All week I kept changing my mind about what I would write about, and today (June 30) I decided to write about today. I also kept putting off calling venues up and down the coast to see if any who were considering carrying Crossings: McCullough’s Coastal Bridges were actually going to and if any who were already carrying it needed more.
Although my gender has a reputation for always being on the phone, I’m not a phone person. I had my cell phone for months before I knew the number and then I never gave it to anyone because I only used my cell when I traveled. Since I’m not on either of my phones very often, whenever I have to make a bunch of calls, I have to psych myself up before I start. Even then I push it to the limit. I was calling Thursday to see if anyone needed books for the fourth of July weekend, which I would deliver Friday––the very next day.
I finally got started. It was slow going: first call––left a message, second call––“she just stepped out and will call you back,” third call––left a message, fourth call––“he’s not in today; call back tomorrow,” fifth one preferred e-mails––sent a message, and sixth one––finally got the person I was calling, and they didn’t need more books. Took a break and the phone rang. It had no connection to the calls I had made. It was a bookstore where I’d done a presentation, and they wanted four more books. Yahoo!
Then I checked my e-mail and there was a response. They didn’t need any more books. Then the phone rang again and this was the response to my second call. They couldn’t find any of my books and weren’t sure they had even carried them. So I looked at my very careful record keeping and said, “When I stopped by on May 31, you bought three books, and I invoiced them and received a check on June 8.” Pause, then she said, “Yes, I remember now. In that case, they must be all sold out. So let’s go with six this time!” Double yahoo!!
I made a few more calls where the most common response was to call back in a couple of weeks.
Then the phone rang, and it was a response to my first call where I’d left a message. It was from Discover Your Northwest, the company that handles vendors for the U.S. Forest Service Interpretive Centers. I applied about a month ago. After a couple weeks of bugging the Siuslaw Forest representative, I backed off. This call was from their headquarters in Seattle, and the caller apologized for the delay. He went on to say that I had been approved for both the Siuslaw and Siskiyou forests and they would be sending two purchase orders via e-mail in a few minutes. True to his word, they appeared one after the other within about five minutes. The orders were for not three or four or six but 38 books total––28 for Siuslaw and 10 for Siskiyou. My biggest order to date! Triple yahoo!
I also had two individual orders from people around Florence, which brought the total to 50 books sold today. Incredible! It was a really good day.
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Crossings: McCullough’s Coastal Bridges can be yours for only $24.95 plus $3.99 shipping. Order from Pacific Publishing, www.connectflorence.com or pacpub@oregonfast.net
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Crossings Presentations by Judy in July:
• July 8, 15 & 29, 7 p.m.––Honeyman State Park Campground, B Loop, Amphitheater, couple miles south of Florence
• July 16, 2 p.m.––Coos County Historical & Maritime Museum, July Jubilee and celebration of the 75th birthday of the McCullough Memorial Bridge, North Bend
Judy will also be attending two Author’s Fairs:
• July 22–23, noon–6 p.m. Friday & 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Saturday––Oregon Books & Games (corner 7th & E), Grants Pass
• August 27, noon–3 p.m.––Bob’s Beach Books (west side just north of 17th on Hwy 101), Lincoln City
Crossings Author 