A thousand words

Reviews

I was on my book’s Amazon page today and saw some additions to the editorial reviews. It looks like someone has been taking positive bits of reviews out of context for me. Thanks whoever you are! Also, eat it Financial Times - apparently you accidentally said something good:

“If you are interested in learning more, I recommend Kelsey’s book. It’s light reading…Give it a try!” (BromleyTimes.co.uk, January 14th 2009) “…his conclusion that “we should try to be engaged consumers not mindless pocketbooks” may be a valuable revelation.” (Financial Times, January 24th 2009) “…puts globalization into human perspective. He Personalizes the stories of the people who make our clothes…highly entertaining and thought provoking” (Manchester Evening News, January 24th 2009) “Timmerman puts faces on the garment industry. This needs doing and he has the warmth, compassion and interest” (Irish Times, February 4th 2009) “…some of the realities - and myths…It’s a personal take on a global issue. The corporate version of travel writing.” (Ethical Corporation Magazine, February 2009)

Show the love! How to support your favorite authors

Since I became a published author, I’ve had the pleasure of a lot of great people supporting my book and me, including a failed campaign to get me on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report – still, it’s the thought that counts!

It’s great when someone takes the time out of their lives to spread the word about your book. After being on the receiving end of such generosity, I have vowed to give back to the authors that I enjoy. You should too!

Here are a few ways to support an author:

1) Buy their book – That’s kind of obvious isn’t it? If you don’t buy their book, there is a chance they won’t get to write another.

2) Ask your library to carry their book – Selling into libraries is really important for an author. You might think less folks will buy the book if they can read it from the library, but there are lots of libraries and they are an important outlet for publishers to rely upon for sales. Unlike bookstores, libraries won’t return the book to the publisher for a full refund. Also, while sales are important, most authors are passionate about their books and don’t care whether or not you paid $25 for their book or checked it out of your library, just as long as you read it. Libraries tend to be more than accommodating; one user request and they’ll typically order the book.

I received the below photo from a reader the other day with a note saying that the Indianapolis Library is prominently displaying WAIW? I couldn’t be happier.

3) Review their books on any, some, or all of the following: GoodReads, LibraryThing, Shelfari, Amazon, Borders, and Barnes & Noble – This gets the word out about the book, and it also helps potential readers decide whether or not they want to read the book. I’m currently reading this book based on a GoodReads recommendation.

4) Email them – There are few things that can make my day like a note from a reader. Whether it’s praise, questions, arguments, or further discussion, I enjoy hearing from someone that came across WAIW? out there in the real world (especially when that someone lives in the Cayman Islands and offers for your family to visit!).

5) Read their blog or follow them on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, (insert social network of choice)

I do all of these things much more now, either to ensure good karma, or prevent bad karma – not sure which. If you’ve got any more to add, let me know.

Outsourcing our guinea pigs

Clinical trials go global where the guinea pigs are cheaper. (from Science News)

DURHAM, N.C. – Top-tier U.S.-based pharmaceutical companies are moving their clinical trials overseas at warp speed, raising questions about ethics, quality control, and even the scientific value of their findings for people back in the U.S.

Many of the trials are taking place in developing countries in Eastern Europe and Asia where study participants are often poorer and less educated than are study participants in the U.S., according to researchers at Duke Clinical Research Institute

Thomas Friedman on USA’s international status

From his recent column titled, “Paging Uncle Sam.”

For all the talk in recent years about America’s inevitable decline, all eyes are not now on Tokyo, Beijing, Brussels or Moscow — nor on any other pretenders to the world heavyweight crown. All eyes are on Washington to pull the world out of its economic tailspin. At no time in the last 50 years have we ever felt weaker, and at no time in the last 50 years has the world ever seen us as more important.

In Greenville, Ohio, tonight

Like wine, dessert, and listening to yours truly discuss WAIW??

Come to the Montage Cafe tonight in Greenville, Ohio at 7:30. I’ll be the one talking about my underwear!

Customer service is dead; long live customer service!

Call me jaded, but customer service is dead.

How often do you walk into a store or restaurant only to be ignored? Not a single “Howdy, can I help you within earshot.” (I’ve worked in retail so I feel that I can complain about such things – kind of like making ethnic- or religious-toned jokes when you are a member of the ethnicity or religion you’re poking fun at.)

I’ve always believed that even if you’re doing a crappy job, you might as well smile. Smiling makes it seem less crappy. Lying to yourself makes the job more bearable.

