Yesterday we talked about speaking outside the club and using speakers bureaus. I want to tell you about a strange situation I got involved in some time back related to someone arranging speaking gigs for me.<\/p>\n
I have a couple of people who act as minor players in finding speaking and interview opportunities for authors. One gave my name to a gentleman who does teleseminars and he contacted me via email. He asked if I\u2019d be available to sit on a panel of other experts for a teleseminar on a certain date. He also gave a few other possible dates. I immediately replied that the first date was bad\u2014I\u2019d be traveling that day. And I let him know which of the other dates would work for me.<\/p>\n
I never heard a word from him.<\/p>\n
The day before the original date he had given me\u2014as I prepared to pack for my trip\u2014I received an email from him saying that we were on for the following day and he gave me the instructions for calling in, told me what the subject was, etc. Yikes! I replied to his email saying, \u201cNO, I told you that I was not available that day and I chose one of the other dates you offered to do this. I can\u2019t participate tomorrow, I\u2019ll be in the air on my way to San Antonio.\u201d<\/p>\n
I never heard another word from him. I was stunned. I felt bad because I do not leave interviewers or program directors in the lurch. I contacted one of the other people listed for the panel\u2014someone I know. She said she had the same problem. She, too, had replied to his original email telling him she could not do the gig on that date. She never heard from him and then, all of a sudden, here was this email asking her to prepare for the teleseminar scheduled for the next day. <\/p>\n
Still, I have never heard anything from this person. I did let the woman who told this guy about me know what had happened. Wanted her to know I wasn\u2019t letting her down\u2014but there had been a giant lack of communication with this guy. Her response was, \u201cWhat do you want me to do?\u201d Nothing\u2014just thought she should be (and would want to be) aware.<\/p>\n
Strange situation. But then, I have been in this business long enough that I have had many of them. If there is an exception to a rule related to writing and publishing, I\u2019ve probably experienced it.<\/p>\n
Sales for Talk Up Your Book<\/em> are zooming. The ranking for this brand new book at Amazon is improving markedly. Thank you to those who have bought it. Did you notice we now have 3 reviews posted at the book page at Amazon. Talk Up Your Book<\/em> is available at my website as well as amazon and most other online and downtown bookstores.<\/p>\n