Murphy’s Law

Monday, April 15, 2013


According to Murphy’s Law, ‘if anything can go wrong, it will’.

I’m sure that any of us would be ecstatic to have a book tour where everything goes without a hitch. However, even if we have all bases covered, once there are other people involved, plus the vagaries of technology, thing can go off track. Here’s a sampling:

Mix up with dates – Plan for this type of emergency, even if you have contacted your host a couple of days before. Situations change, emergencies crop up, people forget and dates may have to be shifted. Adjust as best you can and work in the changes.

Information going MIA in cyberspace – It has happened to me. One of my tour hosts said she never received the information I sent for the post. Again, reschedule if you can fit in another stop on the tour or do a guest post on the person’s blog after the tour ends. It’s a good way to stay visible once the tour is concluded.

Hiccups – The post I did for one of my hosts said I’d be giving away a few copies of Distraction, however, I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to make the book free at the end of my KDP period. I cringed over the fact that my post said something different from what I’d send to the host. After I had that ‘oh boy’ moment, I decided it was too small a thing to stress over and anyway, the host was good enough to amend the information.

MIA Post and Host – It’s possible with all the obligations we have that a host can   miss the assigned date to put up a post. Again, stuff happens – lack of internet connectivity, family demands, work pressure, foggy brain cells. My best recommendation is to work with whatever pans out eventually. The world won’t end if the post goes up half a day late.

Guest going MIA – Remember all the things above that can happen with your host? The same stuff can happen to you. In the event that you are unable or unavailable to comment, do let your host know what’s happening with you and when you’ll be able to respond to comments. A few words of explanation included in the post can suffice and won’t make it appear as if you swooped down and left again without any intention of interacting with visitors.

Have I missed anything? 



10 comments:

  1. i think you've covered pretty much everything. Oh--wait, there are some technical glitches, too--such as your pc breaking down while youre uploading your post :)

    Nutschell
    www.thewritingnut.com

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  2. Yep, life happens and it makes sense to be prepared.

    It sounds like you've had some interesting experiences with your tours.

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  3. You've given some great tips in case any of us become victims of Murphy's law. Adding this post to my Pinterest Board.

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  4. You make some excellent points. Life goes on, without or without the internet.

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  5. That's why I check and double-check, even confirming the time of the post so mine will coincide.

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  6. Posts missing in cyberspace happens often. Wonder where all those emails go?

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  7. Nutschell, that's a really challenging one. :)

    Mark, I guess as with life in general, it makes sense to be prepared for as many eventualities as you can think of.

    Thanks, Sheena. Based on my job, when we do an event, I tend to think about the things that can happen when places are not open on a weekend day and how to deal with them when they happen.

    So true, Bish.

    Alex, I should be so organized.

    Diane, when you find out, make sure to you let me know. :)

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  8. Ever wondered about cyberspace pollution... try wrapping your head around that one!

    Writer In Transit

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  9. MIA in cyberspace - I relate to that. My husband is in Spain right now, a trip we usually take together. I'll go in June and he'll stay home, and the reason for this is our aging dog who requires too much care to leave with a dog sitter.

    So, a day and a half after he arrived at our little house in the village in Galicia, we talked by phone, having worked out phone schedules. Did you get my email? he asked. Nope. I sent it from Madrid. Nope. So, we talked on and on, and about 30 minutes after we hung up, I got an email that said, "I'm in the Madrid airport . . ."

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  10. Michelle,
    I picture clusters of words floating around cyberspace.

    Elizabeth, yes, these things are a mystery. There are times when I'm sending email to my coworker across the room and yes I know it's not as simple as a hop and skip and a jump and yet, it take an awfully long time for them to surface. :)

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