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Thursday, March 27, 2008

Writer Beware - A New Form of HighJacking


Do you send your books media mail? I have an alert for you - If for any reason that book has to come back to you, you will wind up paying the postage again.

Recently, I sent a book I was donating to our Marinette County Sheriff's Department because they are mentioned (in a good light) in my book Small Town Secrets. I dedicated it to the men in blue (or brown as is the case here). So the book is of absolutely no use to me or anyone else - but -- Please excuse me while I rant.

So here's the story. I used the address listed in our phone book for the Marinette County Sheriff's Department physical location--the book was returned - the post mistress informed me their forwarding address had expired--HUH??????

It's not like I'm sending this package to Chicago, or Denver or New York even - where there are probably as many police stations as churches. I'm sending it to a small Midwestern Wisconsin town, sure it's 50 miles away but that is our county--it stretches for miles. But there is only one Sheriff's Department. They left and left no forwarding address - or at least none that the Post Office knows of. So in order for me to get my book back that is now worthless, I had to pay another $2.13 --so here is the breakdown of that stellar attempt to donate a book in appreciation for services rendered.

The book cost me $10.15, I paid $2.13 to send it out after it already cost me 70 cents in postage when I ordered it from my publisher, so we are already at $12.98 for the book, now I pay another $2.13 to get it back in my hands

- now this book has cost me $15.11 cents. Considering my royalty on this book is $1.80 cents, but I don't get that because I bought the book at the author's discount -- I am in the hole to the tune of $7.46 even if I don't count the book a total loss - which it is.

So Writer beware - do not send your printed words by media mail unless you are absolutely sure your recipient hasn't moved and had their forwarding order expire.
Live and learn. And the underpaid, over worked, get socked again. Thank you United States Postal Service!!!!! As Judge Judy always says, "No Ggood deed goes unpunished."

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