Javier Rhoden is a visionary leader in literary writing for personal development and mental health. By drawing inspiration from classic literature and contemporary issues, Javier seamlessly weaves intricate narratives that challenge readers' perspectives while immersing them in a world of hope. Javier is a dedicated father through chronic pain with an impact on the literary world that's undeniable, and he continues to enchant readers with his profound insights and captivating prose. His mission: to demonstrate that dreams are within reach.
Javier Rhoden, Literary Writer & Author
Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better.
My name is Javier Rhoden, a literary writer and author of four poetry books. From the tender age of twelve, I started writing fictional short stories and poetry. By sharing these literary work with peers and online platforms such as Allpoetry, I got to improve my writing over the years, while meeting many amazing and supportive people along the way. My love is in writing itself, so I decided to self-publish after networking and researching throughout the years, which now only stands as a part of the development of myself as an independent author.
As a chronic pain warrior, my activities have decreased over the years, from doing calisthenics, going on long hikes and riding my longboard, to now doing what I can through pain management to just be a present husband and father. It brings me great joy to be involved in activities with my wife and children.
How do you believe literary writing and poetry contribute to personal development and mental health, and what specific aspects should individuals focus on for maximum impact?
In the opening up of being raw and personal within my own poetic language, I took aspects of my life and observations onto paper. I wanted each piece to be abstract in terms of this, but filled with so much emotion that you could reflect back a mutual understanding. I call this resonance. This developed me because it’s a form of record keeping, of your own thoughts, emotions, what you’ve seen and what you’ve heard. The impact this has on mental health is life changing and in understanding this, I layered positivity and wisdom in the words although, the experiences may have been negative. This has not only improved my emotional wellbeing, but others who have read my words and felt it. Even if they may not have a similar experience, the resonance is there. I believe this should be of upmost importance, otherwise, as a writer, you’ll have no impact or depth. No matter how well articulate the writing is, if there’s no feeling then there’s no soul. Not connecting soulfully is life threatening.
This especially rings true in a realm of chronic pain. If someone who’s going through immense pain sees someone else working to manage and improve pain, while doing what they can to further their dreams and quality of life, this allows for inspiration and motivation to settle in to help find solutions to pave their own way, rather than feeling isolated and more. This can go from a mental crisis to mentally trying in just what’s said alone.
In the realm of self-publishing, what advice do you have for aspiring writers looking to navigate the complexities of the publishing industry and bring their work to a wider audience independently?
You’re going to have to do more in terms of networking with people you meet and finding opportunities. Utilizing as many platforms as you can, not only for networking, but distribution as well. The more platforms you’re on, the more eyes there are to see your work. To further your reach, start with contacting your local bookstores for consignment agreements and work your way out of state. Marketing is vital for bringing in new readers and you’ll have to do this for however long the book is on the shelf for. Getting involved in book tours and clubs will be a huge advantage for having reviews. In terms of being independent, you have to learn the many hats you wear and understand that your biggest pioneer is yourself. So the biggest advice I can give is to never quit on yourself. Take the results you get and build up from there. On your own life journey, there are no comparisons or competition. Just growth.
From your experience, how can small businesses and entrepreneurs effectively leverage e-commerce platforms to reach a broader audience, and what unique challenges or opportunities do you see in this digital landscape?
We’re in a digital age! Small businesses and entrepreneurs can effectively reach a broader audience by understanding that something like an online store, is an addition to your business, not a takeaway. In marketing, you’re able to not only target different locations, but interests too, tailoring your results that’s better suited for building credibility with your brand. You scale a lot higher in terms of potential. The opportunity this provides, for example, is having a digital outlet where your business is displayed and its operation serve a broader audience with unlimited growth. The awareness this brings to your business alone is unmatched.
Reflecting on your own entrepreneurial journey, what key lessons have you learned about overcoming challenges and sustaining a successful small business, particularly in the context of the literary or creative industry?
I think with a fear of failure, comes the fear to try. Entrepreneurship takes a different shift in mindset, for example, there is no failure in growth. It’s either you haven’t grown or you grew a little. Therefore, to try something and it not work out isn’t a failure. It’s an opportunity, a lesson or stepping stone to secure that the next attempt reaches potential, or to move on to something that you can flourish. That is real, tracked growth. As an entrepreneur, I’m always learning and that trickled into my personal life as well. You learn more about relationships and how what you’ve learned is a tool to become an even better entrepreneur, for example, making little adjustments to how we speak in private, so much so, it’s how we speak in public engagement. I can attest to how this is brought over into the literary and creative writing industry, by how poems are performed or how we engage one another. I’ve had to become the person who tries and still try. For example, we can talk about a lack of sales, but when sales were high, wasn’t there effort then? And if you’re still trying the same thing with no results, wouldn’t it be time to try a different way?
Does this mean you failed, or are a failure? And would you have grown or not? Because sales outside of your peer group will be challenging as an independent author, but I wouldn’t say you failed or are a failure, which brings me to challenges.
What’s a challenge to a problem solver? You don’t have too many with problems solved but it becomes projects to undertake. My entire journey has been a challenge, from knowing absolutely nothing about books aside from my love in reading them and writing poetry, to book formatting, marketing, networking, proofreading, funding and more. I learned to figure a lot of that stuff out no matter how much pressure was applied. This journey will make or break you, if you let it.
How do you see the intersection between personal development practices and entrepreneurial success? Are there specific habits or mindsets you believe contribute significantly to the growth and sustainability of a small business?
Personal development practices and entrepreneurial success goes hand in hand and I can’t see it just one way or the other. The habit that contributed significantly was being a student to life. It’s possible to go to school and not have the success of operating a small business, but with the life experiences come better ways for you to adapt and find solutions. Exposure was another factor, doing even the smallest job but with purpose, such as volunteering. The sustainability of it are from your resources. As you gain experience, don’t forget to build on your resources and ability to research. A lack of information, however small, can be a key detail in why something didn’t work out.
Building a supportive community is crucial in both writing and business. What strategies have you found effective in creating and nurturing a community around your literary work or business, and how has this positively impacted your journey?
The amount of support I’ve gotten along the way is why I’m able to keep going. The strategies I implemented was reaching out to every person who engaged my posts on social media. I’d provide insights from reading about their lives in terms of pursing their dreams and more. I also have other social media accounts that post on my behalf for increased exposure, therefore promotions and marketing runs smooth like clockwork. Implementing the use of hashtags helped tremendously as well. For writing, this works well and works as a broadcast system for your work. Personally, I don’t follow accounts because it keeps my connections private, meanwhile everything is public while I put my work out there.
Tell us about your greatest career achievement so far.
Having written and putting my own manuscripts in books are my greatest achievements, everything else is extra because I’m a writer at heart. I learned to do things outside of writing because it’s all I had to fall back on, yet still around it, because it felt like a journey to undertake and grow as a writer. No grant, award or anything can replace feeling accomplished in this sense and I don’t need a middle man for anything since everything built up was by me and the support I have.
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?
The costs of starting up can run high and for art especially, I wish there were more affordable options for independent authors to continue their endeavor. Promotions and marketing can be overwhelming and some times, yielded results. I don’t agree with the contracts and terms of traditional publishers, where they own your intellectual property and more. I’d change it all so in a sense, the purpose of why we do things would shine through more so than just having done it. The industry would be a lot more wholesome.
Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today.
My unwavering determination to persevere through physical therapy for my chronic pain, coupled with the unwavering support from my wife, child and the joy of welcoming our second son, has shaped my journey and greatly improved my life. Without my wife and two children by my side as my family, I would face much greater challenges, for they are my purpose.
