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As I mentioned several weeks ago I am creating two 18-month calendars
from sratch and performing digital plastic surgery. I'm wrapping up the
first calendar today, when I get a phone call from a woman who knows me
from a women's group. She asked me what I was doing and I explained.
She replied, "You're doing design work? I thought you were a writer."
I replied, "This is the first design work I've done in at least 10
years. I am a writer, but you take whatever work comes your way."
Then she asked, "Well, what do you do more of design or writing?"
I replied "As I stated, this is the first design project I've had in 10
years. I am predominately a writer."
She asked, "What kind of writing do you do and what kind of samples
could you send me?"
"I wouldn't pigeon hole my writing because I'm pretty diversified and do
anything from non-fiction and fiction to technical white papers. I could
email you some of the content from my books."
"What books?" she asked.
"The books I've written."
"What?" she asked incredulously.
"You know, trade publications."
"So, you write white papers for trade publications?"
"No," I replied. "I write books."
"Books? I don't understand, like what?"
At this point I'm losing what little patience I had. "Well, last year I
wrote a biology book for high school students. Right now I'm working
part-time on a literary criticism book for high school students. I wrote
a book about the Sony Playstation, stuff like."
Then she asked, "So you ghost write?"
"No." Sheesh, where is this going I'm thinking.
"Are you saying your name is actually on books?"
"Yes, my name is on books."
"How do you get these opportunities, you must self-publish."
I am, I know, starting to sound short. "I have an agent, and then a
publisher publishs my book."
"You have an agent?" She queried.
"Yes, I do."
The conversation proceeded into my hourly rate and samples of writing I
could email to her. But I'm thinking working with her is going to suck
given that conversation. What do y'all think? Go with my gut, or
schmooze since she's part of the same group of women for our monthly
meetings?
Krautgrrl (actually it should be crabby girl right now)
--
Michele
"I've learned that sometimes all a person needs is a hand
to hold and a heart to understand." Andy Rooney
www.krautgrrl.com