Behind the Scenes at The Rhode Show

When my first book, Pregnant Women Don’t Eat Cabbage, was published last February, I never gave much thought to the idea of having to promote it. I was realistic in knowing I probably wouldn’t be sitting on Oprah’s couch (next book!) sharing my whimsical tales of visiting the delivery room seven times and why my best advice shouldn’t be taken lightly--stay miles away from sauerkraut the night before you go into labor! But, I knew enough from being in the author’s loop that unknown’s like myself need to do lots of their own touting and marketing if they want anyone other than their own mother and best friends to buy and read their book.
Self-promotion is very much out of my comfort zone. It’s one thing to write about pregnancy flatulence but an entirely different matter announcing to the world that you want them to buy your book and see for themselves just how heartfelt and hilarious it is and promise them it will definitely be the “go to”-- “must read” pregnancy book of the 21st century. Therefore, I didn’t spend nearly enough time on a marketing plan and just clung to my naïve thoughts that once a few people read it, word of mouth would be all that I needed to join ranks with James Patterson, Amy Chua, George W. Bush and others currently on The New York Times Best Sellers list.
I quickly learned how wrong I was, and that as a newbie author I had a lot to learn about the art of selling a book—writing it was the easy part! And so began my uncomfortable but necessary journey into the world of sales. There were dozens upon dozens of contacts to be made in addition to mass mailings of “all about me” and why my book was different than any other pregnancy book on the market. I hit the cyber world running as well, e-mailing every baby boutique and pregnancy-related outfit there was. At the same time, I still had a family of 8 kids, a husband, a feisty black lab, a household, school commitments and a part-time writing job to tend to as well. Let’s just say marketing the book took a back seat to everything else—at first.
Slowly, and I do mean slowly, I started hearing back from some of the contacts I had reached out to and my book started making its way on to bookstore shelves, gift shops, and on-line boutiques. I had several book signings, had a shout-out on Frank Coletta’s Sunrise Coffee Salute, a great book chat on Reading With Robin, and was written up in a handful of magazines (including our very own East Greenwich Monthly and NK View). These efforts helped tremendously and my book, one year later, is trickling through the ebb and flow of attention and sales.
One of the exciting things about being an author is that you just never know who is going to read your book. In early January, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that WPRI’s Meteorologist, Michelle Muscatello, had read it and enjoyed it so much that she thought I would make a fun guest for The Rhode Show, which airs on Fox from 8 – 9 AM Monday – Friday. Since I had never even attempted sending my book to their promotional department, this came as a huge surprise but a very exciting one. I was contacted on Wednesday, January 26th and booked for Monday, January 31st’s show.
I was nervous, excited, thrilled, scared to death and faced with every woman’s quandary—what the heck should I wear? I cannot tell a lie—I did go shopping that weekend to find the perfect outfit (translation—to find something that wouldn’t make me look a load of pounds heavier than I actually thought I was!). I hated everything I tried on not understanding why I had to go up a size (or two) than I had shopped for only the year before. Finally, I found a beautiful melon-colored sweater set with a pair of chocolate brown pants (anything to hide my spare tire) that I felt made me look trendy but like the mom next door! (Hey, I’m honest!)
Sunday night I could hardly sleep. I had to be at the Channel 12 Studio in East Providence by 7:30 AM and certainly didn’t want to be late for my TV debut. I was awake, showered and dressed by 6 AM and still managed to leave the house later than I wanted to thanks to the extra 10 minutes I spent scraping ice off my windshield.
I arrived without incident at 7:30 on the dot and was greeted by a couple of young interns from Bryant University. They were absolutely adorable and very welcoming and took my nerves from over the edge to a somewhat manageable state. Even better, one of them had read the back cover of my book jacket and enthusiastically commented on how neat it was that I had been published in several of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Channel 12 needs to hire that young lady!
Next I was whisked away to the Green Room, the “holding” room where guests of TV shows wait before they go on air. First, yes—it really is green! Second, low and behold who is sitting in the Green Room as a guest of the show that same morning? Andrew Nota! That name probably means nothing to you, but it just so happens I went to high school with him! He hasn’t changed a bit and he recognized me and told me he follows my Family Zone column! Only in Rhode Island folks!
