Perhaps seeking to optimize global writing ecosystem wealth size and revolutionize global writing ecosystem wealth distribution could make a most fitting mission conclusion considering demand for writing has steadily shrunk in size ever since pop culture deemed radio, television, and computers “cooler” than books, words, and ideas and run-on sentences and subtle, cerebral wit.

Now the year is evidently two-thousand fifteen, and people spend more money on fast food than on great reads.

The money people do spend on writing is maniacally hoarded by a tiny aristocratic elite of writers, publishers, agents, and booksellers. Prose is evidently determined to flip this system upside-down, inspire the people to value writing again like the year is thirty-two hundred BC or fifteen-fifteen AD, and ensure the ecosystem’s circulation of wealth flows through the hands of many deserving authors, representatives, and distributors, not just mostly through the hands of a questionably deserving one percent. In short, Prose is evidently dedicated to serving the global writing ecosystem and all its many talented, beautiful members. But consider the problems from which most of these members, players, or participants presently suffer. Consider the U.S. writing ecosystem for example. This ecosystem generates thirty billion USD per year. The entire U.S. market generates eighteen trillion USD per year. The U.S. writing ecosystem has zero point zero, zero two percent share in the entire U.S. market, or one of two-thousand. The writing ecosystem is made of three primary subindustries: authors, representatives (publishers and agents), and distributors (print and e-book sellers). Authors have five percent U.S. writing ecosystem share. Representatives and distributors have sixty-five percent and thirty percent share, respectively. The U.S. writing ecosystem author subindustry consists of two primary types of player: bestsellers and everyone else. five-thousand bestsellers, together, have ninety-seven percent subindustry market share, which is worth one-billion hour-hundred eighty-five million USD per year. Everyone else consists of one-hundred fifty thousand competing authors who, together, have three percent market share, or forty-five million per year. The U.S. writing ecosystem representative subindustry consists of two primary types of player: the Big Five and everyone else. Five companies, together, have seventy-five percent subindustry market share, which is worth thirteen-billion five-hundred million USD per year. Everyone else consists of three-thousand competing publishers and agencies that, together, have twenty-five percent market share, or four-billion five-hundred million USD per year. The U.S. writing ecosystem distributor subindustry consists of two primary types of player: Amazon + Barnes & Noble and everyone else. Two companies, together, have ninety percent subindustry market share, which is worth eight-billion one-hundred million USD per year. Everyone else consists of twenty-five thousand competing bookstores and resellers that, together, have ten percent market share, or nine-hundred million USD per year.

Now consider some big-picture facts.

The U.S. writing ecosystem, worth thirty billion USD per year, consists of roughly one-hundred eighty-three thousand seven players – one-hundred fifty-five thousand writers, twenty-eight thousand seven businesses. The writers share one-billion five-hundred million USD per year while the businesses share twenty-eight billion five-hundred million USD per year. Discern between two primary player types: dominant and disadvantaged. The average dominant U.S. writer makes two-hundred ninety-seven thousand USD per year while the average disadvantaged U.S. writer makes three-hundred USD per year. The average dominant U.S. business makes nine-hundred sixty-four million two-hundred eighty-five thousand seven-hundred ten USD per year while the average disadvantaged U.S. business makes one-hundred ninety-two thousand eight-hundred fifty-seven USD per year.

This market is perverted and backwards.

The writers should have more share than the businesses. Furthermore, there should be no discrepancy between dominant versus disadvantaged U.S. writing ecosystem writers and businesses in any case. Distribution needs greater balance. Conclusively, the U.S. writing ecosystem deserves greater U.S. market share than zero point zero, zero two percent and the global writing ecosystem deserves greater global market share than zero point zero, zero one percent. Furthermore, the U.S. and global writing ecosystems within themselves deserve better distribution between the wealth they produce and the players contributing to its production. One percent should not hoard and trap ninety-nine percent.

Enough.

I pulled away from the confines of the wall charger and sat up long enough for my body to rewire. My circuit broke again last night to avoid fueling bad dreams. On my wrist, a monitor flashed red, 16% charged. I stood slowly to shake off the most recent bad dream, my knees creaking. To call this sort of thing a "dream" is still inaccurate, but I am afraid to tack it onto the malfunctions list. I've got enough of those to worry about. The overheating truth is that robots, even upgraded models like myself, wish they dreamt about electric sheep. I wasn't programmed to evaluate my own conscious simulations, but I do know that the morning glory about to bloom outside my window knows more consciousness than I have in decades.

Failure is viewed by many as a negative. That said, I choose to look at failure as an opportunity and a positive. An opportunity to learn and take another step onward and upward. Many of the successes in life are born from failure. Did you just pop up and start riding your bike, or did you have to fall a couple times before you got going? Pretty sure your parents would tell you that you fell quite a few times before learning to walk. Shoot, I still don't spell a ton of words right, but I've been speaking the English language for years!

I think you see my point. You try, you fail, you learn, you succeed. It's the process. Sometimes you're not going to get the result right away, it may be hard, and it's going to take some patience in this "instant gratification" world we live in. But keep going, don't give up! Failure is a springboard to you realizing your potential and achieving the goals and success you desire! Good luck all...and fail stupendously!!!!

Kid was gasping

Bleeding and baring teeth

Leo was rasping

Wheezing, stopped to breathe

Kid was winded not

Phased, this wasn't pretty

Leo shot a contemptuous

Gaze of pity

Kid tried to get out

Though all attempts failed

Leo stood up now

Shrugged off and exhaled

Kid was a goat, small

Fresh meat for the cage

Leo roared his lions call

Ran over and raged.

Temper seethed through the Blacksmiths’ teeth

Gritted on edge, growling, hammer hands fell

Absent-minded, changing focus, forms and flow

water caught the light, flaunting white hot glow.

He refrained to vent, feelings that were pent,

But bent shards of metals like wind might petals

Blotting his hand across, a beaded sweat gloss

Blade emerged from steel, for a matching shield.

That working and working for hour, after hour;

His temper forged forms of protection, and power.

By Paul David B

His fathers last words, he’d never forget; making him stronger each day and yet,

he was surrounded, engulfed by the wave, of corruption mocking him and his fathers grave in a remorseless display, an immoral masquerade; this version of freedom, of justice.

He untied his law book before the house; this leather bound cutlass, and began to call out -

“Apathy keeps bellies and minds empty, we are stripped bare by the curse of the plenty...”

By Paul David B