When I was initially told in September 1997 that my three-year-old son Paul had autism, pictures of him sitting in the corner of an institution, rocking back and forth, flashed through my mind. After a week of crying, I found Judy Smith, a wonderful speech and language therapist. She made me believe that Paul could and would be helped.
We got the traveling bug last week and took off for an impromptu trip near the coast. The first campground, Red Apple Campground in Kennebunkport, Maine, was well-groomed and had wireless Internet access…but that was about it.
In response to last week’s article on Dirty Marketing, I’m posting readers’ responses…
This Week:
While not all e-publishing experiences are bad, mine was one of unpaid royalties, broken promises of POD’s, unanswered messages, royalty percentage changes on bargain sales, failures in promotion, and a finale that included the company going out of business without any formal notice to writers. (I only found out my book was no longer available when I checked my account.)
I discovered that she and her husband wanted to recruit me to sell soap and other products that “practically sell themselves.” The couple said they hated their jobs and planned to retire young. They asked about my dreams and created a chart to show how much leisure time I wasted. They were right! Although I didn’t picture myself hawking soap, I could find time for writing.
I was cuddling Max, putting him down for his afternoon nap, when I noticed that he smelled like raw dirt…you know, that smell you have on your hands after you’ve been digging in the garden. It was a beautiful smell and made me glance outside, longing for the Spring sunshine. I was about to grab my laptop and skip out the backdoor when I noticed clouds had moved in and the skies were looking dark and heavy. Oh well…
When someone boasts their book is a bestseller on Amazon.com, can you trust them? When someone brags that they’ve sold 10,000 copies in a month, are they being honest? When you type in a website URL and a competitors’ pop-up ad appears on your computer screen, do you assume they’re in business together? When someone says you’re winner, are they trying to fool you into spending money?
Hey Angela,
Just thought you’d like to know that I got three writing assignments from your newsletter this week.
Your website is great. I’m recomending it to everyone.
Dave
Writers and authors seem to fall in an all or nothing category financially. Either we’re limping along between checks, or we’re basking in a new contract and royalty advance. Even those with advances often backslide when the money’s gone and the book is still at the printer. But rich or poor, famous or obscure, writers live a roller coaster existence in their choice to pen words for a living. And catastrophe affects us all.
