Hawking, Biting and Andy Rooney by Debra Sanders

BlogAlert! Yes, It has been nearly two months since I have blogged. Shame on me.

I am here at the statewide Inclusion conference in Denver--I am going to hawk my wares. This will be my first venture into the public world (as compared to my ever more dominant online world) to actually physically and shamelessly try to convince people that there is nothing they would rather do than buy one or two copies of A Matter of Panache!

In Alaska,there is a name for the people that help the mushers with their dogs, especially at race time. They are called handlers. Handlers are the ones who keep the wound up dogs from bolting in the wrong direction or from getting tangled in their lines; or simply, from becoming too distracted to focus on the event at hand. Not that I am comparing myself to a wild and rambunctious dog, but I thought I would mention that I have a handler with me at this monumental debut I am making. My friend Joyce has flown in from S.L.C. in order to help keep me organized; and to make sure I don't blubber and bolt the first time someone says, "Oh, are you the author?" Or worse--the first time I find myself sitting all alone at my table with nobody interested in looking at, much less buying, the book. It's a daunting task I am sure, to keep me focused, organized, on time, well-fed, calm, alert and not flying off into cognitive overload after 15 minutes in a public surrounding. Joyce is a very good friend. And she is an excellent handler.

Actually, now that I am mentioning handlers and dogs, it reminds me that despite all those years in Alaska, I never did get used to handlers and mushers referring to dogs as B*#*. It seemed so harsh. And one of the things I have worried about in attending this particular conference is that some of the people I spoke of in Part IV might be here...and well, although I respectfully sent each of them a copy of Panache prior to its release, I suppose that some of these people might be thinking of me as a female dog and therefore not the least bit surprised that I have a handler to keep me in line.

I would feel very badly if this turns out to be true. I mean, it really is such a harsh word.

Speaking of harsh: did you know that in New York City, approximately 1,600 people are bitten by other humans annually? I find this fact, fascinating. I mean,I have worked with a lot of biters over the years; but, believe me, every one of them has been placed on a plan of some sort or another to eliminate biting behavior.

I wonder if people in NYC are allowed to just go around biting each other without consequence?

Actually, what I really wonder is how somebody came up with this statistic. I mean, does this count all the toddlers in preschools throughout the city who bite each other when they get mad? And if so, do we now have to report toddlers who bite to the police so data can be kept on this sort of thing? And if doesn't include the toddlers, what does it mean? That some 1600 adults are displaying subway rage by biting if someone gets in their way?

Do they arrest people in NYC for biting?

I wonder if anyone out there besides me can hear Andy Rooney's voice in their head. Doesn't this just sound like the kind of thing he would sit at his desk contemplating? I have an entire Andy Rooney monologue now skipping through my brain. I wonder if I could query him and become one of his writers...

Well, with that thought, stay tuned for more on flagrant self-promotion and weird facts tomorrow. One never knows what a day of shameless hawking will bring!

Have fun out there and remember...a little panache can go a long, long way!

It's good to be back!

Debra

On marketing your own book by Debra Sanders

Okay, I am going to switch over from politics now (not that I have given up my crusade--I haven't!) But I have this need to talk about this business of self-promotion that is so necessary in the marketing of one's book.

I DO NOT LIKE IT ONE LITTLE BIT!!!!!

I find it so uncomfortable that I find myself resisting and resisting doing the nine million things that must be done if one wants a book to sell. Even before the accident, this would not have been something comfortable for me. But now, it is not just uncomfortable, it is painful.

For one thing, since the accident I seem to have become an incredible introvert. Timid. Hesitant to even want to leave my house (even though every time I do, it feels great!). I hate this timidity in myself in general, but to promote one's book, diffidence and reticence are not qualities one can allow to bubble even close to the surface. You have to be strong, aggressive and filled with entrepreneurial energy.

I am none of these things.

The psychosocial/behavioral aspects of head injuries are way underestimated, I think! Or maybe the changes in me are not from the head injury itself. Maybe it's that the head injury has challenged my confidence and rendered me so unsure of my own perceptions that it is this that has resulted in my becoming the mostly house-bound person I currently seem to be. Now that would be an interesting study, wouldn't it? Is it the actual physical changes in the brain that have created this timid, inhibited person or is it that my confidence in myself is so eroded that it is this that has led to my timidity????

Either way, I do not enjoy the multitude of new things I am having to master in order to get Panache out of my house and into the public. I do not enjoy having to promote myself to others so that they can help promote the book (as in getting joint venture partners to sponsor me in an online campaign). I thought doing online campaigning would allow me to remain safely within my walls, but in fact, I am having to put myself out there just as much as if it were all face to face.

Wow. Interesting, isn't it? I want to get Panache out of the house and in the public eye, but I want to remain closeted. Well, THAT can't happen. Either we both go out or we both stay in.

Guess I will have to find my shoes. Or at least my bedroom slippers.