What a week. What a frustrating, crappy week.
Best intentions… I sent out a newsletter with two free gifts. Happy Holidays to all.
Turns out one of the links was broken (my fault), and (when fixed) both links were limited to 100 downloads a day (not my fault, other than selecting the wrong place to do the delivery). To give you an idea how frustrating for all this was, including me, I received a “notice of non-delivery” for EVERY failed download attempt… over 1000 of them.
If you think I’ve been idly sitting here twiddling my thumbs on this, you’re wrong.
I quickly researched an alternative delivery method, found one, and then sent it to the newsletter subscriber list. But then, TinyLetter.com, the email distributor (the subscriber database is too big — over 4000 — to use traditional email, it crashes it), stepped in to FREEZE that email (because I’d sent out an ill-fated rescue email earlier that day, prompted a robot on their end to stop the presses, fearing it was SPAM), and now they won’t respond to my requests for help.
Message to TinyLetter.com — bad service gets lip service online. Here’s yours.
Anyhow, the downloads are now hosted on THIS website, and the direct links are here:
Revised Search For Story Proposal 2[1]
Read the Intro (at least) on that last one… reads like a killer post, and delivers serious perspective. And… it sold the book.
I apologize for the inconvenience. Hope you enjoy these.
Larry
22 Responses
Your opening line was great! It cracked me up.
I am still laughing now and I know that I shouldn’t be because I was one of the “notice of non-delivery emails”…sorry about that by the way, but thanks for making me laugh today 😉
Thank you, Larry, for these two gifts. And what timing! Not long after my (mumbledy mumbleth) birthday, reasonably close to Christmas, and while I’m flat on my back sick and in dire need of inspiration. And chocolate, but this will do. I’ll take what I can get! 😉 Hope your week gets better (and that mine does too)!
Hi Larry,
I use Aweber and never had a problem with it.
Jonathan
“Both can freeze you stiffer than Nicole Kidman’s forehead.”
Muahaha! That’s a real zinger.
@Judith — killing the crappies… that’s what life is, right? Turning crappies into gold. Thanks for the kind words and encouragement. L.
Larry,
Thank you for keeping on keeping on. Your insights and instruction are so very valuable to me. I’m sorry it was a crappy week for you, too. I’ve had a couple in a row, and hadn’t even tried the downloads (saved in my inbox folder) for later.
Will look forward to perusing them when the crappies have run their course or I have the moxie to just say the heck with it and pull my cave in behind me.
Thank you so very much.
I know I should not take consolation from the fact that even Larry Brooks can also have crappy weeks, but I do, I do. Above all, CONGRATS on selling “Search for Story”. Thank you for writing it. The second it’s out, it’s going up on my bookshelf right between Aristotle and my dog-eared copy of “Story Engineering”.
I do believe technology lives to torment us at critical moments. We never know what’s really behind the green door until we push publish, send or hit return. Par for the course, as they say.
Aggravation. Through the roof.
This to shall pass.
Thanks, Larry! These look really great – looking forward to reading them. Sorry it was such a battle for you to get them to us. Your efforts are much appreciated!
Cheer up, Larry. All will be well. Your legions of fans will stick with you through thick and thin. Thanks for showing us how to over-deliver, as usual.
Thanks for all you do to help us aspiring novelists out!
i’m beginning to see the forest through the trees, and writing is fun again. Your direction has been instrumental for that, so thanks again!
Thanks for hanging in there Larry. Nothing is more frustrating than computer issues, but, I Successfully downloaded both of your generous gifts this morning. Thanks so much. Happy holidays.
Larry – your first sentence grabbed me – a crappy week! Gotta be an inciting incident going on. For I had a crappy week also, just didn’t have the courage to call it as it was. Your calling it has made my morning – forgive me, but I laughed and laughed. Situations happen and so that little saying “There are no problems, only life situations” makes you want to third finger whoever put those seven words together. Thanks for all the good you send out among us.
Larry, thanks for the hard work you’ve put in on resolving this. In your shoes, I’d want to scream and throw things at the computer.
How generous of you to give us these freebies. I recognize that it’s valuable to you from a promotions standpoint, but it’s even more valuable to us from a learning standpoint. Thanks for overdelivering, as usual, especially when you had to slog through the Red Sea instead of having it parted for you. 🙂
I hope the path to publishing “Search for Story” is smoother than this one was!
I tried to subscribe to your newsletter right now, and it said:
tinyletter is having a tiny problem…
Indeed, TinyLetter. Indeed. *holds a mirror in front of it*
Sorry to hear you’ve been having issues with this, Larry. But don’t worry, we’ll still all be here, and if need be, resubscribe. Keep up the great work and thank you so much for your awesome advice!
Thanks Larry. I am sure I will enjoy these as I have been a subscriber to your site for a while now.
Over one thousand emails. Ouch! But thank you for keeping after this!
Larry, thank you for being a stand-up guy in a time when they’re all too rare.
Thanks, Larry. I tried several times but kept getting an error message that said to try at a later date.
I have the links pinned to my home-page now. Looking forward to reading them both.
Take care,
Robert
Or at least, when it’s available again. The subscribe field on the button leads me to an error page, so I guess you’re switching services.
I’m going to sign up to your newsletter now.