’s fantasy movie, because that idea is the farthest from the truth. And mixed girls have their own list of problems to deal with, while being harrassed by plenty of name-calling haters from both sides.

However, when we honestly discuss the known privileges of certain rappers, like Slim Thug, or athletes, actors, or successful black businessmen in this country, we must understand that these men represent a social and economic class where they can do more, and therefore, they expect more. But that privilege serves to complicate the issue of serious dating, with plenty of women expecting the successful man to always provide more, especially women who don’t have as many available breadwinners in their communities. Hence, the game of musical chairs for successful black men can tend to feel a lot more aggressive and urgent.

And the reality is, many women still feel leery about openly discussing this issue. How exactly do we tackle the idea of male breadwinners in a black culture that continues to be under the gun economically, and how those social and economic strains effects our relationships. That is a serious SERIOUS issue to consider. I even wrote and produced a recent stage play about the battle of social and economic power called Broke & Sexy, because there is just no way around it. We live in a capitalistic society, where black people have been so frustrated by out-of-reach wealth and opportunities that it drives most of us insane.

So I fully understand Slim Thug’s misguided views. The man finds himself under the gun and doesn’t have enough historical perspective to understand what’s going on. Or maybe he does understand and simply wanted to stir up the pot with a strong community reaction. I also understand the young black women who may view Slim and other successful brothers as lottery tickets, because for many of them, they ARE lottery tickets. But you have millions of other sisters who don’t think that way, and who hold their own with a stacked bank account, respectability and cultural education. These honorable sisters unfortunately get caught up in the wave of unhealthy stereotypes and have to defend themselves, which only serves to make the stereotype appear more valid. Even the First Lady, Michelle Obama, has had to deal with the “angry black woman” slander.

We are locked within a complicated, multiple bladed sword on every side of this issue. Black women have plenty reasons to complain, but they are punished for doing so because it feeds the already popular stereotype of their anger. Black men have every reason to act a fool about their lack of peaceful relationships, but shouldn’t if they understand the ridiculous and unfair history of black women in America. White women don’t want to be dragged into this irritating discussion at all, and most of the time they ignore it. Mixed girls have no choice but to bear it all and live their lives as best they can. White men have similar complaints about the insensitivity of the breadwinner issue, but since they have more opportunities to actually BE the breadwinner, they don’t complain about it HALF as much as black men do. Nevertheless, white men feel the pressure as well, just like women feel the pressure to um, “serve and obey” their husbands.

Hell, I can’t even write those words without ducking the imaginary pots and pans that are being thrown at my head just for saying it. It doesn’t even sound right to me. So I rarely expect that kind of a “catering” to happen, even though most couples have actually agreed to it. So what do you guys think about all of this? We could literally write back and forth on these issues of gender, race, and economics for YEARS and would still never have it settled. And I already understand that women will do most of the talking, because guys accept the fact they can’t win the conversation. So what’s the use of even having the argument? A guy will go out and deal with whatever woman will accept him in whatever capacity for whatever reason, and go on with his life.

In the meantime, most men, white and black, will read the comments that Slim Thug put out there to make himself a target for ridicule, and many of the men will agree or disagree, while remaining safely in the dark to discuss it amongst themselves, or only with women who they are not attracted to in a relationship way.

Trust me, at my age, I’ve been there all before. I have also been at the fiery mantle catching hell for opening my big, fat mouth about gender politics. But at the end of the day, men and women of all races and nationalities will continue to dance an insane dance to figure out how exactly to survive with each other’s history and present to create a healthy and continuous future.

Omar Tyree, a New York Times best-selling author, a 2001 NAACP Image Award recipient for Outstanding Literature in Fiction, and a 2006 Phillis Wheatley Literary Award winner for Body of Work in Urban Fiction, has been cited in 2009 by the City Council of Philadelphia for his work in Urban Literacy, and has published 19 books with 2 million copies sold worldwide. With a degree in Print Journalism from Howard University in 1991, Tyree has been recognized as one of the most renown contemporary writers in the African-American community. He is also an informed and passionate speaker on various community-related and intellectual topics. Now entering the world of business seminars, urban children’s books, feature films and songwriting, Tyree is a tireless creator and visionary of few limitations. For more information on his work and titles, please view his web site @ (www.OmarTyree.com).

MARCH MADNESS INSANITY by Omar Tyree . . .

2010-03-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah! It’s that insane time of the year again for college folks again.And I must admit, the Final Four brackets are right up there next to the NFLFootball playoffs and the SuperBowl. Of course, college basketball stillcomes in second for me. But that’s still pretty high. It beats out the NBAChampionship games and baseball’s World Series. In fact, those tournaments are4th and 5th, respectively, in my book. Coming in 3rd after the collegebasketball tournament is a quality Championship Fight, like Pacquiao and Maywetherfor instance. And what would you expect from a Philadelphian. The love ofboxing is in our BLOOD!

Anyway, I selected the same order of top 4 seeds as the experts, withKansas, Kentucky, Duke and Syracuse. And I know the West Virginia Mountaineerswere hot about not getting a # 1 seed, but they’re not knocking off Syracuseor Duke. I’m sorry. So take it out on the tournament and prove your worth. Infact, I think a #2 seed makes West Virginia more dangerous, while they playwith a chip on their shoulder. Villanova, on the other hand, should havedropped back to a #3 or even a #4 seed with the way they finished out theseason. They need to recruit a strong big man BAD!

I felt that Temple got a bad deal with a #5 seed after winning the Atlanta10 Conference. And then Pitt got a #3! No way! Temple should have receivedthat #3. I was also surprised to see Wake Forest and Minnesota make thetournament. Wake Forest has done nothing but LOSE in the last month, andMinnesota lost by 30 on national television, but they STILL get invites? WOW! Iwould rather see Virginia Tech or Mississippi State get in. But that’s the waythe ball bounces sometimes. So those teams are both in the NIT Tournamentwith a cliff-falling North Carolina this year.

Overall, the Midwest bracket of the Final Four is definitely the mostinteresting. I thought Kansas was supposed to have the easiest road to the finalsas the top #1 seed. But out in the Midwest, Kansas has Michigan State, OhioState, Maryland, Georgetown, and Tennessee. WOW! You talk about a loadedBRACKET. Those are ALL games that I LOVE to see! Of course, Kansas only has toplay 2 of those teams to advance. Nevertheless, they will definitely haveto EARN their Final Four appearance from that bracket. But I take Georgetownin a Big East upset. Even though Kansas is surely a loaded team, I just wentwith the flow, and Georgetown popped out. What can I say? I’m a Big Eastfan!

Then I like the East bracket with the young Kentucky Wildcats. They havebeen my favorite team to watch this year, with the John Wall dance and all.But can 3 freshman really make it to the big dance? They have Texas in thisfirst weekend. And I’ll tell you what, they don’t want to see Temple withthat slow-down office of there’s and those 3-points shooters either. Kentuckystruggles when you stop them from running up and down the floor. They alsostruggle to match teams with 3-point shooting. Then you have West Virginia inthat East bracket as an angry #2. I wouldn’t count those guys out afterwinning the Big East crown. Nevertheless, Kentucky is just plain fun to watch.So I’m rooting for those kids to make it out of the East anyway.

In the South bracket, Duke is the weakest number #1 seed in the field. Ijust don’t trust those guys. And yes, I give them the respect they deserve forclosing out the season as the top dogs in the ACC, but the ACC was mad WEAKthis year. We will see that when they all lose EARLY in the tournament. Infact, I have Duke losing in this first weekend against Louisville. Yes, Ido! That’s how tough the Big East is. Louisville finished HARD in the hardestconference in America. And even if Duke gets past Louisville, I have Baylorof Texas, surprising folks like Missouri did last year. And Baylor will beata guard-heavy, no-big-man-having Villanova, and whoever wins betweenLouisville and Duke to wrap up the South.

Last but not least is the West bracket. Now I realize that Syracuse is alittle bit disappointed that they have to travel away from home to the West tomake the finals this year. But when I look at the West, it’s the easiestbracket in the tournament. Yes, that’s what I said! The entire West is a“prove-it-to-me” bracket. Vanderbilt? Prove it to me! Pittsburgh? Ditto! KansasState? Same deal. Make me a believer! And outside of Murray State, thatentire West bracket bores me to death. So, if Syracuse doesn’t get homesick andlose for lack of energy and focus, they should come out of the West with noproblem at all. And if Syracuse doesn’t come out of the West to make thefinals, then they need to give up their Big East membership card and STAY OUTWEST!

So there you have it; Georgetown, Kentucky, Baylor and Syracuse. And the2010 big dog is . . . Drum roll please . . . the GEORGETOWN HOYAS!

I know, I know, it’s ridiculous, right? But that’s what came out of mybrackets without trying to over think it. I just let it flow, and Georgetownstuck with me. Of course, president Obama may pick Kansas this year, being hismother’s home state, as well as the favorite to win it all. But he alsoattended a Georgetown game in a snowstorm in Washington, DC, this year when theHoyas blew out Duke. So the president will win either way. As for me . . .Well, if Kansas and Kentucky end up in the final, I wouldn’t be mad at thatgame at all. That’s the game that most people expect. But what’s the fun ofhaving 4 brackets of so many teams to choose from if you can’t predictsomething RADICAL and WIN?

With that being said, in the women’s Final Four Tournament, once theselection committee went with Connecticut at #1, of course, followed by Stanfordat #2, and then Nebraska at #3 instead of Tennessee, I saw that as a HUGEMISTAKE for their championship game ratings! By placing Tennessee as a #4overall seed, we now end up with Connecticut and Tennessee in the Final Fourinstead of the Championship game. Well, Connecticut is going to win it allanyway, but at least having Tennessee in the final instead of Stanford would havebeen a much STRONGER game to market. We ALL want to see the HUSKIES and theLADY VOLS. GET IT ON! That’s the REAL women’s Championship. Nobody wantsto see Connecticut and Stanford in a rematch. That game will now beanti-climatic. And the women’s selection committee has no one to blame butthemselves.

With all due respect, Nebraska is happy to be a #1 seed PERIOD! They didn’thave to be #3. Placing them at #4 would have been just FINE! Then theycould have tested the Huskies bite in the Final Four, IF THEY MAKE IT that far.But to screw up the Connecticut and Tennessee final for a first everCornhuskers team, who may not even MAKE the Final Four was just plain STUPID! Theonly thing I can hope for now is that Nebraska can prove me wrong andsurprise us all with a win over Stanford. But . . . I doubt it. So better luck nextyear for the women’s final. Because I won’t be watching the Connecticutand Stanford game. However, if it was Tennessee, I would hung around andwatched the full WHIPPING, just to see Pat Summit have to walk over and shakethat little Italian man’s hand again in defeat. Ha ha ha!

The Saints Come Marching In! by Omar Tyree . . .

2010-02-08T20:28:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints and the Crescent City! They won the SuperBowl last night EXACTLY how I thought they would need to win in. That is, by keeping the game close and ugly without getting into a scoring contest with the Colts. In fact, it was much safer to have the Colts ahead in the game instead of having a lead yourself. Why? Because if the Saints had gotten out to an early lead like they usually do, the Colts would have been juiced up and focused to score on every single possession. But as long as the Colts were in the lead, they would play a more conservative game and the Saints could run out more of the clock then win it in a last-minute SHOCKER! And WAH-LAH! IT HAPPENED!

