We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Daniel Powell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Daniel below.

Daniel, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I am a big fan of taking risks. I’d rather take a risk and fail than succeed at doing something easy, comfortable, or expected. As I writer and filmmaker, I’ve always admired and appreciated artists who take risks in their work and do something outside the box.

One of the most exciting risks I’ve taken is to self–publish my books. I have always been a “take matters into my own hands” kind of artist, never really waiting for permission to make or put my work out into the world. I had independently produced a number of short films and a feature film after graduate school, and I had started my own production company so that I wouldn’t need a “yes” from someone else.

But with my middle-grade novel, Paper Birds and Other Flying Objects, I thought traditional publishing was the best path for this particular project, and I thought the book “deserved” to be published by a fancy New York publisher. I looked down on the idea of self–publishing, and I wanted to swim in the ocean with all the big fish.

So I started pitching the manuscript to literary agents and publishers, and the response was immediate and extremely positive. A number of agents were interested in the manuscript, and one offered representation . . . only to rescind the offer two weeks later when I “asked too many questions” during our first phone call to discuss submissions to editors. Then one of the largest independent children’s book publishers in New York was interested, but months later the editor simply ghosted me.

Today, I have much more understanding and compassion when it comes to the choices other human beings make, but at the time all this was happening I was completely shocked by these actions. I couldn’t believe that book nerds working in Children’s publishing could behave this way.

But I still wasn’t ready to go another direction. There are so many ways to bring a book to audiences, but I didn’t want to consider any other path, especially after coming so close to achieving my goal of being published traditionally. I closed all doors to any other option, and I let digital dust collect on my manuscript for a few years.

Then I was diagnosed with cancer, and going through this experience reintroduced me to who I truly am, both as an artist and as a human being. It also reminded me that life is short . . . and fragile . . . and full of possibility. Once I was healthy again, I decided it was time to really take matters into my own hands. If Paper Birds and Other Flying Objects was going to finally exist as a book and not just as a manuscript on my hard drive, I would have to do it myself. I almost laughed at the notion, not because it was crazy or daunting but because of how obvious and right it was. I mean, Henry David Thoreau is a literary hero of mine, how could I forget he initially self-published his books? And Regina Spektor, she put out her first three albums on her own. And, again, I had made films for years without “The Industry.” Self-publishing should have been the first and only option from the very beginning!

But I learned a lot knocking on the gates of the gatekeepers, and publishing my own books has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Paper Birds and Other Flying Objects is now in the hands of readers, and my new book, Fo(u)nd Memories, a story collection inspired by found photographs, has just hit shelves.

I am not looking back.

Daniel, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’ve never considered myself to be a brand, and the thought that I have to follow someone else’s instructions for how to shape, present, and maintain my identity as an artist—or as a human being for that matter—makes my skin crawl. I am a writer and filmmaker who likes to tell stories because it brings me joy. Period. I write short stories, novels, films, and television shows, and I love them all equally. I enjoy working alone in a room as I write these projects, and I enjoy collaborating with a large group of people on a film set. The two experiences couldn’t be more different, but they both offer unique thrills I just can’t live without.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

Years ago, I toyed with the idea of how to offer my work as a single “one-of-a-kind” experience. My brainstorming yielded examples not unlike what Wu-Tang Clan ended up doing. I simply wanted to find a way to make being an artist sustainable. I never would have come up with the concept of NFTs, but even before they became a thing I had changed my tune on the whole “one-of-a-kind” experience. I’m a writer and filmmaker for goodness sake—books are meant to be widely available for anyone to read, and films are meant to play on screens all across the globe. I love this about books and movies. I love their mass accessibility.

As for NFTs in particular, to me they are nothing more than illusions, and they are bad for the environment. I think time will tell they are also bad for art.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I have been writing and making films for more than twenty years without a “big break.” I keep going because I love doing what I do.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.danny-powell.com
• Instagram: greatamericannovelist
• Other: www.bookswithbooks.com