Bigtime Author calls me!

I received a phone call today from Bigtime Author. He was responding to a fax I had sent the end of last week. He would be happy to come visit my school. He does not charge a speaking fee, but...

And I knew there was a "but..." coming.

He does require that schools make a significant purchase of his books. That significant purchase equates to a few thousand dollars.

I don't begrudge him making a living in the least. He pays his mortgage by selling books. I guess what I wish is that my budget was larger, so that I did not have to make such difficult choices. One speaker or many, many books from other authors.

Not going to happen. Part of the problem is that the other places where I could find that kind of money don't exist in the size they once were. Specifically, Title 1 money is now more closely controlled by the district as opposed to the school site.

I would love to have him come. I have heard him speak before and he is quite good. Also, students like what he writes (and that is usually a good thing).

Readers will note that I have not (nor will I) divulge who this person is. In addition to being an LMT, I am also a writer. I know about the importance of making money from what you write.

So today I have to send him an email and let him know the realities of budgets. I am sure he already knows.