Let me break it down for you. When the Saints had an opportunity to tie the game up at 10-10 right before halftime, and the Colts stopped them. That was actually a GOOD THING for the Saints! Why? Because if Peyton Manning and his Colts had gotten the ball back after a kick-off with 1:40 left on the clock, they were definitely going to drive down the field and score and steal the momentum back. That’s what they do! However, when the Colts stopped the Saints on the 1-yard like and got the ball back with a 10-3 lead and less than 2 minutes before halftime, there was no way ion HELL they were gonna try and do something STUPID to turn the ball over.

So what happened? The Colts got conservative, they went 3 plays and out on offense, and they punted the ball back to the Saints, who were able to get 3 points out of it for a 10-6 score instead of a tie. And again, that was a GOOD THING for the Saints, because it stopped the Colts from going into attack mode before halftime. Which they ALWAYS do!

Now, at the first kick-off in the 3rd quarter, everyone in the WORLD knows that Peyton Manning and his Colts were ready to get the ball and drive it straight down the field for a 17-6 lead. That’s what they do! But the New Orleans Saints coach, Sean Payton, had a different idea in mind. He already knew what Manning and his Colts were preparing to do, so he attempted and succeeded with a very COURAGEOUS on-side kick to surprise the Colts and get the ball back.

WOW! You talk about a BALLS ON THE FLOOR MOVE! That was it! So the Saints drive down field and jump out to their first 13-10 lead. BUT UHHT OH! As excited as the New Orleans Saints were to finally be in a lead, that 13-10 lead was NOT A GOOD THING! Why? Because now the Colts are now HUNGRY AGAIN! And what happens? The Colts drive straight back down the field, like a Hurricane Katrina, and jump right back out in the lead at 17-13.

I told you! Do NOT play a scoring game with Peyton Manning and the COLTS! You will LOSE THAT GAME! So the Saints get the ball back, and instead of taking the lead this time, they get another field goal for a 17-16 score. That was another GOOD THING for the Saints! Now the Colts are still satisfied with a lead. So instead of Peyton Manning driving back down the field for another touchdown, he eases up on the gas a bit, and the Colts attempt a 51-yard field goal. At that point, I was thinking NOOOOOO! You need to score another TOUCHDOWN! Or at least get a closer field goal. Why? Because that’s a long-ass KICK, and the Saints can SCORE! This isn’t the JETS or the RAVENS! You have to keep the pressure on this team with more POINTS!

So what happened? The Colts, playing conservative again with a 1-point lead, miss a 51-yarder that they would have NEVER KICKED had they been behind in the game. But since they still had a 1-point lead, they were able to make that conservative, Tony Dungy-type decision. And oh, I know, Tony Dungy is no longer the coach in Indy. Nevertheless, his disciple, Jim Caldwell, utilizes the same conservative style of leadership. And that’s EXACTLY why the INDIANAPOLIS COLTS didn’t attempt to go 19-0 this year! Not saying that being structured and safe is all BAD, but it WAS a recipe for DISASTER against a New Orleans Saints team that believed in their DESTINY. It was also why the Tampa Bay Buccaneers decided to FIRE Dungy. They wanted to WIN the SuperBowl. Not just have a excellent team,

Now don’t get me wrong here. I happen to LOVE COACH DUNGY and MOST of what he stands for. I just don’t agree with playing CONSERVATIVE FOOTBALL. I would played a safer than sorry approach and attempted to blow the Saints out. But it was TOO LATE now. So I took a look at the clock. And it’s now the 4th quarter. The Saints have the ball. And there’s about 8 minutes left in the ball game. And I’m thinking, “Okay, this is EXACTLY how the Cots can LOSE this thing.”

Again, the SAINTS are not the JETS or the RAVENS. They can actually SCORE! So now I’m nervous for the first time in the ball game. And I’m still rooting for the Colts because I love what Coach Dungy has done with the team, and the organization there. But I do sympathize with the city or New Orleans. I get the reason why the people there would NEED a SUPERBOWL. I even wrote a book about the city called Leslie, which we are now working hard to produce as my first feature film from a book adaptation. In fact, I LOVE the city of New Orleans. It’s one of my favorite cities in the U.S., right behind my hometown of Philadelphia, and a place called Harlem in New York. But at the same time, I’m also a loyalist. So I’m still down with Dungy, Caldwell and the Colts to win it.

Nevertheless, I’m nervous now. Why? Because a late, come-from-behind win in the 4th quarter was the EXACT SCRIPT that I had discussed with friends and family members as the ONLY WAY that the SAINTS will beat the COLTS in the SuperBowl. The SAINTS will not win a shoot out! But if they can hang around and be close enough in the 4th quarter, they can score and get a lucky turnover to win it without enough time for the Colts to come back. And I PROMISE YOU GUYS --- these were my EXACT WORDS all week LONG before the game!

So what happens? The Saints drive back down the field and score, just like I KNEW they could, for a 22-17 lead. But instead of being conservative and counting on his defense with a 23-17 lead after an extra point, Coach Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints KNOWS that the Colts are gonna come back again. So they go for a 2-point conversion to make it 24-17, anticipating the comeback. And boy was that 2-point conversion CLOSE! But the officials made the RIGHT CALL! They guy DID have possession of the ball over the end zone line. And Coach Payton had made the right call AGAIN to GO FOR IT! THIS IS THE SUPERBOWL! It’s a ONE GAME DEAL!

Now, at the point, guys, I have to be bluntly honest with you. When the Saints took a 24-17 lead with less than 6 minute left in the game, I told myself nice and quietly, “They messed around and did it. They done beat the Colts for the SuperBowl.” They didn’t even NEED a turnover anymore. I figured the Colts would drive down the field with those 5+ minutes left on the clock and tie the game at 24-24, but then the Saints would get the ball back with 3 minutes left, and just enough time to kick a field goal with less then a minute left in the game. And instead of Dungy’s disciple Caldwell trying his own on-side kick to get the ball back to play to WIN, he was going to rely on his defense to win the game with a late stop.

But I didn’t believe the Colts could stop the Saints anymore. It was the right recipe to win. It was the same recipe the San Diego Chargers have used against the Colts in recent years. You play an ugly game with the Colts and hang around long enough to JUMP THEM IN THE END. You don’t play a shoot out game with them, like the Patriots do and LOSE, you play a mud ball game with the Colts, and you make your big plays in the end once they get stuck in the mud.

So what happens next? Peyton Manning reverts back to his days as a rookie quarterback and starts forcing several passes to Reggie Wayne. And I’m thinking, “Go back deep to Pierre Garcon! I know the he dropped a big pass earlier, but give him another chance to be a hero for him people in Haiti! They ALL dropped a pass tonight.” But instead, Manning forces a long, sideline pass to Wayne that is nearly intercepted. At that point I’m shaking my head and thinking about the bone-head throw that Brett Favre made against the Saints at the end of the NFC title game when all he had to do was RUN and save the win.

And yup, you guessed it! Peyton Manning forces another throw toward Reggie Wayne, while not even LOOKING at his other receivers, and just like I used to do and STILL do when I play football right NOW at age 40, if you show me where I THINK you’re going with that ball, I’m not knocking it down, I’m taking it to the HOUSE. And that’s what happened. A 77-yard interception return, the late-game turnover that I FEARED!

But you know what? I didn’t even FLINCH at the point. I KNEW IT was coming. I had mapped out the entire ingredients for the Saints to win the game, and they executed the plan like CLOCKWORK! A late-game WIN was what did it, just like I had SAID! And I REPEAT, if the Saints had jumped out with an early lead and played a TOP THIS GAME with the COLTS . . . THEY WOULD HAVE LOST!

However, it all doesn’t matter now. The Saints didn’t jump out to an early lead and bleed in the water for the shark called the COLTS to hunt them down and eat them. The Saints kept the shark nice and fed with a conservative lead for the majority of the game, and then they SLAUGHTERED THE SHARKS WITH A SPEAR, crowning the NEW ORLEANS SAINTS as the 2009-2010 NFL CHAMPIONS!

Now . . . when the next season starts in 7 months, and the Colts end up going 14-0 again, will they go for the PERFECT SEASON this time, or will the shut it down again and act as if that automatically gives them a win in the SuperBowl? I guess we’ll all have to wait and see. We’ll also see if the Saints can make it back again and defend their title. Because once you win or lose the SuperBowl, the NFL makes certain your next season is STACKED with plenty of new PREDATORS set take you down and skin you like an ALIEN! And that’s why I LOVE FOOTBALL! There is no safe script to win. So either you go ALL OUT . . . or you LOSE!

Omar Tyree, a New York Times best-selling author, a 2001 NAACP Image Award recipient for Outstanding Literature in Fiction, and a 2006 Phillis Wheatley Literary Award winner for Body of Work in Urban Fiction, has been cited in 2009 by the City Council of Philadelphia for his work in Urban Literacy, and has published 19 books with 2 million copies sold worldwide. With a degree in Print Journalism from Howard University in 1991, Tyree has been recognized as one of the most renown contemporary writers in the African-American community. He is also an informed and passionate speaker on various community-related and intellectual topics. Now entering the world of business seminars, urban children’s books, feature films and songwriting, Tyree is a tireless creator and visionary of few limitations. For more information on his work and titles, please view his web site @ (www.OmarTyree.com).

The Great Crossover by Omar Tyree . . .

2010-01-14T20:59:00.000-08:00

Gang, the year is 2010, and the economy is bad, real bad. However, we do have the first man of color as the President of the United States of America, and a strong sister as his first lady. Nevertheless, black culture is in baaaddd shape. And I do mean bad, as bad as an uneducated black man trying to find a job these days.

The main culprit we fight against right now is money. Simply speaking, black people still don’t have any. Or at least not enough of it to create products and services that we could market, produce, and sell within our own community, enough of which to make a living from. You don’t believe me, just ask a black man or woman to invest in a new business. And they’ll ask you, “With what? Microwave popcorn and Ramin noodles?” We can afford plenty of that. But real hard cash these days is tough to find in the hood.

But white America . . . oh, don’t be fooled by the economy. White Americans still have money, and they still find ways to spend it on the things that are most important to them, like; cell phones, computer games, technology gadgets, televisions, movies, sports, groceries, celebrity gossip. You name it, they are still breaking records to spend for it.

So intelligent black people - God bless their survivalist hearts - have recognized as much. And before they allow pure American capitalism to leave them behind in the hood again, intelligent and culturally astute black people have remembered the first and oldest American law of economics . . . cross-over to wealthier, more numerous and generous white Americans in order to make a good living.

Oh yeah! You better believe it! Blacks in professional sports still, and will always, make good money. Mainly because white Americans still and will always spend good money to see super professional athletes do their thing. Black comedians, mainly if white folks can follow their humor, are still able to demand a rock solid 5 figures A NIGHT for a comedy show. Black actors, mainly named Smith, Washington, Murphy, Lawrence and now Foxx, can crossover and make 7 to 8 figured per film. Provided, that role is mixed in with a majority of white actor characters, where a cross-over audience can relate.

And now let’s talk about black music, who have used the word “cross-over” more than anyone. Well . . . do we still even have black music anymore? I can’t tell with all of the so-called “pop” hits that have increasingly moved into the “urban” market these days. The strong and individualized soul of black artists has been transformed into a generic bubble gum flavor that white kids can chew. Even hip hop has softened into a kind of “hip pop” or “pop hop,” if you will.

