I was negotiating a small appearance for sometime downstream when something kept niggling at me about this one in particular. I have learned to listen to that feeling.

The pay was average, and the expenses were fully covered. I could sell my books and retain 100 percent of proceeds. No bookstore there selling books, but I could find someone to cover that. All the boxes were checked, but something still worried me.

I watched the event being planned, some ads going out, but one thing I wasn’t seeing was positive activity. It wasn’t getting much traction. Nobody was sharing it. Nobody was talking about going. And most of all it didn’t have much of a track record. And I wasn’t being kept up to date.

There was still time until this event took place, but in fairness to all, I contacted the organizer again. When I questioned more deeply, it turned out the people putting it together fretted that they didn’t have the financial means to cover it all. Attendance wasn’t coming together like they thought. I would be paid, but not the same day. They could not predict what was going to happen.

If the event had been in my backyard, I would have gone anyway, but it involved a long trip and overnight stays, dog sitters and chicken sitters, rearrangement of other things. The event organizer and I spoke at great length and then parted on good terms. They turned around and grabbed two more speakers, more local than I was, and they were happy. So was I.

This day and time, everyone is struggling. Best to have civil, calm, and understanding conversation when doing business. Things happen. The point is to find a way to make both satisfied, and if that isn’t possible, then make sure you don’t damage your good name and brand when you hold those difficult discussions and possibly part ways. It can be done..

Who knows. . . they may grow and succeed and come back to me for another event, with their ducks in a row and their coffers packed full. And because they were enjoyable to deal with, I just might take them up on their offer.