I am Not Impressed

[Note: Here is my latest column, if you want to skip this entry.]

I just finished my 6:05 a.m. interview with Armstrong Williams and Sam Greenfield. They were wonderful. This is the first time I've cracked the New York City market, so that makes it even better.

It looks like the book is holding its own. It had a good weekend, so someone must have bought a copy. I'm still praying that Mancow follows up on his interview request. That would be fantastic.

I've also been screwing around, getting addresses for late-night TV shows. My editor told me the publisher's PR people had already sent copies, but later on, I thought about it, and I decided to send more. The reason? I've talked to other authors about publishing-house PR units, and one chilling complaint I heard was that they sometimes don't send copies where they're supposed to. In fact, one author told me they only sent a tiny percentage of the books he requested. Imagine that. I could be sitting here waiting for responses from people who are completely unaware that my book exists.

My editor has been pressed into service, mailing these things out personally, and I trust him completely, but I think it's unsafe to sit around and assume the PR department is just as reliable.

I'm telling you this because I'm sure some people who read this site want to get published, and this is great information to have when the time comes. You don't want to be like me, sitting back on your ass, assuming people are taking care of you. Unless you're a Monica Lewinsky or an O.J. Simpson, they are not going to help much, and it doesn't matter which publisher you work with. According to my sources, every major publisher allows first-time authors to sink, if they can't do their own PR.

Things are going amazingly well over at SteveHGraham.com. For some reason, I'm getting Stumbleupon visitors out the wazoo. Last time I checked, I had over 800 for the day. And some will stick around. The mailing list is growing.

If you haven't subscribed to my columns, click this link and do so this very instant. You can avoid reading boring entries about my life, hoping to find something funny wedged in there somewhere. I'll email you whenever I write something you might actually laugh it. Much easier than visiting my site every day, slapping your forehead, and yelling, "Oh, no. That fat bastard is writing about Pajamas Media again."

I would be thrilled if this site shriveled to 500 readers and SteveHGraham.com took off. This site has too much baggage. A fresh start is what is needed, at least for professional purposes. If you're already here, enjoy, but I quit promoting this site a long time ago, and I don't plan to start up again.

Oh God. I can't see my coffee cup. Where is it? This is a disaster. Where did I put it down?

I have to go, before my nervous system collapses like a house of cards.

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