Why, because white kids still have money to spend and will spend it if they like it. But black kids . . . Well, they’re broke. So they don’t get any music anymore, unless it’s the new urban dance craze song, where they can strut their stuff on YouTube like the old days of popping, locking and break dancing from the 80s. But did anyone really make any money off of that? Unless of course, you got a break dancing or tap-dancing show on Broadway where, ummm, adventurous, thrill-seeking white folks would pay to see these amazingly talented inner-city black kids and Hispanics, who could dance like nobodies business.

So here we are again. No matter how much times have changed, black folks still end up singing, dancing, running, jumping, shooting, swinging, punching, and clowning for Mr. Charlie to make a good living. Otherwise, you’re just another nameless and faceless black person out in the cotton field.

And you better not go against the “pop culture” (meaning more white people) grain unless you name is Jay Z, performing a bold and bad No Autotune song. Then again, No Autotune, and a hood-based song with Young Jeezy, a non-crossover artist, who has recently been left behind, were the only 2 songs on Jay Z lasted Blueprint 3 album that were not “hip hop pop” songs shared with Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Kanye West, Timbaland and several other crossover artists. So even Jay Z knew where to get his latest pay-check from, including a mega millions deal with Live Nation, and international touring company, while marrying Beyonce (no last name needed), the supreme, crossover diva.

But who am I to talk? I used a crossover move myself, by signing with the powerful publishing house of Simon & Schuster some fifteen years ago to get my increased hustle on within the African-American book game. And although my supportive audience was 95% black, it was still the big white bucks of Simon & Schuster that helps me to do it, when black publishers were not interested or financed well enough to back me.

However, the black readership and media outlets who supported us book writers in the past, have now gotten bored with us and moved on up to a bigger, badder, fatter and 20X more visual promotion of Tyler Perry stageplays, television and film. So I now work desperately to crossover into those arenas of film, television and stageplays myself to make a living in 2010. This isn’t 1999 anymore. As Will.I.Am, the crossover front man, producer and performer of the Black Eyed Peas sang on Oprah’s Show after Barack Obama’s election to the presidency, “It’s a new daaaay . . .” And he was very happy to sing so. But is it really a new day . . . ?

Black people have been hit by Americas present economic recession more than anyone, with less jobs, less income, more home foreclosures, and less culture now to uplift them. Outside of Barack, Michelle, Malia, Sasha and Bo sitting pretty in the White House, of course. The Black First Family seem to keep many in our community optimistic that a new day is still right around the corner for us.

Nevertheless, Tyler Perry - God bless his hardworking soul - is one of the very few black men these days who can still earn a good living from black support without crossing-over. That’s why white Hollywood is continually confused about how he is able to win at the box office with his films, which they don’t consider to be . . . good enough, or ummm, universal enough (meaning more white characters and subjects that white people can relate to) to succeed economically.

Of course, Tyler Perry, still gets his film distribution muscle from Lionsgate, a very strong independent white studio, and he has also made excellent friends now with Oprah Winfrey, the crossover queen of the FREE WORLD to help promote his creative products and services to his audience.

And don’t get it twisted here, I’m not hating on any of these guys. On the contrary, I am very happy for them. ALL of them! I’m only stating a 21st Century fact of white and black America in year 2010, that’s all. Despite Barack Obama as president, we are catching a very cold winter right now, just like always. Unless we can, like Obama did, prove that we are worthy enough to somehow show white folks with money that it’s okay for us to make a good living up in the big house. Even for me now.

Unless I can find a way to crossover to bigger, longer, generous and supportive money from a white company again myself, I may no longer be of any good to you guys. As Jay Z rapped uncompromisingly on his first album, Reasonable Doubt, before he crossed over into “pop culture”, “N---a you broke, f--- you gone tell me.” In other words, your opinions and advice only have value when your bank account does as well. And if not, then don’t even speak. So maybe I need to find myself a major radio show deal like Michael Baisden, Tom Joyner, Steve Harvey, Tavis Smiley, and Wendy Williams. But oops . . . wait a minute. Those guys have all been able to crossover too, if not with their audience, then with the radio station conglomerates who control the airwaves, including sister Cathy Hughes’ Comcast-invested company of Radio and TV-1.

There’s just no way around the crossover to live well in America. And I hate to say it, but not even black drug dealers are producing the ingredients of their products locally. It’s still all imported. So if you want to find a way out of the hell that we have recently found ourselves in, once again, then please practice your crossover dribble for forever ready ESPN crowd of overexcited white students, alumni, staff, and parents, who will wildly cheer you on and wear your team colors and jerseys with painted bodies and faces, happy as ever to line up early and all night and pay handsomely for another opportunity to watch you succeed at entertaining them.

Wow! As much as things have changed . . . You get the point. Now go practice. I’m already at the gym.

Omar Tyree, a New York Times best-selling author, a 2001 NAACP Image Award recipient for Outstanding Literature in Fiction, and a 2006 Phillis Wheatley Literary Award winner for Body of Work in Urban Fiction, has been cited in 2009 by the City Council of Philadelphia for his work in Urban Literacy, and has published 19 books with 2 million copies sold worldwide that has generated more than $30 million. With a degree in Print Journalism from Howard University in 1991, Tyree has been recognized as one of the most renown contemporary writers in the African-American community. He is also an informed and passionate speaker on various community-related and intellectual topics. Now entering the world of business seminars, urban children’s books, feature films and songwriting, Tyree is a tireless creator and visionary of few limitations. For more information on his work and titles, please view his web site @ (www.OmarTyree.com).

Broke & Sexy The truth about contemporary American dating . . .

2010-01-12T20:42:00.000-08:00

A Conversation With Writer Omar Tyree

Q: After more than a decade of writing popular and successful novels, why did you now decide to write a stageplay?

A: Well, I've also written several screenplays for feature film production at this point, but that process is tremendously long, expensive and taxing, particularly on your first big project. So while my partners and I continue to move along in the film production stages, I asked myself, "Why not write a stageplay that you can produce and stay active with in the meantime?" And the decision was helped along when I read a marketing e-mail that announced Tyler Perry going back out on the road with a new "Madea" play.

Q: And that information influenced your decision?

A: Oh, definitely. I mean, here's a man who took the black stageplays to another level, and it's obvious that there is an audience out there for the medium. You just have to come up with an idea to execute that will bring outa steady crowd of supporters. And since I'm no longer writing 400-page books, I figured that writing an 85-page stageplay would be a breeze.

Q: And was it?

A: Oh yeah. I wrote it over the 2-week Christmas and New Year's holiday break and took it to the Library of Congress to secure the copyrightalready. That was the easy part. But now the hard part begins; casting, producing, directing, finding promotional partners, and taking the play out there onthe road.

Q: Now the subject of your play - Broke & Sexy - seems to be extremely timely.

A: If you know about my career as a novel writer, I've always been one to write timely material about our community. And for my final novel Pecking Order, published in September 2008, I wrote about the state of American entrepreneurship because we all need to think about creating new economicsfor ourselves. I followed that up with The Equation, a non-fiction book onbusiness. So, for my first stageplay, while we are still in hard economic times, I wanted to speak about the difficulties of dating in this depressed economy.I see that as a very valid and serious topic that you can make fun of and learn from at the same time.

Q: But will people want to watch a stageplay about those economic truths, or find something that allows them to get away?

A: Well, I've never been the "get-away-from-my-problems" kind of writer. I've always written about the hard truths in my work. However, with a stageplay, I'm able to be more humorous with those truths. So it's a veryfunny play that couples will indeed have a ball with. Then you have actors whowill have a ball depicting the well-rounded characters that I came up with. So, have no fear, the entertainment element is all there. I just base the playon a subject that is definitely valuable to us right now.

Q: What is your target audience?

A: You know, I have always had a pause when it comes to target audiences for my work, because you never really know who will eventually come out to support you. You always hope for the largest audience possible, but realistically, you have to review the content and the delivery of yourmaterial, as well as the audience who have been a part of the natural marketplace thatyou fall into with your project. And with that being said, I would expect to attract the African-American working class who typically support stageplays.At the same time, I would also hope to attract a few college-aged supporters, and possibly crossover to non-blacks, who may be interested in the contemporary economic content that is involved.

Q: In light of the economic issues highlighted within the play, how do we as African Americans prepare our youth in college, so that they are better prepared for corporate America?

A: You can prepare all college students for corporate America by telling them, or demanding them, to do internships in their freshman, sophomore, junior and senior years. The best way to learn is to be there. And corporateAmerica is always open to free young labor, especially now. So when thoselazy college students wait until the last minute to intern in their field ofwork, or don't make the sacrifices that are needed to do so, then they hurt themselves by not providing their own early opportunity to learn before graduation. I even bring up internships and putting in your dues within theplay. So there are no excuses for not starting early.

Q: What is success for our community? How do we define it as individuals, so we are not compelled to keep up with the Joneses?

A: I'm sorry to tell you the truth and keep it real here, but keeping up with the Joneses is a part of the American way. And the only way you can maintain your focus is by choosing to live in economic arenas that fit whereyou are financially. In other words, don't choose to live around people who you feel you can't compete with. It's a battle that many of us Americans end up punishing ourselves and our loved ones to be involved with. Nevertheless, as long as we can dream the American dream and go after what we want, wewill all find ourselves in competition with the next man and woman and family, whether we like it or not.

Q: How do we get educated, 30-somethings to date and enjoy the moment, without making it a job interview or audition for a potential husband orwife?

A: Now, that all depends on the person. If you're into casual dating, then you will find a way to do it. But if not, and you're ready to get serious about what you're doing, then you start to take the people around you more seriously. But in these economic times, dating can get to be frivolous and expensive, which again, I allude to within the stageplay. But ultimately,it's all up to you and what you're after. So folks who want more fun find ways toplace themselves around the fun people, who may be younger than them, or older people who are just looking for fun themselves.

Q: Are "Alvin Williams" and those people out there who share his way of thinking, male gold diggers, or are they simply trying to beat women attheir own game?

A: Alvin is a creative character that I wrote to make a point and to make sure we get to all of the issues at hand dramatically as well as comically. So even though guys who prey on women economically exist, I realistically don't hang out or know too many if those guys. So I would have to havepeople who are closer to the "Alvin Williams" types to explain what's going on there. I was always raised on men that took care of their own business andhad enough left over to take care of their women and families when needed. So although I can write about a guy like "Alvin", trying to explain that dudeis something totally out of my league. So you just have to enjoy his role and come up with your own ideas to explain him.

Stay tuned for more information regarding the Broke & Sexy stageplay coming soon @ www.OmarTyree.com

an original STAGEPLAY

2009-12-06T21:29:00.000-08:00

From the man who brought you Flyy Girl, A Do Right Man, Single Mom, For The Love of Money, Sweet St. Louis, Just Say No!, Diary of a Groupie, Dirty Old Men and What They Want, comes . . . an original STAGEPLAY!

Witness the ground breaking, original play from New York Times, award-winning author and filmmaker Omar Rashad Tyree

The most honest and valid depiction of the contemporary dating game of relationships between men and women that you’ve ever scene on stage or screen, will be coming to a city near you in 2010, written like only Omar Tyree can write it!

A
MUST-SEE-IT-TO-BELIEVE-IT PRODUCTION!

So get your tickets
EARLY!

That's right, you heard it here first, folks! While we await the final tie-ins to produce my first feature film - Leslie - I have decided to jump into the stageplay business. No since in me waiting around with so many things to say and so much talent to say it with.

So this first stageplay of mine is going to be an original idea all about the economics of the dating game in our very REAL economic times. How much do you spend on a date, and who do you date economically toward marriage?

