Despite their incredible surge to unimaginable status as the world’s premiere retailer, it is comforting to know that even Amazon, makes mistakes now and then.

Roughly 20-years ago, early in my career as an author, my agent connected me with the folks at Crown Publishing who were looking for a new version of Roberts Rules of Order, or disorder, depending on how well you follow such rules of decorum.

I got the project, plus half of a modest advance up front, and started researching and writing How to Run a Business Meeting, which I believe was going to be the rather unimaginative title of the book. A few months later, I submitted the first half of the manuscript as requested.

Not long after, the editor responded, liking some of what she read, but requesting that I use less information from outside sources and establish myself as the expert, which was a stretch, but one I was willing to take. So, I made some changes, sent them to my agent who forwarded them to the editor. But, as it turned out, the editor had left the company. So, we decided to wait and submit the changes to the new editor.

Well, days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months and no new editor was assigned the book. Meanwhile, my agent found me a new project to work on.

Crown never assigned a new editor.

Ironically, the book had been assigned an ISBN number – apparently, they planned to release the book, someday. And still nothing ever happened.

Then about a year later, I noticed that Amazon had the still non-existent book listed and you could even pre-order it.

Roughly another year went by, and the non-existent book was still for sale on Amazon, but not doing well at all in the Amazon sales rankings.  So, I decided to write a review of the non-existent book. Of course, I gave it five stars and clearly extolled the virtues of the book noting that if it actually existed it would be an excellent source for running a business meeting.

At this point I was pretty sure someone at Amazon would take the book down – but no, for another year, what was now a non-existent book with a five star review remained on Amazon. Needless to say, sales did not improve.

Finally, some four years after what might have been the release of the book; it was taken down by someone at Amazon.

And yet, probably a year later, I noticed a posting on Google for the Japanese version of How to Run a Business Meeting by Rich Mintzer.

A pretty good run for a book that never existed.

If you want to write a book that will exist, contact me and perhaps I can help –

Rich Mintzer, author, ghostwriter, editor, writing coach and blogger.

https://yourbookyourway.net