The invitation to speak on Sept. 22 in Toronto on the subject of essay contests was never confirmed and it's now one week before the registration deadline, and 3 weeks before the event. I have notified the organization that I will not be speaking.
I would have put at least 4-5 days into the research, writing and delivery of the presentation, that I likely would not ever present again, not including 3 hours of driving, $100 -120 worth of gas and a $200 room in the hotel so I wouldn't be late for my 10 AM session. I was offered nothing more than $15 for parking; no payment toward the $152,000 I'm raising, not a room, not a gas allowance, not meals, not a pass to attend the convention, not even inclusion in the door prizes offered, nor publicity opportunities for my condo giveaway contest. The audience would not be interested in the subject of my "Wisdom" book, as it is an audience of hobbyists, not professional practitioners and consultants. And the 4-5 days would be a disruption to the work I'm doing to promote the contest, my book, my advice column, my speaker directory and my personal concierge business.
But I would gladly have done all the work and appeared with great enthusiasm, presenting a brilliant and memorable talk.... if I were being paid. Too bad, but now I'm free to receive something better.
Andrea
Who I am
- Andrea Reynolds
- Erie, Pennsylvania, United States
- I'm a 72-year-old single female now living in the Tampa Bay area, from Erie Pennsylvania. I spent almost 30 years in Ontario Canada where I owned a personal public relations consultancy and wrote books on getting paid to consult, speak, and write. I stopped blogging in 2011-2012 when I attended to both parents' separate estates.