These are REAL issues to tackle right now.

But what line of title will fly the highest and with what crowd? Churchgoers seem to dominate the African-American play circuit, but a very strong secular title would work for the secular club crowd and the college students.

So that becomes the new question for my marketing . . .

And I've already started writing it, folks! So stay tuned!

And what do you all THINK about the idea?

“The Business Question Of The Week”

2009-08-06T21:06:00.000-07:00

What’s your take on the international arena at this point in time, and how the turmoil overseas affects our economics and well being back at home in the United States?

Asked by Jared Sinaka from New York City

Omar Tyree Answers:

Well, first of all, it’s been quite a while since I’ve answered any business blog questions or otherwise. Once I traveled out to Hollywood, California, I’ve been very preoccupied with my own career in the television and film world of entertainment as a show and film creator and writer. And that’s how I will answer your question.

We have President Barack Obama, and Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, both dealing with the international scene as best they can at this point, while of course, being swamped by so many economic issues that are taxing us at home. Now I read a newspaper article just yesterday, where the writer had the opinion that the present foreign policymakers lack experience and muscle, strictly because they are not intent on bullying the rest of the world like the America of the past.

Well, it takes a lot of money, effort and time to bully the world, and we don’t have those resources at our disposal right now. So unless folks you folks are ready and willing to start what could become the final world war of humanity, with Iran and North Korea, we have to continue to keep our cool, like Obama and Clinton, while pulling together our own house in America. Literally!

On the other hand, when you’re not able to concentrate on foreign issues, either as a nation or as individuals, we also run the risk of allowing turmoil to go unchecked until we are no longer able to pull the situation back into order. Nevertheless, life will ALWAYS find ways to challenge us no matter what we do. So either way, America will continue to be challenged by the events of the international world just like everyone else. But I don’t see the rest of the world panicking. They all deal with it like mature nations who have been through it all before, and have survived it.

Personally, I have to admit, I am more focused on Team Tyree right now and making sure I can continue to map my laps back and forth across the pool of life to provide the economics and poise that are needed for the survival of my own nuclear family in these hard economic times. So I will leave it up to the Team USA and their foreign policy positions to work out their jobs to protect our interest and safety worldwide. Anything more than that from me would be a stretch at this time. My hands are full.

But my idea is that a strong home and family makes us a stronger nation abroad. But if we have folks who neglect their own households to concern themselves about the issues of the world at this point, when the world settles back into comfort, we will only return home to find ourselves in a battle there. So pick your poison, and select your medicine. But for me, the choice is definitely family first. America first! And we let the foreign policy officials do their jobs with more faith. That’s what we all have to have right now.

Omar Tyree on "The Passing of E. Lynn Harris"

2009-07-26T21:50:00.000-07:00

"E. Lynn Harris was by far the most generous big brother in the African-American publishing world. He was the one professional most willingto give you, not only publishing advise, but a review quote on your new book, tour assistance and even public appearances to help you out in your aspirationsto become a successful author.

When I first met E. at Book Expo America party in Chicago back in 1996, he already knew who I was, he had already read my work, and he greeted me with support and enthusiasm.

Once, he even hosted an event for me at Chicago's Shark Bar for the release of Single Mom, my third published novel with Simon & Schuster. And I never heard the mad have a sour comment for anyone. He was a hardworking author who understood what being a writer of the people was all about.

E. Lynn Harris and his poise and leadership in the publishing world of African-American books will be sadly missed."

Why Leslie First? - Omar Tyree

2009-07-17T22:55:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I know, many of you guys would just loooove to see Flyy Girl as my first movie. The only problem is, most of the readers who love Flyy Girl so much have never bothered to read many of my other books. So if I gave them Flyy Girl first as a movie, would they even bother to see my otherfilms? Because if I can't trust them to read the other books, then whyshould I trust them to see the other films? And they have all had PLENTY of time toread my other books. And they ALL GOOD READS!

So for the first film, since I want to have a film CAREER and not just one movie deal, we decided very strategically to go with the Leslie franchise first, where we can possible do 3 films with a character that folks willlove and want to see much more of. But if you guys have not read Leslie the book,you have no idea what you're missing.

Therefore, a New Orleans-based suspense vehicle like Leslie would get us "out-of-the-box" of typical African-American films that may immediately destroy new types of ideas if I were to do the obvious Flyy Girl first. Andsince we know everyone is waiting for Flyy Girl anyway, we decided do it when we have more experience and power to do it RIGHT and have plenty of marketing money to push it. But you often have to beg on the first movie, so we'drather do that on an exciting trilogy film like Leslie.

Second, I would love to do Sweet St. Louis as an urban love story or One Crazy Night, as a run-for-your-life thriller. Then we would do Flyy Girl third, followed by Diary of A Groupie, the Leslie sequel, Just Say No!, TheLast Street Novel, Pecking Order. We have plenty of great film vehicles, but I will NOT make the mistake of giving fans the only book they ever read ofmine FIRST and then being nervous about whether they will continue to follow my film career, because they have not done so with the books.

So the idea is to force an audience to enjoy my other great content first, then I can keep a film career going with respect, instead of being one film and out with Flyy Girl. With all that being said, we will also need the power and money to choose and original franchise actress for Flyy Girl,shoot it in Philly, go back to the 80s, get the wardrobe right, keep the locations outside. And those are all ideas that we will have to FIGHT FOR that we may not be able to do on a first film without having that power.

So bear with us. We will get to Flyy Girl, just learn to read something else with my name on it first, starting with Leslie. And if I can't count onyou to do that, then I have to honestly say that you're not an Omar Tyreefan, you're a Flyy Girl fan. But I want an Omar Tyree film career, and not a Flyy Girl film career. Flyy Girl is only one movie. And I want to make 20movies or more. You feel me? So learn to respect the man's other work.

What are your comments on all of that? I'm curious to know?

Sincerely,
Omar Tyree

Penning Poetry

2009-06-08T21:24:00.000-07:00

This week’s “Business Question of the Week” takes me back to the days when I wrote and performed poetry. Kimberly Tyler from Maryland asks:

I can see that you are now heading in a business direction with your career and everything, but I was just wondering if you were still able to write and perform poetry. I saw you perform poetry nearly a decade ago at Del State, and I was wondering if you had abandoned your poetry skills for everything else that you’re doing?

Omar Tyree Answers:

Wow! Talk about more perfect timing. I was up in Philadelphia last week, and a group of several friends informed me that this new downtown poetry spot was hot and piping. So they asked me to stop by and enjoy. Well, I dropped on in, became inspired by the energy in the room, and immediately wrote the poem below to perform as a “special guest” that evening. And I do hope that I still have the poetic goods (smile).

Truth Serum, 2009

by Omar Tyree . . .

It’s been a long time
since I’ve tried to entertain the minds of like kinds
and for the past 10 years I’ve been in a state of decline
from poetry
Nah, that’s cool. I’m cool. Poetry don’t make no money.
Then I walk into an excited, loud, proud crowd
like this one, and decide to press rewind, and fall back into the time
when I used to do this (stuff), and do it well
at the North Star Bar in North Philly
Incognito in DC
Back Words in Baltimore
and the Neuyorican Cafe in the big city, I meant Apple.
So take a bite of this with sticky candy on top
and get your teeth stuck
hundreds of thousands of Americans are out of luck now
downsized, out-sourced, defaulted, kicked out, left out, walked out
talked out, and stalked out on the streets like the Walking Dead
and talking heads won’t fix it.
We need a prescription of economic penicillin to eradicate
the disease of addiction, but addiction is the American way
where we’ll pay for ANYTHING that makes us feel good.
(Shucks), that’s why I’m off to Hollywood now to become a dealer
of American entertainment.
Lights, camera, action, money, and poetry don’t make none
unless
you’re with the networks that pimp the poets for $50 a pop and a chance
to make the next poetry inspired Mc Donald’s commercial
where you push a sexy box of Chicken McNuggets
during the NBA Championship
and brag to your family and friends about it.
Nah, (forget) that!
I wanna write the whole show and the jingle and keep getting paid
Finger-lickin chicken with McNuggets, McNuggets
Finger-lickin chicken with McNuggets
Get some
Finger-lickin chicken with McNuggets, McNuggets
Finger-lickin chicken with McNuggets
Get some . . . morrre
Ching ching! Pay check please. And excuse my urgency
but something needs to happen that pays the bills
something needs to happen that accumulates greenbacks and gold.
Can poetry be sold yet?
(Shucks), looks like I dun crossed over to the other side
the scorned capitalist, the bean counter, Mr. Bottom-Line
who don’t talk loud no more, I just ask the question softly,
“Where’s the money?”
Show it to me, so I can swim in it, like an Indecent Proposal
naked, dirty and sexy money
so I propose this to the poets, create poetry that makes some.
I guess you can see where my head is at, I’m on some executive (stuff)!
But at the end of the day, poetry still exists
because human thoughts and emotions are still priceless
and with simple pen and paper
even a broke (joker) can become GENIUS
and shine
like the sun.
That’s why we do it.
That’s why we do it.
That’s why . . .
we do it.

Cotton Candy or Spinach… Here’s hoping I can avoid both pitfalls

2009-06-02T21:29:00.000-07:00

This week’s Business Question of the Week was sent in by Mike who hails from my hometown of Philadelphia, PA:

I'm nearly finished writing my first novel, First Floor on Fire, which is fiction but strongly inspired by my experience teaching in a tough public high school in Philadelphia. My book is an attempt at being both strongly intellectual, viscerally emotional and thematically complex. Most books make readers choose between cotton candy or spinach, and here's hoping I can avoid both pitfalls.

Omar Tyree Answers:

Mike, you can basically decide to write whatever book you want in whatever style you choose to write it in, but your success rate will ultimately depend on the book's acceptance from an audience. And if the audience wants cotton candy, they will toss your spinach out the window and disappoint you. However, writing spinach is still in the eyes of the reader. You may think you're being complicated, but who is to say that your complication will automatically be understood?

Artistically speaking, when viewing The Equation of life, many artistic individuals may begin to view their specific genius as universal, where it may not be. And I know this situation personally. I have always had a higher goal for my work that many readers have not shared. So you end up creating Art for a particular Purpose, and with a genuine method of your own madness. However, that does not mean that everyone will get it. This happens with poets all of the time. They believe that their individual poems are the greatest thing since sliced bread, but the audience is sometimes unmoved by it, landing you back at the drawing board of wanting to make a connection.

There is a reason why artistic professionals sometimes make a conscious decision to "dumb down" their material. They want to make sure that they reach a wider audience, and you cannot always assume that every customer is on the same literate level to understand your material. Nevertheless, if it is your goal to market to a higher group of intellectuals with your particular craft, then that is your prerogative to do so. But you must understand that you will need to accept how the audience responds either way.

That is the reality of a "free market." We all have the opportunity to choose what we want. Every artistic person must understand that they are not the only "genius" in the marketplace with a particular creation. And whether you call another person's Art "cotton candy" or "spinach," they are ALL creations that will compete in an open marketplace, and that will all serve a Purpose for a buying society whether we like it, agree with it or not.

So indeed, write the book that you want to write. But at the end of the day, you will need to make certain sacrifices to publish successfully for an audience who is ultimately outside of your personal computer. You feel me? When other people can relate and just "get it" it is indeed a great feeling. But sometimes, we can actually outdo ourselves by trying to do too much. So we must all make personal assessments regarding what we are willing to live with once we place our creative items out on the marketplace for sale. Because at that point, the creation is no longer yours. It's now theirs. That's what becoming "published" is all about.

