Motivation, like charity, begins at home

Not so long ago, I got an inquiry from a self-published author who has written a book guiding readers on how to scale the heights of business success. He wanted his book reviewed in the newspapers. I put him in touch with an editor and a book reviewer and that, I thought, was that. Until earlier this week when I received a call from him.
"I want to thank you," he said cheerfully, "for helping me get my book reviewed." I was mighty glad I had been of help and even more glad that he had remembered to say thank you. But then again, shouldn't he. He is, after all, a motivation writer and speaker.
"You are welcome," I said and as an afterthought asked how much the book was going for.
"Sh1,000 (about 12 dollars)," he said. I was intrigued. I wanted to see the book. For slightly over half that amount, I could buy a Robert Kiyosaki. For about that much I could buy Flipnosis by Kevin Dutton or Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell or even Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich (all which I would recommend any day). Plus, of course, I know something about the costing of books. I am after all in that business too and my immediate thought was that he was overpricing the book, with the risk of motivating people to walk away from it.
I asked to meet him, which I just did a few minutes ago and, as one writer in the current issue of Newsweek put it, I felt like I had received a blow in the solar plexus.
I happened to have heard one journalist groaning about that book recently.
"The introduction takes almost a fifth of the pages," she had lamented. "Ok, the book has a point but you really have to be patient to get it".
The less I talk about the design and the editing the better for all of us.
"How come you are selling this book for so much?" I asked him, changing my mind about buying it.
"That is the price they are buying it at," he said confidently. I must give it to him, he has wonderfully white teeth and a killer smile - which reminded me of Otuk Ruk, the ever smiling character in Okot p'Bitek's novel, White Teeth. The only problem with the sunlight smile that it attracts attention to the big smudge of dirt on his golden tie.
Do I want to be motivated? Oh yes! By this motivational writer and speaker? Not by a long shot!