Sponsorship

A chap came into the shop (and on this hottest of hot days, he was carrying an umbrella). He was looking for sponsorship for a book he'd written. He went away empty handed - it's not really the sort of thing we do here - but it did cross my mind that he would have done better if he'd followed a few simple guidelines:

1. Phone ahead - make sure you're not wasting your time or the shop's time.
2. Dress smartly if you want people to trust you with their money.
3. Don't tell the whole reception area about your messy divorce.
4. Appealing to random customers is not going to help your cause.

And - telling us that you've been to the Hay Festival, even as a guest, is not going to impress us. We live here, after all.

(Maybe I'm just in an uncharitable mood today.)