What About the Children Pt. 2

2009-05-26T21:38:00.000-07:00

This week we continue with Rochelle Frazier’s question regarding the Urban Literacy Project. Rochelle asked:

Recently you began the Urban Literacy Project. What is the purpose of this project and how will it uplift youth?

Omar Tyree Responds:

Continuing with the business question of last week, I pick back up with the 5 Key Components of Literacy by discussing the 3rd Component of Thinking. The human ability to Think becomes the engine of everything we Read, Write, Visualize and Apply. But we have far too many students and citizens who have talked themselves into believing their thoughts are unimportant. And far too many common people answer, “Nothing,” whenever they are asked the elementary question of what they’re Thinking about. However, no one is EVER Thinking Nothing! Even while humans sleep, they Think in the form of dreams. The human mind never shuts down. Nevertheless, we shut our own minds down by repeating to ourselves that there’s nothing going on upstairs in our brains, which is a lie. Therefore, I teach students, teachers and parents alike to always value the genius of their thoughts, or forever follow the world in a dark cloud that adds no source of creative light. You are as you THINK! So if you Think Nothing . . . But if you Think Everything . . .

Then I deal with the 4th Component of Visualization, or being able to comprehend and Visualize what you Read, Write, Think and Apply. Can you actually see the meaning of the words? As I explain in lectures, successful people are those who can see the victory before they even begin the battle. As the Bible says, “Without vision the people will perish.” Well, we can all have Vision through literacy. The words we all Read, Write, Think and Apply have meanings beyond the page, beyond the microphone, beyond the backboard, beyond the tape recorder, and beyond our own minds. But if we cannot Visualize the images of the words when we Read them, Write them, Think them, or Apply them, then we are not really literate. Comprehension is all about developing the image of ideas through our mind’s eye! That is the visual power of literacy!

I wrap up with the 5th Component of Literacy being Application, or the ability to Apply what we Read, Write, Think or Visualize. When a person can Apply their learning, they can then Read directions on how to put together a bike, Write about who bought the bike for them and why, Think about where they want to ride it, and Visualize a faster or bigger bike. That, my friends, is the Application of literacy. And if we intend for American students to become valuable to our society, then every student must be able to Apply literacy. That’s our goal for the Urban Literacy Project, to teach everyone the importance of these 5 Key Components all around the country, and maybe next, THE WORLD!

Again, for more information, visit my web site @ www.OmarTyree.com / Urban Literacy Project links, and inquire about how we can work to bring the Urban Literacy Project to your local school district.

Sincerely,
The Chairman - - Omar Rashad Tyree

What About the Children

2009-05-17T22:11:00.000-07:00

This week’s “Business Question of the Week” focuses on our next generation. Rochelle Frazier from Memphis, TN asks:

Recently you began the Urban Literacy Project. What is the purpose of this project and how will it uplift youth?

Omar Tyree Responds:

A decade ago, in the limelight of my writing and publishing career, I was so bothered by a refusal of African-American males to read books of fiction, that my then agent barked at me, “Omar, look, men don’t read fiction! They just don’t. They won’t even read it if you give them the books for free! But if you are so concerned about them reading, then join a literacy foundation or something.” My agent was really pissed off at me, because I kept trying to write books that included the perspectives of men, even though the reading audience was nearly 90% women, and it was screwing up much bigger paychecks for both of us. So years later, instead of joining a literacy foundation, I decided to create my own, the Urban Literacy Project, to address the terrible reading habits of African-American and urban men at the youngest stages.

With the Urban Literacy Project, our goal is now to muscle our way into the public school systems nationally, and help the mostly female school teachers to utilize my 5 Key Components of Literacy - Reading, Writing, Thinking, Visualization, and Application, for not only the boys, but for ALL of the young readers. I want to help teachers battle against students who say they don’t like to Read by allowing them to understand that they actually Read with their Eyes, Ears, Nose, Tastes, and Feelings every day of their lives without ever touching a book. So imagine how much more they could Read with their minds when they finally do grab a book?

For those who say they don’t like to Write, I instruct the teachers to tell students that they Write every time they Speak, Move, or make any Facial Expression. Yes indeed, verbal expression, body movement, and facial expressions, as the term goes, “It’s written all over your face” are indeed methods of writing without touching a pen, a pad, a typewriter or a computer. So imagine how much more students can Write when they finally learn to utilize a pen, a typewriter, a computer, or even a cell phone to express themselves, because they actually write everyday of their young lives anyway.

Then I deal with Thinking, which we also do every day of our lives. But since my team wants me to keep my answers short, we will need to pick back up on the goals of the Urban Literacy Project next week. But if you want to learn more information on your own about the ULP, simply go to my web site @ www.OmarTyree.com and look up the Urban Literacy Project on my links page until I have a chance to finish this loaded question next week.

The First 100

2009-05-11T21:56:00.000-07:00

This week’s Business Question was sent in by Kyle Bleacher from Chi-town. His question reads:

President Obama has been given grades of A to D for his first 100 days in office. What are your thoughts on his progress so far with issues such as the economy, health care, the war, etc.?

Omar Tyree Responds:

First of all, I want to share a belated HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all of the mothers out there, and to the soon-to-be mothers. Now we get back to the question. Barack Obama and his ascension to the presidency of the United States of America was one of our first blog questions of the year. We broke down in business terms how he became successful in his endeavor. So it only makes sense for us to come back and evaluate him after his first 100 days. And we will address each of your 3 sub questions.

#1) The Economy – Whoever thought that Barack Obama, John McCain, Hillary Clinton, or whoever else would be able to step into office on January 20, 2009, and immediately correct a slumping economy is delusional. It was not an overnight process that got us all into trouble, and it will not be an overnight process that gets us out. However, President Obama understood that he had to do SOMETHING and do it FAST! And he’s been able to do so. So I give him an A for his immediate efforts. We have plenty of folks (mostly Republicans) who are sitting on the fence complaining about the moves that he is making, but again, no one’s economic plan would have corrected our situation immediately, so we all must wait until the year is out to effectively grade Obama.

#2) Healthcare – Same deal. I give Obama an A for effort. I mean, this man jumped right into office and went to WORK! He is trying to create a healthcare plan for ALL AMERICANS. How can that be a bad thing? As long as we all live in America and pay taxes, then let’s have a government that looks out for its citizens in every way possible. So I’m in agreement with this major move. Those who may not be in agreement (more Republicans) are most likely already covered with healthcare. So they look at it as more wasted money on those who cannot afford to pay.

#3) The War – If you’re referring to Iraq, we should have never been there in the first place. So, President Obama is now setting goals to correct that mistake. However, since we are already there and created the mess, it would be ridiculous to pull out overnight. A comprehensive withdraw plan makes sense. In reference to Afghanistan, Obama’s move to establish more troops in that volatile region makes sense as well. The continued insurgence of terrorist’s practices in the Middle East does no good to anyone. So he gets another A from me in assessing that more security has to be committed against nations and leaders who continue to fight against the establishment of PEACE!

The overall Equation of Barack Obama remains a good one. He has now proven to be a Passionate man who creates more RED ACTION than just words. Remember his presidential opponents used to make those comments about him only being a man of words. I don’t think that’s the case now. Obama has also shown a lot of GOLD Artistic SKILL in governing the most powerful nation in the world. Remember folks felt he would be too young and inexperienced for the position of president? He continues to have the GREEN Support of the common people, with many Republicans now leaning in his Democratic direction to get things done, while other Republicans now seem to do nothing but talk. And the increased Business of our nation is still to come. However, with President Obama’s various stimulus plans, whether you like it or not, his intentions are obviously to create more business than stand still and watch the nation’s commercial viability die.

Need I say more? Until any negative results come in, President Barack Obama gets an A from me. And even if everything is not perfect a year from now... Well, who is perfect anyway? You catch my point. Let the man do his job and judge him by his intentions. And right now, the president’s intentions all look like GRAVY!

Is Oprah’s Booklist Attainable?

2009-04-27T21:16:00.000-07:00

This week’s Business Question of The Week was sent in from the boot. Jacqueline Turner from Louisiana asks:

What is a realistic goal for me in trying to get media exposure? Is it likely that I could ever get my book on Oprah’s list? What could I do to get there?

Omar Tyree Answers:

Jacqueline, you have just jumped out of my range with the Oprah question. I hear people actually e-mail her repetitively to attempt to get their books considered for her club, but there is only 10 – 15 books a year that are chosen by Oprah out of the thousands of books that are published each year. That doesn’t sound like great odds, but anything is possible. So Google the Oprah Winfrey Show, go to the web site, and fire away. I have never tried myself. Maybe I should e-mail about a hundred of you guys to e-mail Oprah every day for a few months to get my own work featured (smile).

Anyway, as far as media exposure is concerned, it seems that the only sure way to get attention in America is by getting arrested for some unspeakable crime. That would surely get you plenty of media exposure, but probably not the kind that you would like. Other than that, you either hire a public relations firm for their services, or you go about calling up newspapers, magazines, web sites, television, and radio stations yourself, and pitch those folks until they give you a play for whatever you’re pushing.

I remember when I was hungry enough to make those calls nearly a decade ago about my own career aspirations. I was able to bully a few folks into covering my short-term goals, but it actually suited me better when I was less well-known. Once I became a household name in the African-American community, a lot of media folks began to think of me as obnoxious to call up and pitch my own coverage. Gossip radio talk-show host Wendy Williams even went as far as to call me “The King of Self Promotion.” I don’t really view that as a compliment, but sometimes your own tenacity can get you more media coverage than the folks you hire. Sometimes their more systematic approach fails to move anyone. And PR firms can also be expensive.

Ultimately, media exposure falls on how Attractive your story is, who you know for hookups, or who you talked to at the right place and at the right time. There are literally thousands of success stories of people who have gotten the attention that they desired in a multitude of ways. All you have to do is read more and listen more to the folks who have the attention. They are constantly talking about it. However, you definitely have to SEEK ATTENTION to get it. Asking for advice won’t do it, coming up with your own plans to execute will. So learn to do so, with whatever ideas work for you. Trial and error is the key here, because there is no one way.

As I explain in the 19th Chapter of The Equation, Attraction is the first element of Support. You must attract people to what you have to offer by any means necessary. And it seems as if you already know that. So now is the time to get busy doing it!

BLACK NOVELS AND THE SILVER SCREEN, PT. 2

2009-04-20T21:22:00.000-07:00

This week’s Business Question is part 2 of the answer to Marcus Bailey’s question about black novels and film. And the question read:

I have read several of your books and loved them. And I realize that you have 18 books total. I have also read several other African-American authors, including Eric Jerome Dickey, Sister Souljah, Carl Weber, Noire, and many others. But how come you all have not had movie deal developments like white American authors and their books?

Omar Tyree Answers:

Okay, enough already about the difficulties of black book authors attempting to break into the feature film game. Someone may begin to think that there is no need in even trying if all of the odds are that stacked against us. So, for this week, what I would like to do is pick back up on the very timely question concerning the production of African-American books into film by creating a doable game plan from which to execute.

#1) UNDERSTAND THE TYLER PERRY MODEL of filmmaking. Instead of running out to Hollywood with a book or a script, black authors must find ways to secure financial backers FIRST. So I have now developed a full business package and presentation to explain the execution of the African-American film industry. It is a very exclusive industry of only a dozen or so shot-callers who can get films made. So, whenever you have an industry that is THAT SMALL there is always a tremendous upside for gain. That’s Business 101, the smaller the competition in the market, the larger the opportunity for exclusive success. Investors must be lead to understand that.