If you’re not familiar with The Rhode Show, their format can easily be compared to The Today Show but they cover all things Rhode Island. The hosts are very down to earth and banter lightly back and forth at the beginning of the program and then they cover RI news, interesting events happening throughout the state, have several weather forecast reports, feature a cooking segment and have local artists, musicians, and authors appear throughout the week.
I walked in at the same time as the local chef that would be cooking buffalo nachos and deep-fried funyon rings! Let’s just say I wasn’t up for tasting bison at 8 AM, but it sure did smell—uh, interesting. What was more interesting was seeing the set. On TV, the kitchen looks 4 times larger than it really is. I was so intrigued with checking out all that went on backstage that I completely forgot about how nervous I was and whether or not my swanky new outfit was truly going disguise the 10 lbs the camera is known to add.
The ivory leather sectional that the hosts sit on is much tinier than it appears on camera, and although it looks as though they are sitting amongst a well-decorated family room—the couch itself is plopped on a very small stage which sits in the middle of a concrete room filled with TV cameras, lots of lights, wires, and two large TVs where the hosts can look to see when their cue will be given to start up each segment. I felt as though I was in a warehouse, but on screen, viewers would never realize that.
I was miked by 7:45 AM and actually went on air close to 8:30. Michelle Muscatello rushed right over (9 months pregnant, mind you!) and gave me a big hug and surprised me with the news that she would do the interview herself. One moment she was on air showing viewers how much snow they could expect in the next storm, (boo hiss) and seconds later she was sitting on the stool next to me where she was very engaging and warm which resulted in me feeling very relaxed without even trying. It truly was like sitting next to a girlfriend chatting about the obsessive world of pregnancy. I was told the interview would last from 2 – 3 minutes, and I remember thinking that there was just no possible way I could talk for that long. When Michelle finished the interview I remember laughing to myself, “Wait—there’s more, there’s so much more I want to tell everyone”.
And so, by 8:45 AM, I was driving out of the studio parking lot in my powder blue minivan, just beaming because I had been given this wonderful opportunity to chit chat about cabbage and how the book came to be. Soon after, my cell phone was ringing and my husband, mother and best friend had called to congratulate me. I was on Cloud 9. I met my dear friend (who just so happens to be my OB/GYN’s wife) at a coffee shop close to the studio to celebrate—wondering if anyone would recognize me from my big debut. Well, Bonnie recognized me, and treated me to a delicious quiche but other than that, there were no fans stalking my car or crowded in my driveway when I returned home later that day. That afternoon I went food shopping at Walmart and secretly (and shamelessly) wondered again if I would be recognized. Finally—I heard my name, but alas it was the girl I’ve come to know well at the Deli, “Hey good news—we have that sandwich pepperoni in stock again that you love!” And with that, my 10 minutes of fame was no more.
I’ve saved the best for last—watching the link that the producer sent me later that day. Remember now, I’m a mother of eight, was due to have my hair cut and highlighted the week AFTER I was on TV, and had painstakingly shopped for the perfect ensemble that wouldn’t make me look too tired and haggard. That said—I hit play and peeked from behind my two hands as I watched myself on camera.
So, what did I think?
Given that I only had 2 minutes to talk, I was very happy with how the actual interview went, including my unplanned giggle in reference to pregnant women choosing their St. Paddy’s day menu very carefully. How did I think I looked on camera you ask? The melon sweater definitely complimented my red cheeks but did nothing to cover my triple chins. The chocolate brown pants were swell, but I think they shouted out “yes, isn’t it obvious, she loves chocolate—hence the extra 30 lbs.” Sigh. I know I am my own worst critic, so I had to keep that in mind as I watched one more time and then promptly joined Weight Watchers the following day. “Hello, my name is Cheryl and the camera didn’t just add 10 lbs, it added more like 30.”
On the plus side—guess what—the group leader said? “Hey, I loved watching you on The Rhode Show yesterday! Where can I get your book?”