Flying Marketing
When flying I usually don't listen in to other people's conversations. But on a recent flight I can't resist. I'm in the aisle seat and two other women in my row are talking about the books they're reading. One's expressing disappointment in hers — it's not what she expected. The other woman asks her to recommend a book that's good. By this point I'm on the edge of my seat, but don't want to appear a busybody. I wait to intervene. Can't wait any longer. "I know a good book," I blurt out, "it's called What Else You Got? Freelancing in Radio." There's no reaction — silence. "I wrote it!" I say.
Both women burst out laughing. Don't think they were expecting that. For the rest of the flight we talk a lot about what it's like writing a book. Both tell me they'll order the book when they get home. Who knows if they'll get to it? What I do know is that joining the conversation is a lot more fun than eavesdropping on it!
A neighborhood friend who loves to drive motorcycles inquired about my bike which, as he knows, has not been ridden since a deer smashed into it and sent me and the bike into a tree. (The deer was okay, better off than my bike.) My neighbor thinks I should be out riding in this good weather, and I agree. When the subject changes, he tells me about a friend who works in radio, and who wants to learn more about interviewing. There's a chapter in my book about interviewing, he recalls. Bingo! In a turn of (bookselling) events, we agree that he'll try and fix my motorcycle in exchange for a copy of my book which he will give to his friend — a book for barter.
I hit the road in my 2003 Volvo (270,000 miles on the odometer) for a short trip to southeastern Pennsylvania where a couple of my stories, "The Brits" and "Fishing and Hunting (Sort of )", take place. Driving through Cashtown, PA (near Gettysburg) I notice Book Top, a small bookstore on the main street. Inside, I introduce myself to the owner and show him my book. He says that most of the books he sells deal with history, especially military, but he thinks mine might have some local appeal. So, he takes my book and places it face-forward on a newly built and freshly painted shelf, along with a couple of my business cards. I think it fits in nicely!
Not far north of here is Pine Grove Furnace in Gardners which marks the halfway point of the Appalachian Trail. The A.T. runs 2,000 plus miles from Georgia to Maine. Thru-hikers who have reached this milestone receive a free half gallon of ice cream from the General Store. The Appalachian Trail Museum is also here. A lot of people are milling around — hikers, sightseers, history buffs. The museum features exhibits and books that deal with the Trail. I stop in to see if there might be some interest in my book. When I leave a note for the Museum manager, who turns out not to be in this Sunday, I'm also thinking about what a fun place this would be for a Book Talk about my chapter titled "The Brits." These two young Englishmen were seeing America for the first time by walking the Trail, and they had a lot to say about their journey — the highs and lows — and about the many Americans they met along the way.
—Mary Saner