Writers Tricks of the Trade ISSUE 1, VOLUME 9 | Page 33

J IS FOR JUGGLING
M ORGAN S T . J AMES
E XCERPT FROM THE W RITERS T RICKS OF THE T RADE B OOK
How to keep all the balls in the air ~ Hats you wear before and after publication
L
et’s assume you’re still deep in the
dream from the last chapter. Since
it’s a dream, why not go for broke?
Your book just hit $5 million in sales! A
very efficient secretary sits opposite you,
laptop open. She scrolls through the calen-
dar.
“Okay, here’s your agenda for the next
two weeks. You’re booked on Jimmy Fallon,
Ellen, and Good Morning America. I’ve or-
dered the limo and booked the suites you
like. This time Carla and Juan will travel
with you as assistants.”
W AKING UP FROM THE DREAM
Suddenly there is a god-awful noise. You
force your eyes open and clear the remain-
W RITERS ’ T RICKS OF THE T RADE
ing cobwebs that come when waking from
deep sleep. Your arm snakes over to shut
off the alarm clock.
No limos. No luxury suite. All you see is
your own bedroom. You blink a few times,
just to be sure. Nope. It was only that
dream again—the one about basking in ce-
lebrity author treatment.
Sorry to say, your week will be a little
different.
Queues of people probably won’t ham-
mer at your door begging for your appear-
ance on their show or magazine spreads.
That’s not because your work isn’t good,
but rather because your appearance
doesn’t mean their ratings or readership
P AGE 28
S PRING 2019