So, did success come with the publishing of my first book? Sadly, no. I was very proud of my accomplishment, but that is as far as it went. The company that published the book, provided me with some initial copies but they did not engage me in any talks about promoting it.
On Television
Of course, I was a complete novice with no clue whatsoever about what it takes to promote successfully. Feeling quite lost, I tried some ventures locally that thankfully resulted in small sales. In the town where I grew up and was still living at the time, there is an annual Music and Arts Festival. Fortuitously I happened to be on the planning committee for the festival, and so I was able to have a booth for my books. As a result of being at the festival, a friend of my father with connections in broadcasting stopped by my booth and purchased a copy of the book. A few weeks later, I received a message that I was to have a television interview with the National station. That was unexpected. Despite being nervous, the interview went well. However, it was still not my ticket to success.
On Radio
In 1996 I got invited to appear on the radio program produced by the Learning Resources Unit section of the Ministry of Education. The interview was aired in segments for a full week. It was a wonderful experience and although it also did not result in large book sales, I felt recognized as a writer.
Overall, I believe I got a little over 100 copies sold. The last I heard, the company that published it went out of business, and so the book is out of print. A few used copies on Amazon is all that is left on bookshelves. Maybe I will do a reprint with additional pieces one day. Just maybe...
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