It Won't Fly If...

A number of years ago, Multnomah Publishers released a book on creativity called It Won’t Fly, If You Don’t Try. I enjoyed the book but have long forgotten the author or the contents—but not the title. It’s part of what we have to do as writers and editors—keep trying new things.

Last year, I tried a different airline when I booked my ticket from Phoenix to Denver for the International Christian Retail Show or the largest trade show in the country for Christian publishing.  On the surface, my flight looked easy. It was nonstop and relatively short. I planned to arrive in plenty of time to get checked into my hotel then off to an evening event. It was anything but easy. Some unusual weather with striking lightening closed the Denver International Airport for several hours. Our plane arrived then circled, then diverted to Colorado Springs to refuel. This airline didn’t even have a gate or presence in Colorado Springs but some eager passengers got off the plane (and were never seen again). Eventually three hours late we arrived in Denver and I reached my hotel and arrived late to my event.

Once again I needed to book my flight to Denver for ICRS next month.  Recalling last year’s unexpected delay, this year I’m going to plan extra time (and it will probably go off without any delays). Almost monthly it seems I’m booking a flight so I’m always on the lookout for better techniques. Recently it seemed if I used a large travel site such as Expedia or Travelocity or ????, I could find my initial route and fare, then go to the actual airline site and get a slightly reduced price when I booked the ticket. With the increase in travel expenses, everyone is trying to save in this area.  I heard about a new travel search engine called Mobissimo so I tried it. Then I went to the airline site and expected to find a reduced price. It didn’t happen.  To my surprise, I was able to buy a seat in the exact same airline going the exact same time and route for over $100 less through the links from searching on Mobissimo. I’m realistic and I don’t expect this situation to happen each time—but it’s something else for you to try when you are making travel arrangements. It might be just what you need to find the best deal.

Just like looking for a good deal on travel, we have to keep looking for the best opportunity for our writing. Whatever technique worked for you last time, might not work for this particular project. Publishers are notorious for repeating the same techniques to launch a book or touch an audience—yet they discover once more what worked for one product doesn’t necessarily translate into the same result for the next product. It’s why we have to keep learning, leaning into the wind and trying new things. It’s one of those truths that I learned years ago and continue to practice: It won’t fly if you don’t try.