13 Comments

This was wonderful, of course. I had the privilege of seeing Kevin at an event several months ago and instantly became a fan. I particularly love the part about basketball, because that’s what karate is for me: no brain space for anything else. I think everyone needs something like that to keep our brains from taking over.

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founding

What a terrific interview. Great questions, great answers! So much to consider, but my favorite bit is the very last paragraph. Thank you! Can’t wait to read more.

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author

Thank you! We have a bunch more lined up (and plenty of folks we've tried to get to through their inboxes but no luck so far)

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Oct 23Liked by Benjamin Davis

Great interview, Ben! Such insightful questions and honest answers. I can't believe I've never read Kevin Wilson. Anybody have a suggestion on which book to start with?

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author

Thank you! Oo, Nothing to See Here is one of my favorite books. But he has several others I love and some fantastic collections as well.

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I have been in the depths of despair this week preparing for MFA applications as an unpublished author, with no real ties to the writing world other than my love of writing and the perspective and insight this interview had were so impactful. I feel like I can finally see beyond this mountain I created out of a molehill. Thank you for sharing, truly.

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author

I am very happy to hear this helped. I think a lot of people feel this way

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Oct 22Liked by Benjamin Davis

I've been a full-time, self-employed writer for decades. Over the years, I've been paid to write pretty much every type of material: a syndicated humor column, essays for hundreds of publications, countless magazine articles, travel pieces, scripts, fiction, speeches, advertising copy, and material for Fortune 500 companies like white papers, case studies, and infographics.

I've learned one truism over the years: If you have talent and drive, it's pretty easy to make a steady, six-figure income producing the kind of material the market values but most writers don't particularly enjoy doing (like white corporate white papers). However, it's much, much harder to make a buck with personal, creatively satisfying writing.

But that's true of most creative pursuits. For a long time, my philosophy has been to balance the stuff I really want to do with the stuff other people really want to pay me to do. I get more enjoyment and win more awards for the former, and get much bigger paychecks and give my broker more enjoyment for the latter.

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This was fantastic, Benjamin. Truly. Everything you asked is what I've been stewing over and pondering for a while now. Your word selection, especially about the publishing industry being "predatory," is excellent. Such a deep dive. A nuanced and needed perspective. Thank you. This is so refreshing and clarifying and validating.

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author

Thank you! I was so great to have the opportunity to ask these questions to someone I’ve always admired. I’m glad to learn I wasn’t the only one stewing over them.

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Well, what I appreciated most was the language you chose in asking the questions. Also, the depth in your observations about the current pulse in the literary world. I have been processing some of my own observations with my husband (who is not a writer), and one of those involves the entitlement to a small portion of the literary community. Also, the problems I see with the Big 5 in the sense that I can easily see a very specific narrative that is shaped by an agenda being published. Lots of things. So this was incredibly clarifying for me to see that there are others who are mulling over some similar thoughts.

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I liked on the subhead alone, which made me feel good. Looking forward to reading this.

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author

Yay, I hope you like it

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