#2) You must map out a PLAN FOR LONGEVITY. One of the many mistakes that I see aspiring filmmakers make is planning to produce 1 big film for success, without having any idea about the development of the next project to maintain your business as a filmmaker! Each film is a struggle to make, so you must create your own model of longevity before you even produce the first film, that way you can maintain within the industry. However, some authors and writers do not have enough film content, or their next project conceived or thought out, where Tyler Perry and several authors like myself already have a built-in slate of product from which to keep the Business going. So, as I have always advised other authors, keep creating your product regardless.

#3) STAY ACTIVE IN THE GAME. Now, I have not been running around out in Hollywood, California myself, but my partner Arthur Wylie has, and he continues to keep our business endeavors hot. So I would advise other authors and writers to link up with folks who can continue to talk to the Hollywood players about your projects while you continue to work on new creativity. None of us can do it all, so we need to find partner’s who are willing to do their share of the workload.

#4) PRAY FOR SUCCESS! The reality is, for those who are fortunate enough to be able to break into the film game, it is indeed a BLESSING! So, if you ever have a chance to acquire that blessing, make sure that you appreciate it and take full advantage of every moment, every dollar, every interview, and every ounce of national popularity that the opportunity affords you. And trust me, after more than a decade now of flying back and forth to LAX airport, and driving around California to meet and greet and speak to the Hollywood players, who I still have not moved any project forward with, I know full well how much of a blessing it will be to finally break my way in. But that blessing won’t come without the execution. Business investors rarely give money away for filmmaking. So it all has to be TIGHT! And that’s what we are presently working to create, a tight package that cannot be refused.

And The Equation for this week becomes a wing and prayer to entice the right Purple Business People to the table to write the checks that will launch the next African-American film brand into Business. That, my friends, remains the task for ALL OF US WRITERS! The film projects will not happen any other way.

Black Novels and the Silver Screen

2009-04-14T00:24:00.001-07:00

This week’s business question comes from the state where big hats and belt buckles are fashionable. Marcus Bailey from Houston, Texas asks:

I have read several of your books and loved them. And I realize that you have 18 books total. I have also read several other African-American authors, including Eric Jerome Dickey, Sister Souljah, Carl Weber, Noire, and many others. But how come you all have not had movie deal developments like white American authors and their books?

Omar Tyree Answers:

WHOA! That is the question of the year, my friend! But I have actually answered this artistic/business question for YEARS now. Nevertheless, I have rarely had a chance to answer it for many of the large publications or major media outlets where a larger audience can hear me. Those outlets typically cover positive news. So they would rather cover the movie deals once you’re in the promotion stage for a release, ala Tyler Perry. So, here we are at my web site (www.OmarTyree.com) to answer this question for the behind-the-scene-details:

#1) AFRICAN-AMERICAN BOOKS ARE STILL NOT BEING READ by the power players in Hollywood, therefore black authors must continually explain their work. But how long does it take for a studio to read a book? Surely, someone at these major film companies can spend the time to read and determine if a story is worth a film. But I have been in meeting after meeting after meeting, where Hollywood folks know the names of the authors and the titles of their books, but they have not actually read the material to understand the content. And without them understanding the content, there will be no film. However, with white American books – THE FILM EXECUTIVES READ THE CONTENT!

#2) MONEY IS STILL AN ISSUE! That’s right, folks, we still have an issue getting black films financed, and there is no film to be made without the capital to shoot it. So a lot of the meetings with black authors actually ask the authors to basically give up the film rights for their books for practically nothing, and get paid on the back end of the film. Well, even if you were to be a “team player” and agree to this scenario, you still need money to shoot the film. So if there is not enough money to pay the author something for the rights, you have to ask yourself, “How much money do these guys have to shoot the film?” And the answer is, they usually don’t have the money. They want to acquire your book rights so they can SHOP for the money. But that rarely happens. So you end up with authors who negotiate their rights, with nothing moving forward for actual film production. However, with white American book authors – THE STUDIOS COUGH UP THE MONEY TO PAY THE AUTHORS FOR THEIR RIGHTS, AS WELL AS MONEY TO SHOOT THE FILM! They then go about attaching the right actors to the project, while hyping up the coming film to the audience in advance.

#3) AFRICAN-AMERICAN AUTHORS STILL DO NOT SELL THE AMOUNT OF BOOKS that white American authors sell. So if your Hollywood meeting starts off with a discussion about your book numbers, there are very few African-American authors who can match the books sales of major white authors. WHY? BECAUSE BLACK READERS STILL LIKE TO SHARE BOOKS INSTEAD OF BUY THEM! Furthermore, there are more white book readers in this country than black readers to begin with. So unless your book is picked up by the Oprah Winfrey Book Club, and it crosses over to a much larger group of white Americans, like popular hip hop music is able to do, it becomes harder to validate the economics of producing a black book for film.

Well, let’s pause for a minute. This answer is obviously too large for one week, so let’s finish it next week. But so far, The Equation of black books to film is this: we still don’t have enough Passionate Red from a Hollywood-based readership to understand the Artistic Gold value of our intellectual property that builds enough Attractive Green Support from the studios and investors that would create the steady Business Product of African-American books to film. However, for next week, I will discuss how to be proactive about the process. So PLEASE STAY TUNED! . . .

You Gotta Crawl Before You Can Run

2009-04-07T21:07:00.000-07:00

According to the media it’s a great time to start a business. Although this may be true, it is imperative that up and coming entrepreneurs research business opportunities before jumping in head first. This week’s business question is a reality in many households that are being affected by our present economy. Christy from Boston asks:

I have a good friend who is willing to build a website for me. What advice do you have on what should be included on the website? I really do have to make some money before the bank comes for my house. Job hunting is driving me crazy, so I am concentrating on this today.

Omar Tyree Answers:

Sure. If you have a friend who can build a great web site, then by all means, have them do it! But do you have products and services that you are GUARANTEED to sell from your web site? That is a much bigger question to answer. Because I must warn you, having a web site does not automatically lead to business. I have had a web site now for more than ten years, and I have rarely sold more than 10 items per week in my BEST years! So to think that a new web site is going to create sales like an Amazon.com in our present economy is major dreaming! I’m just being realistic about that.

So here’s how I would do a deal with your web-site-building friend. If they are seriously go-hung about their site skills, I would offer to give them a healthy piece of the business to design it and continue to improve it for a 20% cut of the online sales that the web site creates and no upfront money. That way, they must work with you to figure out how to make it work on a production level. Otherwise, you will become yet another one of millions out there who has a web site that is only attempting to sell product! You feel me? In the meantime, I would study every professional web site out there that has been profitable to try and copy what THEY do! Okay?

But that is the hard-core truth of your dilemma. Web sites are not overnight saviors of any business. It takes a lot of work, marketing savvy, diligence, and everyday updates over time to be successful on the web. And remember, you still need to drive TRAFFIC to your site to begin with. That takes even more marketing savvy, and possibly more money. So I would come up with some other ideas to save your house, starting with calling up your mortgage holder to see what kind of new deals you could take advantage of. These guys are aware that ALL Americans are going through hard times in the present state of the economy. So make a new deal to give yourself more time to work with, set up your website to open up more opportunities, and come up with some other ideas as well to continue to earn short and long term money to stay afloat toward your goals of economic survival.

So The Equation of your question is all about Business know-how. Don’t just jump into something new because of what you THINK can happen. You have to research that particular Business and study it until you KNOW what will happen. This is why successful Business folks spend many hours, days, weeks, months and even YEARS of research in a new Business and its details before they jump in. They want to make sure that they know what they’re putting their time, effort and money into. And so should you.

Passion and Purpose Start at Home

2009-03-31T21:02:00.000-07:00

This week’s Business Question was sent in by Amy Jackson who resides in Oklahoma City:

How do I find my Purpose /Passion? Is it a feeling? Are there questions that I can ask myself to arrive at this conclusion?

Omar Tyree Answers:

That’s a very timely question, and I was asked one very similar to it this past weekend at a Hip Hop Conference at Hood University in Fredericks, Maryland. A young lady asked me, “How do I motivate the young kids who I work with at educational centers, who just don’t seem to have any motivation?”

I responded very honestly that motivation from an outside source is the hardest thing in the world to accomplish. We all have to create our own motivation through a hunger to achieve something specific. And the motivation has to become internalized. So the question then becomes, “How do we turn on someone else’s fire?” Now, of course, we often hear stories about people being motivated to succeed at certain endeavors because someone told them that they couldn’t. However, I guarantee you that those individuals were already motivated, and typically, these self-motivated people use outside challenges as extra motivation. But what about when there is zero motivation, Passion, or Purpose to begin with?

So the reality to your questions is yes, Passion is an emotional feeling of movement that some of us have lost when it comes to career goals of Purpose, because we have not been around it on a regular basis. What I’m saying here is that Passion and Purpose starts at home, and moves into the spaces that we work, play, and congregate in. So if you do indeed lack an emotion of Movement and a Passion for Purpose, then you may actually be hanging in the wrong space and around the wrong people. You’ll now need to learn how to choose the people, places and things that will push you forward to DO SOMETHING! And if you don’t want that feeling of Movement developed inside yourself from those around you, then you may need to check your own desire.

That is what I told the young woman this past weekend at the Hip Hop Conference. You have to be a motivating factor for the young people around you. And you tell them to “Go get it!” no matter what it is, until they get tired of hearing your mouth. Then you say it to them again. So The Equation here is manifesting your Love of life. You have to find your own go button. What things turn on your fire? Make a list of your likes and dislikes in terms of career goals. And when you’re finished, make your decision to go get what you want and stop procrastinating. Do it NOW or continue to be the cause of your own downfall.

Building Support Takes Consistency

2009-03-24T21:23:00.000-07:00

This week’s Business Question of the week was sent in by J. Forbes from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

How did you locate your support? What’s your sorting process?

Omar Tyree Answers:

That sounds like a three-part question. First, you have the public and consumer Support for your products and services, and then you have your Support of staff members, who help you to execute professional and company goals. But from the set up of your question, I’m assuming that you’re referring to the latter form of Support, where an entrepreneur or company builds their professional and supportive “team.”

Initially, I didn’t have a Support team at all. I paid independent contractors to do independent work, based on their skills and price. So, I paid book editors, artists, graphic designers, photographers, even folks to help me to ship boxes of books, all based on need. But I could not consider them a part of my Support “team” until I could count on them with regularity. And that’s pretty easy to do. Over time, those individuals who you can count on will still be there for you.

I began to call on the same people to do certain jobs. And the next thing I knew, I had a constant editor, photographer, and airbrush artist, who I could count on every time to perform to my liking. Then I attracted a literary agent, who became a teammate based on her success at being able to land major publishing deals. After that, I attracted a lawyer, who went out of his way to Support my new goals of creativity and business expansion.

As my own success story rolled forward, I attracted an events manager, who joined my team based on his ability to book paid speaking events. Then I linked up with a financial wealth manager, who wanted to help me raise the finances that I need to bring my books to life on the silver screen. And once I started my nonprofit literacy program, I began to attract Support members who are ready and willing to help me raise funds to teach kids the importance of reading. But we’re talking about a period of over 17-years. And the Support team continues to grow.

