After the publication of my second book (during the marketing phase), my publisher asked me to write a piece for an online publication. The ask was simple, but my schedule was not. I’d just returned from a cross-country trip to appear on a national television show, finished a slew of podcast interviews, and written a bunch of pieces for other publications — all to promote the book (book writing is one thing, but book marketing is a *whole* other thing). I responded to her email with a lengthy explanation about when I’d be able to have it completed, a few things I needed to take care of beforehand, and profusely apologized for needing a little wiggle room in the deadline.
She called me.