Day 136 – Tuesday, 26 Mar

I made lots of progress on putting a Facebook Page together for the book.

Then I went to talk with Denise at We Care about being able to use their telephone to do radio interviews. Jack Canfield did at least one radio interview every day to promote the Chicken Soup series, so I’m planning to follow his example.

“Hi, Denise, can I talk to you for a second?”

Denise is always upbeat and cheerful. “Sure, come on in. Have a seat.

“Let me just finish this and I’ll be right with you.”

I was nervous about asking for the favor, and enthusiastic about my project. My first words came out in a rush. “Denise, I have a favor to ask. I don’t know how big it is, but it’s big to me. And it’s for my book project.”

Naturally, as I had volunteered more regularly at We Care, I also talked with the staff and volunteers about what I was working on. Sometimes people got a little uncomfortable, but most reactions were positive and encouraging. Denise was one of the people who believed sharing my experiences might help a lot of people feel encouraged and understood.

“Sure, what is it?”

“Well, you probably know that promotion is the biggest part of making a book successful. My plan is to use material I have from Alex Carroll for getting radio interviews. The physical copy is still with Maria, but I have a digital copy, and most importantly it has his complete database of radio stations across the U.S.”

I took a breath to see if she would say anything, but Denise waited patiently for me to get to the favor. “I have the book outlined, and have started writing. David Hancock at Morgan James Publishing has agreed to publish the book, and of course I have the books I’ve already published. The blogsite is put together for the book, and I’m working on social media. A Facebook page is put together, and I’ve connected Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to the blog.

“A Kickstarter campaign is planned, and I showed that to Ken Fields. He thinks it’s very good. So now what I want to do is start doing radio interviews to develop traction for the book going into the Kickstarter. That’s where the favor comes in.

Denise was smiling and listening. She hadn’t asked questions, yet, although she had marked down a note or two.

“Doing radio interviews means needing access to a phone, and I know you have one in the resource room. But here’s the thing... There are two ideal times for radio interviews. One is in the morning rush hour, and the other is afternoon rush hour.

“To get the morning rush hour means having access to the phone as early as five thirty in the morning.”

Denise perked up with a gut reaction at that point. “Oh, that’s early. I’m not sure we could get anyone to volunteer to be here that early. How often would you be doing interviews?”

“That’s the thing... Once they get rolling, I’ll be doing interviews every day.

“And I thought about having someone come in, that’s where the big favor is. You see, what I’m wondering is whether you would consider letting me have a key to come in and use the phone on my own. That way nobody has to be here early.”

“Oh, well... Yes, I think we could arrange that. You’re already here volunteering most days.

“Let me think for a second.”

Denise looked at her notes, and looked at something on her computer.

“How much of this do you have planned out?”

This always got me excited. I’ve always enjoyed the planning process the most. “I have the book proposal; I needed that to get the publishing contract with Morgan James. That covers research for why the book is different, why I want to write, how it’s going to be promoted, and what resources I need to write and promote the book.

“The Kickstarter is mostly planned. I have rewards and support levels worked out, the copy is outlined for the campaign page, and I have a script for the video. So I’m in good shape there.

“For the radio interviews, I have Alex Carroll’s material as a guide, and I did lots of radio interviews for my book on social media. So I think I’m in good shape.

“There’s still some work to do, but yes, it’s pretty much planned and written down.”

Denise was making notes while I talked, and nodding as we went. “Okay. That’s good.

“And right now the one thing you need is access to a telephone?”

“Well, there are lots of things I could use, sure, but yes, a telephone is essential for doing the radio interviews.”

“What about using a cell phone?”

“Well, that works in a pinch. I’ve done interviews via cell phone before, and it works, but cell phones have a tendency to break up. Sometimes they lose calls. The biggest thing is the battery. Sometimes interviews go for an hour. That’s why a land line is really the best option.”

Denise was deep in thought as she answered. “Right. That makes sense. And you need access to a phone early in the morning and during the afternoon. Hmmm...

“Yes, I’m sure we can help you with getting access to the phone. That’s not a problem. But I have a little bit different idea.”

Denise was smiling now. She had that look people sometimes get when they have a big idea, and it means doing something good for someone.

That’s when she asked, “What if we help you get an apartment?”

It’s a good thing I was sitting down. I think I might have fallen down if I weren’t already sitting. It was like the blood rushed out of my body, and I was left weightless. I think my mouth might even have dropped open.

“Are you serious? Well, yea! I mean, of course! It would never have occurred to me to ask for something like that. Can you do that?”

Naturally there was some work to be done. Some forms needed filling, and I had to show them everything really was planned and written down. We got a copy of the publishing contract, and they helped with printing the book proposal, Kickstarter campaign, and promotional plan.

Of course, there was also the matter of having to find an apartment. Denise made it clear the rent had to be less than five hundred per month because that was the limit of their budget. Plus they could help with getting the phone and electricity connected.

The PADS program was ending in three weeks, so this was excellent timing. I was ecstatic.