So, the reality of The Equation of building Support is that it takes time, accountability, and trust for you to know who works well with you. There is no short cut around that. Your “team” will be based on who you continue to attract and work with consistently toward success. Many other relationships will fall apart based on clashing personalities and or unsuccessful goals. And every individual entrepreneur is forced to find out, in their own time, who will be and will remain a consistent line of Support in their endeavors.

Create Small Successes towards Your Ultimate Goal

2009-03-17T00:49:00.000-07:00

In this week’s Equation of Making Money series, the Business Question of the Week is asked by J. Chang from sunny Southern California:

At the beginning of each year people write down goals and make resolutions but do not stick to them. What is the difference between the 3 percenters like Robert Kyosaki and Donald Trump who stick to their goals and dream big, and others who lose their steam after a month or two?

Omar Tyree Answers:

That’s a million-dollar question indeed, J. And the answer lies in our own personalities. Some people begin to make goals and stick to them very earlier on in life, where others don’t. With the two men that you have named, they were both introduced to solid, everyday business principles before they even turned teenagers. So business comprehension is very natural for both men. So you can expect them to stick to their goals. They always have! They’ve been trained that way.
However, if you have not been introduced to early business practices and execution, and you’ve pretty much had a make-it-up-as-I-go-along existence, then what you can do now is put yourself in the company of those individuals around you who DO stick to their goals. And don’t just ask them how they do it, become regular hang-out friends or assistants of these individuals if you can, to pick their brains on an everyday level.

What you’ll then find is that these organized, stick-to-it drivers, generally have written down or made mental outlines of what they need to do to accomplish their goals, step by step. They also adapt well to changes that occur in their program. They understand that they are not working on an over-night-project, and they know full well that things take time to happen. The Donald Trump’s and Robert Kiyosaki’s of the world have developed the winning poise to see their plans through because they have been successful before.

So what we all need to do here is create small successes toward our ultimate goals that will drive us on an everyday basis, which can be very tedious for those who are not used to consistency in their lives.

In The Equation, Consistency is the final element of the first component of Love. Individuals who have learned to Love have certain advantages over those who did not. But that does not mean that we all can’t learn to Love. So get busy hanging out with more passionate people and have some of their fiery, stick-to-it Red to rub off on you!

“Leslie” Soon to Hit the Big Screen

2009-03-09T21:51:00.000-07:00

This week’s “Business Question of the Week” is posed by Bessie McElvaine, who resides in Charlotte, NC:

I just finished reading your book Leslie and enjoyed it a lot. Is there a strong possibility that you will do a sequel?

Omar Tyree Answers:

Well, Bessie, you’re in luck. For the most part, we want to answer strictly “business” questions in this weekly Equation blog, but in this particular case, and with this particular book title of Leslie, you have actually chosen my next big business adventure into feature film production. The book Leslie was written as a movie idea nearly a decade ago, and now we are extremely close to realizing this great New Orleans-based novel as my first feature film production. And that is indeed “big business.”

With all that’s going on with the world economy these days, American films miraculously continue to make money, with already $1 billion dollars alone in January 2009, and a reported 22% business increase from 2008 at this time, while nearly every other business, outside of Wendy’s and McDonald’s - because we all have to eat – tanks.

With that being said, the idea of Leslie was originally thought up as a trilogy, where I would write not one, not two, but three books in a Leslie series. But I never wrote the sequel book because I wanted to wait for enough people to read the first book. Well, with a great film production now in the works, as soon as we acquire the green-light capital needed to start the Leslie film production down in New Orleans, Louisiana, for this summer, I will then begin an immediate discussion with the publishing houses about the sequel and trilogy books, which would be pushed a lot stronger by the extreme marking power of an expected film.

So The Equation for this week’s question encompasses all 4 components, beginning with your Love for Leslie as a novel, my Art of creating Leslie in the first place, and now adapting it into a screenplay, the new Support that we expect to receive for the novel produced as a feature film, and the Business investors that we still need for it all to happen.

So stay tuned to my web site announcements between now and June to see if we are really on our way toward Leslie the film, which immediately kicks in the sequel, as well as the trilogy.

Want a Book Deal from a Major Publishing Company, Learn to Hustle

2009-03-04T01:31:00.000-08:00

This week we turn to the Big Apple for the “Business Question of the Week,” Nicole Little from New York asks:

What advice would you give to a self-published author looking to get a book deal from a major publishing company? What are some steps that a self-published author needs to take to position his or herself for a book deal?

Omar Tyree Answers

Nicole, as the famous song and acronym from a Staten Island, New York, rap group called the Wu-Tang Clan goes, “Cash Rules Everything Around Me / CREAMed it / the money / dollar, dollar bill, y’all!”

When I was picked up for my first, historical 2-book deal with Simon & Schuster, it was because I had already sold 25,000 books on my own, which represented more than $250,000 generated in the publishing industry with my name attached to it. So it became a no-brainer. “If this kid can move $250,000 worth of product on his own, imagine what he can do with us behind him.”
With that being said, as a self-published author, you have to learn how to HUSTLE, with marketing, promoting, sales, and hopefully a good book that creates a lot of buzz through word-of-mouth.

Just to name a few self-published authors outside of myself in the African-American publishing arena who went on to become major brand names are; E. Lynn Harris, Michael Baisden, Terri Woods, and Vickie Stringer. And although Terry McMillan, Zane, and Carl Weber were not self-published, they utilized much of same business savvy and marketing tools that self-published authors used to push their works and create major followings.

So, similar to last week’s blog, The Equation for success in any business is the accumulation of Green SUPPORT! You must have it in order to survive and to move forward. And once you have shown that you can indeed gather a large number of supporters for your work, you will have no problem getting a major publishing house to sit down at the deal table and talk serious numbers with you.

Now, if you would also like to know more about what steps to take to make those bigger sales happen through time-tested ideas, well, you’re talking to a man who has been there and done that himself, so now ask me about my publishing “Master’s Degree” program @ (www.OmarTyree.com). But that’s only if you’re serious about moving forward!

Men Read for Education, Women for Pleasure

2009-02-27T05:06:00.000-08:00

This week’s “ Business Question of The Week” is asked by Heather Washington, San Francisco, CA.

In The Equation, you speak about a book signing you had at a mall kiosk that was located right across from a video store. You wrote about the lines of men who came to buy the new John Madden video game, but had no interest in buying a book. Why do you think men would rather play video games over reading a book?

Omar Tyree Answers:

That’s easy. Men would rather play a video game over reading a book because a video game takes them away from their everyday grind of work, while reading a book keeps them in it. You must understand that a majority of men don’t actually read books for pleasure, they read books to sharpen up on certain career skills, or to read about other men who they admire in industry or in character. With that in mind, for men, reading is not so much to be enjoyed as it is, but to be studied and digested.

Women, on the other hand, tend to read much more for pleasure, where the actual content itself is not taken as seriously as if a man would read it. So oftentimes, when I ask the average woman to explain what she read to me, many of them can only offer if they felt the book was good or not, based on their personal pleasure principle, while bringing up certain emotional points of the book that they may have disagreed with or found interesting. But they usually cannot state an overall view, objective, or theme of a book like an average reading man would.

On the flipside, where video-playing men can get all into understanding the physical and technical manipulations of a video game, most women would find that to be a tremendous deal of work for no particular purpose at all. Why would a man want to spend so much effort and time, like a human octopus with a joystick, just to score imaginary touchdowns, steal cars, shoot up enemies, and kill bloodsucking zombies instead of doing more constructive things like fixing the broken garage door, repainting the house, or helping their sons and daughters with their homework assignments?

So as the book and the saying goes, Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus. But since I happen to be in the book writing and publishing industry, I became one of those few men who will actually read for pleasure as well as for work. And I happen to Love it! But what if I was not a writer? How much would I love to read then?

The Equation here concerns our individual Passions and Purposes. What turns us on as men or as women? And what is the ultimate Purpose for the things that we choose to do in our lives?

Using Technology to Keep In Touch

2009-02-17T20:58:00.000-08:00

This week’s “ Business Question of The Week” comes from S.R. from Virginia:

I know you travel a lot promoting your books and I’m sure you meet a lot of great people wherever you go. How do you keep in touch with the people you have worked with and what is the best way to follow up opportunities with them? It can all seem so overwhelming?

Omar Tyree Answers:

You know what, I’ve had that same issue for years. I literally have stacks and stacks of business cards from being out on the road on book signing tours and at speaking events. And it is overwhelming to have that many contacts to call back and follow up with.

Amazingly, I have always been able to at least call back the people who I’ve wanted to do business with, but not all of them. All of the contacts may not be important in your immediate stream of things. However, you never know when something big may spark from an unlikely source. So you may have to touch bases with people anyway.

In my final fiction book entitled Pecking Order, published in September 2008, my main character “Ivan David” came up with the excellent idea of utilizing his web site staff to input all of the data from the business cards that he collected at network functions and parties. They would then send out thank you notes and follow up, especially since “Ivan” had an internet and web site marketing business.

So to take a page out of my book, Pecking Order, you may want to pay someone as little as $50 to input all of your business cards into an e-mail and data file like “Ivan David” does, and send them all a form letter from your “assistant” with your return address attached for their responses so you can carry out business with the interested parties from there. And e-mails make this process a lot simpler than phone calls.

In the meantime, if you don’t already have it, you may want to check out that Pecking Order book. I hear it’s about a guy named “Ivan David” who utilizes The Equation’s third component of Support to amass a fortune in just four incredible years. So learn it from the experience.

If you have a question you would like to ask Omar Tyree, please email it to omartyree@ascendantstrategy.net.

Does a career in the arts void business sense?

2009-02-07T00:36:00.000-08:00

This week’s “Business Question of The Week” comes from Naila Chauncey,Columbus, OH:

Question - Why do you think that those with careers in the arts are not given credibility as business people?

Omar Tyree Answers:

To make a long story short here, people who have careers in the arts have a blessing and a curse dilemma. Even though the business salesman, marketers, company men, and investment people can’t sell anything without creative products to sell, they typically don’t want the artistic opinions or emotions in the way when they’re trying to push the dollars and cents game. And artists typically have more of an invested interest in what they’re trying to create than just pure dollars and cents. Artists typically have quality control goals, just like salespeople have numbers goals. But typically, many business people have learned to disrespect the artists who create and innovate the product because they are not driven by the utilitarian purpose of a buck for the sake of a buck. Artists want to earn that money with their quality control in check.

But do you really want your innovative artists spending time calling up Tom, Dick, and Harry to sell the product instead of creating the product anyway? Then they’ll have the valid excuse that they didn’t have enough time to create or perform well to make the product valuable enough to sell. So you have to look at the priorities of the business model and say, “Look, we need folks to be able to focus on creating the best product that we can get.” And that is their JOB, and that is BUSINESS whether the rest of us understand that or not! But if you start having every artist or innovator or athlete for that matter, trying to do everything, and their premiere product begins to suffer because of it, then we ALL suffer.

And the artists and athletes who do tend to get too involved in the business side, can generally come off as unfocused, greedy, selfish, and money-driven which ends up hurting their business when people can’t connect to the Love of the art. Nevertheless, both of these departments of innovation (Art) and sales (Support) are needed to make economic gain. And the Business people have to understand that. It’s ALL A PART OF THE BUSINESS!

