We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Warren Sellers a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Warren, thanks for joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea
Songwriting wise : I entered and did very well in some songwriting competitions which took me to Nashville for the finals. That turned into meetings with publishers that turned into new songwriting sessions (co-writes) and more meetings over several months. I ended up being offered my first publishing deal as a paid staff songwriter and got to work there in Nashville every couple months and here in So Cal where I live. I began to write with some artists as well and started to get “cuts” which are songs recorded by other artists – mostly up & coming indie artists. Over the years I’ve had 50 songs recorded, been on a few charts, fallen off some big records and had some songs in film/tv spots. It’s a tough biz (never been tougher than now) but I’m fully committed in spite of it all. I’ve had several publishing staff writing deals thru the years and I still write everyday and trying to land them and get a couple hits over the fence as I juggle the 3 things I do to carve out a living.
Author: I grew up in LA in the 60s & 70s and that music still lives deep within me. I started reading related biographies and autobiographies. I’ve read 55 so far, seen every interview known to man and met a few folks along the way. In the process, I realized I know a lot of song origins. The seeds behind the ideas that became iconic songs….the names, the faces & the music making moments. I started telling a few friends the stories w/ a twist – I told them backwards, where I told the short story first and then revealed the names of the writer(s) and the song that was written. It seemed like these legendary songs and the writers were on a beautiful journey and my first book was born. It’s called “The Journey Of A Song 60s & 70s” . It was received well and I decided to write another . So “A Journey of a Song – Part 2..the road continues” was my 2nd. As an indie self published author, I’m not knockin down Oprah’s list sales wise but they’ve been received really well and they’re great fun reads. I’m working on my 3rd now about 80s songs.
Instructor: My music $ and book sales $ goes up and down, so I’ve always had to have a thru thread that I could count on – so – for 40 years I’ve been self employed teaching 3-6 years old basic gymnastic skills. We work on those and giggle a bunch cuz I’m kind of a Vaudevillian for 4 year olds. I can juggle just well enough to lose a bean bag on my head and pretend I don’t know where it is. I tell the parents that we laugh a bunch and learn as a side benefit :))
So – 40 years teaching kids, 2500 songs written so far and 2 books written with more on the way.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
It’s a constant story of resilience because as a songwriter and an author, it’s mostly a “no thanks’ biz. There are hundreds (maybe thousands) of songs being pitched everyday and only a dozen slots – so it’s 99% miss for almost every songwriter no matter how big the name is. But I love the challenge of it all that starts with a blank page and an idea. And on any given day, I might be 3 minutes away from magic. I teach at a couple songwriting expos as well and get pass along the craft that I’m forever working on and the passion that fuels it. A real writer writes and can’t help it.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
There’s a balance you have to find in the creative world in terms of business relationships. In any other business you follow up in a timely manner and stay in pursuit. The creative world is such a “feel” business and often hurry up and wait. So you have to allow time and space which is challenging. Under active isn’t good but neither is overactive and you can accidentally step on toes.. Finding that proactive spot is key…
Contact Info:
- Website: https://warrensellers.com
- Instagram: @journeyofasong
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/warrensellers
- Twitter: @sellers_warren
- Soundcloud: Warren Sellers
- Other: https://reverbnation.com/warrensellers