It’s to the point now when, on the rare occasion, I stumble upon a smiling someone who is good at their job and glad that I chose to patronize their place of work that I’m taken aback. Such was the case the other day at the Palm Beach airport.

My breath turns rotten when I fly. I think it’s a result of Cinnabon and stale cabin air. I always try to carry gum, but forgot to this time. Not wanting to make a poor first impression on my host meeting me at the airport, I stopped by a mid-hall kiosk.

“The airport is a gum free zone,” the smiling woman told me, “but we’ve got some mints over there.”

I picked up a pack of Certs. I didn’t care what type of mints I bought; I just wanted them to be minty. That’s not too much to ask from a mint, is it?

I approached the register to pay.

“We have a special on Breathsavers today.” She reached behind her and grabbed a small dish. “The Certs are $1.25. These are only a quarter.”

She made my day. She saved me $1 and I could have given her a hug.

I seriously considered telling her how much I appreciated the great service, but she had a job to do – there were others to be helped – and she was damn good at it.

Palm Beach Recap

The Palm Beach Democrats flew me down to talk to them about WAIW? on Monday. It was an interesting time.

* I walked on the beach for 1 1/2 hours. Nose got a little burnt; I blame TSC for not allowing me to bring on a bottle of sunscreen. Of course, everyone knows that any lotion higher than SPF 15 is highly explosive.

* My host was a 93-year-old woman whose husband acted as pediatrician to RFK’s (yes, that RFK) kids. She also recalled seeing JFK (yep, that one) cruising around Palm Beach in a convertible. She bought her home after WWII for $35K. Today, it’s worth millions. It’s an art deco home and one of the few in the area that doesn’t have 20’ high hedges. She keeps it real and marvels at the wealth and the hedges that surround her. Her neighbors include a Ford widow who lives in a 50-room home alone and Bernie Madoff.

She’s the best type of wealthy person – loaded but doesn’t act like it.

* The fella who invited me down and took me to dinner before the talk was scheduled to have dinner with JFK the day he was shot. He also worked with John Connelly, the Governor of Texas, who was also injured during the assassination. Years after the incident, Connelly showed him his bullet wounds and told him that there had to be more than one shooter because shots were coming from every direction.

So take that and put it in your own conspiracy theory pipe and smoke it.

* The average age at the talk was probably about 70. Before the talk one of the ladies asked me what I’d be talking about. When I told her about my book and my worldwide clothes adventure she said, “Well, that’s not as interesting as politics, now is it?”

* My host’s nurse/driver was from Haiti. His daughter was about to graduate from college and soon he would have a few extra thousand dollars per year lying around. When I asked him about what he was going to do with all of that extra money, he told me that he was going to go back to school. In his heavy island accent, he went into a long spiel about how important education is. Then he told me about how he was at the Post Office the other day and the rich man in front of him (most in Palm Beach are loaded) couldn’t read. “That really freaked me out, man!” He told me. “This man lived in America and couldn’t read!”

GOOD Q&A

Good magazine interviewed me for their website.

I’ve been slacking with the posts the last few days, but I’ll be updating soon. I’ve got some great posts coming: I have a good source that validates the multiple shooters theory in the JFK assassination, the best mint sales lady in the world, James Patterson on book signings, and a 93-year old woman who walks circles around me. All of that’s from one day in Palm Beach. Interesting place.

No appearance in Coral Gable; in Palm Beach Tomorrow night

Apparently, I was scheduled to speak at Books & Books in Coral Gables tonight. There’s just one little problem: no one told me. Bummer. I would have loved to work in two events in south Florida.

If you know anyone that lives in or near Palm Beach tell them to come HERE:

MON, FEBRUARY 23:
PALM BEACH DEMOCRATIC CLUB MONTHLY MEETING
FEATURING KELSEY TIMMERMAN.

Special Guest Speaker/s: Kelsey Timmerman, author of “Where Am I Wearing? A Global Tour to the Countries, Factories and People that Make Our Clothes”.

Program: This is a topic closely related to environmental issues and our loss of manufacturing capability with its loss of jobs, and is vital to the economic turnaround promised by President Obama.

Time: 7:30pm.

Location: Kravis Center Cohen Pavilion at Okeechobee Blvd, WPB.

Public welcomed. No Admission Fee. No Reservations needed. Free parking in the Kravis Garage.

Contact: Elna Laun (President) by email or phone at 561-686-2060.