So no matter how many times you hear the creative Art people complaining about the sales and Support people, and vice versa, they both need each other to survive. Humans who are never inspired by the Love of entertainment, performance, or new innovation will not have the daily energy to work. PERIOD! So the companies who are able to better balance those two entities of innovation and sales, are usually the ones that are more successful. Because if you disrespect your creative artists, and they start leaving your company to join someone else, and your team can no longer win because of it, then your business model has failed. And if you have artists who don’t understand the importance of the business model and sales force, then you need to sit them down and explain it to them, or give them The Equation to read (smile).

And The Equation to this answer is this; IT’S A TEAMWORK GAME, SO LEARN TO RESPECT EVERY PART OF THE TEAM! Just ask the Pittsburgh Steelers! It’s offense AND defense that wins the game! But when you do find those artists who can also do the Support that is needed for the Business, or a salesperson who can comprehend the excellence an execution of the Art, the synergy becomes a beautiful thing to witness.

Making Your Career Passion A Reality While Working 9 to 5

2009-01-29T20:20:00.000-08:00

This week’s “Business Question Of The Week” comes from Jasmine Johnson, Los Angeles, CA.

Question - Many times people have to take a job because they have families to support or bills to pay. When they finally make the decision to follow their passion, but still have to keep their job to pay the bills, how should they go about this process?

Omar Tyree Answers:

That is an excellent question and indeed a tough situation to be in. Let me begin to answer the question by saying this; when I was a senior undergrad at Howard University, I often heard my peers discuss entrepreneurship as a ten-year goal. They all had this idea that they would work for the system for ten years, learn everything they needed to learn through their experiences there, and then break away and start their own company within the same field. And although the ten-year plan seemed to make perfect sense to them, it didn’t make as much sense to me. The reason being was that it takes money, time, sacrifice and plenty of active effort to start your own company, which I did at age 22. But far too many of my peers had the idea that entrepreneurship would somehow be easier once they had put in ten years for a parallel company.

On the contrary, I believed that, since we are all humans with needs and greeds, in ten years, you would most likely be married, with kids, a home, cars, and bills up the wazoo that would inhibit you from saving the money, having the time, being able to make the sacrifices, or having the leftover energy that is needed to make the effort to create your own successful company. My idea was to go right at your career goals much earlier, if not from day one. Why? Because you’re a broke college grad, who hopefully has no kids or family to provide for yet, no big bills to pay (outside of your workable college loans), and you have tons of energy, tons of optimism, older professionals, who are willing to teach you added skills on the fly, and your sacrifices are much smaller because you don’t have anything to lose yet.

As the saying goes, “Youth is wasted on the young.” And while you’re still young, you want to take full advantage of having nothing to lose. So please, start your Love goal, EARLY, and with plenty of internships in your given field for 1-3 years instead of working there for ten.

Now let me answer your question. If it is now too late for you to drive toward your career goal early, and you have all kinds of responsibilities as on your shoulders, then you must now make the extra time to keep your bill-paying job while VOLUNTEERING to help out in a field of your passion whenever you can. And you do that until you can find an in to make money from that passion, while still holding onto your bill-paying job. Most companies won’t pay you to learn. And if you can’t find the time to make that grown-up internship happen, then get ready to go Kamikaze and live or die to succeed on your own merit away from the company experience.

But the reality is this; you will still need time to sharpen your skills in your field of passion to create the valuable Art that people will see as a product or service worth paying for. And there is no short regarding the time that will be necessary.

Then you would have to receive the Support of your family members to allow you to do it. Your wife or husband and kids will all need their time. So now they are forced to sacrifice with you. In some cases, like with many immigrants who relocate to new countries, their whole family gets involved. So you put the wife and husband and kids to work with you. But that sacrifice; to acquire real skills through time, must happen to become serious about making a career change. You are essentially starting back over from the bottom, which again is much easier to do when you’re young and unattached. You also have to build the Support of customers who are unfamiliar with you. Just because you worked for the company for ten years doesn’t mean that you’ve earned any trust in your own name. So you now have to earn public Support for your individual skills and company.

Lastly, we need to talk about income and investment. And unless you have an able or willing relative or friend, or you can talk someone into investing in your passion, or acquire a small business loan, money must be built, invested and multiplied for your passionate career to become an ongoing reality. Otherwise, your goal can become a very time consuming hobby at the expense of everyone around you. Therefore, tough Business decisions will need to be made to survive, which is actually a good thing. You will learn to be in Business by not having a choice. But do you and your family have the courage to try?

With the state of the present world economy going sour, we are all under the gun. But those who will best survive these times of hardship are those who learn what it means to get started, acquire the needed skills, make the necessary partnerships and sacrifice. You must tighten up your living expenses, ride it out, and make sure you find folks who are willing to pay for the products and services that you have to offer them.

The Equation does not change just because you have more responsibilities that are holding you back from starting your career goals. You simply have to make the adjustments now, with a solid plan that you can stick to. And if nothing you do works, then keep that bill-paying job until you can find another opportunity to attempt your career passion successfully.

If you have any questions you would like me to answer, please email them to omartyree@ascendantstrategy.net.

Succeeding In Uncertain Times

2009-01-20T21:37:00.000-08:00

After publishing two consecutive books in the past four months that deal with the subject of business and people who are successful at making money (Pecking Order - September 2008 and The Equation - January 2009) and with the state of the world economy being what it is, I was asked the following question in a recent interview with the METRO newspaper staff to be published and distributed around the city streets of New York, Philly and Boston:

METRO - The world is mired in a nearly unprecedented economic crisis and businesses are failing left and right. Is there any additional advice you might give your readers on how to succeed in these uncertain times?

I answered the question accordingly:

Beautiful question. And thanks for asking. Last fall I wrote my last adult fiction book for Simon & Schuster called Pecking Order where I outlined one man's rise from the cubicle of an accounting firm, making $60,000 a year, to the majority stock owner of his own company, worth $180 million. And I wrote all of the details of how this fictional character "Ivan David" made it happen for himself. However, the book is 500 pages long, and many fast-reading fiction fans typically don't want to read that many details. But understanding the details is the only real way to learn anything. Ask any successful CEO.

So at the end of the day, I have been a teacher of book writing for twenty-one years. But if needy people of the world fail to learn from the long and detailed lessons of life, in fiction or in non-fiction, then what more can you say to them? And if you think my book Pecking Order was bloated with business information at 500 pages, then do a page count of Warren Buffett's new book at your local bookstore and tell me how many pages he wrote. And that's the real Equation, my friend. Understanding how to get yourself out of a hole economically is a long and diligent read of life with very few shortcuts.

Now I've decided to continue to do my part in raising the Economic I.Q. of the people by answering one important "Question of The Week" in business, as it relates to The Equation of life.

Stay tuned, the first question and its answer will be posted January 18. If you have a business question that you would like me to answer please email it to omartyree@ascendantstrategy.net . For more information on The Equation or any of my books please visit http://www.omartyree.com/.

My Blog Below

2008-12-17T00:21:00.000-08:00

I learned so much about the Middle East and world culture in my recent trip to Dubai that I don't even know where to begin here. But I guess I would start the conversation off by saying that America is indeed the land of opportunity.

I say that because the most striking information I learned concerning the Middle East is how much of the power, status and wealth is attributed to oil and family royalty.

You see, once upon a time, many of the so-called "Locals" of the Middle East, or Arabs who were already established there, found oil on their various properties that became highly valuable around the world. And just like a #1 draft pick out of college who goes pro, these men and their families became wealthy, powerful, and "Royal" instantly. And as long as these families would remain tied to the international oil, they would remain wealthy and powerful.
Now let's talk about how this oil history has established the building of Dubai. Well, as these Arabian families continued to pass down millions of oil money to their various family members, and they continued to be courted by the greed of the West for gasoline (input the United States here), a few of the royal rulers of the United Arab Emirates or U. A. E. came up with the grand idea of building a commercial playground in Dubai, with the largest malls, hotels, and attractions to seduce the people of world commerce to travel there "duty free" and spend, spend, spend, instead of the royal families being so dependent on oil deals.You see, once upon a time, many of the so-called "Locals" of the Middle East, or Arabs who were already established there, found oil on their various properties that became highly valuable around the world. And just like a #1 draft pick out of college who goes pro, these men and their families became wealthy, powerful, and "Royal" instantly. And as long as these families would remain tied to the international oil, they would remain wealthy and powerful.
Now let's talk about how this oil history has established the building of Dubai. Well, as these Arabian families continued to pass down millions of oil money to their various family members, and they continued to be courted by the greed of the West for gasoline (input the United States here), a few of the royal rulers of the United Arab Emirates or U. A. E. came up with the grand idea of building a commercial playground in Dubai, with the largest malls, hotels, and attractions to seduce the people of world commerce to travel there "duty free" and spend, spend, spend, instead of the royal families being so dependent on oil deals.You see, once upon a time, many of the so-called "Locals" of the Middle East, or Arabs who were already established there, found oil on their various properties that became highly valuable around the world. And just like a #1 draft pick out of college who goes pro, these men and their families became wealthy, powerful, and "Royal" instantly. And as long as these families would remain tied to the international oil, they would remain wealthy and powerful.
Now let's talk about how this oil history has established the building of Dubai. Well, as these Arabian families continued to pass down millions of oil money to their various family members, and they continued to be courted by the greed of the West for gasoline (input the United States here), a few of the royal rulers of the United Arab Emirates or U. A. E. came up with the grand idea of building a commercial playground in Dubai, with the largest malls, hotels, and attractions to seduce the people of world commerce to travel there "duty free" and spend, spend, spend, instead of the royal families being so dependent on oil deals.You see, once upon a time, many of the so-called "Locals" of the Middle East, or Arabs who were already established there, found oil on their various properties that became highly valuable around the world. And just like a #1 draft pick out of college who goes pro, these men and their families became wealthy, powerful, and "Royal" instantly. And as long as these families would remain tied to the international oil, they would remain wealthy and powerful.
Now let's talk about how this oil history has established the building of Dubai. Well, as these Arabian families continued to pass down millions of oil money to their various family members, and they continued to be courted by the greed of the West for gasoline (input the United States here), a few of the royal rulers of the United Arab Emirates or U. A. E. came up with the grand idea of building a commercial playground in Dubai, with the largest malls, hotels, and attractions to seduce the people of world commerce to travel there "duty free" and spend, spend, spend, instead of the royal families being so dependent on oil deals.

And shish, boom, BANG the nation of Dubai shot up out of the sand, with immigrant workers traveling there from all over the world to help build it, international architects and engineers to design it, real estate investors to help finance it, international employees and staff to work it, and everyone who can afford to play in it to travel there and enjoy themselves. And boy, let me tell you, by year 2014, this place will be one of the most dynamite human cities in the world. But right now, they're still building everything.

Well, as I always do when I travel to a new book location, I try to cover every solid inch of the cultural environment while I'm there. And yes indeed, I was over in Dubai not for a simple vacation, but to explore business. I want to write about the place and eventually do business over there myself.

But again, there is just so much to write about that it would literally take me pages and pages of text to do it. So what I'll do instead is have you guys take a vote on what subjects you would want me to write about the most. Okay?
So let us know ASAP and I'll dive back into it all with my pen. In the meantime, you may want to visit my Myspace page to view more of the posted pictures from the trip.

Dubai Subjects: 1) The environment 2) International flavor 3) The night life 4) The culture 5) Family 6) Islam 7) Royalty 8) The weather 9) Violence 10) Gold market 11) Hotels 12) Malls and shopping 13) The women 14) The men 15) Real estate 16) Crime & poverty 17) Fashion 18) Cars 19) Food 20) Or anything else you guys would like to know about . . . So let the voting begin!