THE SELF-MADE MYTH
Even though this website is called Sheryl Kaleo and there’s a lot of promo for Sheryl’s writing and artwork, Sheryl would be the first one to say–“Nah-ah! Couldn’t do it without my friends and fams.” Indie publishing is a steep climb when it’s a solo endeavor.
The “self-made man” is an industrial age myth coined by Henry Clay in 1842 to promote the idea that a single person could hoist himself up by the bootstraps and become successful through hard work and honorable traits like heroism, humility, and generosity. The idea was to say “anyone can make it if they’re a hard-working martyr”, which is just plain bogus. We all know some people are born with advantages and most of us who have survived and succeeded did so with the help of others. All this myth does is justify inequality, make some of us question why we’re not succeeding all on our own, and makes others who do succeed forget the fact that they had a leg up. Not to say that any one of us can succeed without some effort on our own part, but a helping hand is always an advantage.
WHO’S WHO?
The fact is, Sheryl Kaleo is a we, not a who. If you look at her resource page, you’ll get a hint of some of the people who went above and beyond contractual work. There’s also the tireless work of her hubby, Scott, who reads and edits her work, advises on business ideas, marketing efforts and financial decisions, and supports and encourages her in her goals. There’s her daughter Olivia who helps with prepping for and running events and works on mailing lists and marketing documents and posters. There’s her son Julian (@TheTigerWizard on Instagram) who composes music for her trailers and weighs in on social media and marketing ideas. There’s her sisters, nieces, and nephews who console, give advice, and cheer her on through trials and tribulations. There’s her writer friends who mentor, lend materials and supplies, and give support and critiques, like her best buds over at Book of Venus Publishing, especially Venus Campbell. Then there’s Greg (the Dragon of Indifference)…we love Greg.
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