Last week I said that this week I was going to write about PR and marketing. I lied, but not intentionally. I was going to do just that. However, when I read some of the other posts, I saw that several of my esteemed colleagues on this website have already said what needs to be said.

Here's how I sum up PR and marketing: Take a great story (well-written, well-conceived for the specific targeted media outlet), get it into the hands of great media people (and your targeted clients as well, for the marketing part) at the greatest (most timely) moment. That's it in a nutshell. If you want more, read some of the other blogs. I don't want to reinvent the wheel.

So, while I have your attention, let's talk about qualifying people--in other words, finding out if people can afford your services. This aspect of business is often overlooked because it is sensitive, delicate, embarrassing, or any other term you care to use for "I don't want to do it." Well, if you don't, if you prefer to live in hope, you run the risk of wasting their time, and especially yours!

I have found that everyone wants to author a book, but few are able to pay my fees. Life is not fair. Give me the greatest story on earth, and you still have to pay me to help you write it. I do want your baby to be born, but if you want me to serve as the midwife, pay my midwifery fees. As for PR, same situation - everyone wants a professional who knows how to "do it" to get his or her story out, but not everyone has the wherewithal to pay a publicist. So be it. I can't afford some of the things I want. If I really, really want them, I do find a way to afford them.

A dear friend of mine is in the enviable position of having as much work as she can handle, although one always wants more, and growing a business depends on attracting more clients. However, when she names her fees, the prospective clients sometimes balk. "Wow, that's more than your competitors charge," they might say. "Can't you do something about your fee?"

Yes," she replies. Pregnant pause. They look hopeful. Then she continues: "You can pay me more, but you can't pay me less. I know what it will take to do the job right."

Invariably, not all but most will pay her originally quoted fees. Why? Because she is honest, direct, and completely confident.

I don't compromise on my fees. I offer people an extraordinary price for a Bookini that is superbly written, beautifully designed, and includes a certain number of printed books and two months of PR. If they want something cheaper, they can get it somewhere else. Cheap or good. Pick one.

Does that sound arrogant? Are you hating me now? Welcome to the world of Lessons Learned the Hard Way. More than once, I spent hours listening to someone tell me the story about his or her book idea or business. Then, when we got to the money part, I'd hear a gasp on the line, followed by, "Oh, I couldn't possibly afford anything like that." Well, since I never