The Author Guy Blog by Larry B. Gildersleeve

15th March 2024

Hello out there,

Welcome back. It’s been said (by whom the first time I don’t know) that the only thing permanent is change. That certainly happens to me seemingly all the time, and one example occurred a few weeks ago and reversed something I said in my very first blog posting back in December.

Backing up a bit. For years, one of my writing goals has been to become a syndicated columnist, both for the writing pleasure it would bring, and as a means to promote my author brand and my books. I thought I was on my way when our local paper began publishing what turned out to be seventeen feature columns I wrote for their 6X/year, four-color lifestyle magazine. Then in 2023, cost-cutting measures changed (in my opinion) the quality of the magazine’s physical product, and they wanted my position (the inside back cover) for ad placements. I respectfully said “no,” so they asked if I would write a monthly column for the newspaper itself. I jumped at the chance. 

I committed to submit columns months in advance for their review, as well as their assurance they could depend upon me. But like most community (although my hometown is Kentucky’s third-largest city) newspapers, there have been staff reductions and communication with me was a casualty. My columns as written with no editorial comment appeared in December and January, but my Valentine-themed submission didn’t appear, without explanation, in February.

Our agreement had been that I would provide content without receiving a fee if the paper committed to a presence for me every month. In my view, they didn’t live up to their side of the bargain, but I decided to withhold final judgement to see if they would contact me about a March submission. They didn’t. As Kenny Rogers famously said: “Ya gotta know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em.” I folded, and left the table to seek a better game. I’ll let you know what happens … as soon as it does.

Until next week … Vaya con Dios

Larry B. Gildersleeve