I think if you set a reasonable goal and thought it out, there should never be a reason to give up short of some sort of catastrophe. If you had a health issue that rendered a goal impossible, then of course you'd reconsider that goal. but hardship alone...never a reason. Edison failed 29,000 times to invent the lightbulb.

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Authors who want to do their own publicity should work hard on a pitch, introduction, author bio, backgrounder which includes a short synopsis of the book, questions and answers and website. Have jpeg of your book cover, link to purchase your book and author headshot ready to send to the producer (this should all be on your website as well)

Send the pitch first and upon securing the interview, send the other information so you can control the message. The easier you make it for the person interviewing you, the more success you will have with the interview. And the more likely they will be to bring you back.

Also, don’t limit your audience to just an interview about your book. Make pitches that leverage news items. Don’t expect the interview to be solely about your book—it is about what you can bring to the table as a guest. You are the entertainment so be sure to talk. You still get book publicity through your intro and if you send a jpeg of the cover, the host will usually post it on their website with information about your interview.

The biggest mistake I regularly see is the author pitch which goes on and on-please just pitch the genre of the book and why your book aligns with something being talked about in the news. Two paragraphs max. Include your name and contact phone, email, and website. 

Good luck! Great publicists have solid contacts and can get results that a do-it-yourselfer will never achieve. 

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Possible?

Maybe.

Probable?

I don't think so.

Without an atmosphere, terraformation would have to end with anaerobic “organisms” capable of withstanding heat and/or cold extremes that humans cannot survive in without EXTENSIVE body coverings. Any moon colony, even if it occupied space beneath the moon’s surface, would totally depend on technology for oxygen and moderation of temperature extremes. If temperature control or oxygen generation/distribution was compromised, the colony would last minutes at the most.

That being said, 100-years ago, the idea of humans walking on the moon's surface was considered impossible.

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Your question is a good one. It is, however, my comfortable area of expertise. So, I contacted

Mark Baker

President, Temecula Valley Astronomers
Solar System Ambassador, NASA / JPL
Docent, CalTech Palomar Observatory

This is his answer.

So, the question was which private firm will win the Space Race?? So as posed, IF the SLS cannot support a Lunar landing by 2024, I feel SpaceX is in the best position to step in and assume the driver's seat. But this is just the first leg of a long and involved relay race...

I lean more to a collaboration of several private and government entities for the general race. Many private groups are focusing on integral parts of the endeavor, not the whole “enchilada”...in addition to Blue Origin and SpaceX, there are such companies as ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Virgin Galactic with their hats in the ring domestically. 
However, you can’t discount any of the Chinese private enterprises such as iSpace, Landspace, OneSpace, etc. They do some orbital work but have already gone around and to the Moon with several missions!!!
India is in the race as well with their internal collaboration, ISRO, which you never hear about because they are quietly successful, but may be the first to return men to the Moon...
Israel has a non-profit Corp, SpaceIL, that has become aggressive of late and has a Lander on its way to the Moon...

The entity to dominate Space will more than likely be the one to develop the next evolution in propulsion that doesn’t involve the Neanderthal mindset of burning stuff...SpaceX and Blue Origin are both leading in this arena and their concept of reusability gives them a head start on expanding into the rest of the Solar System.

Insider note...NASA technologically is developing a drive system that has a million mile an hour capability. But it requires an orbital presence both around the Earth and the Moon, which Gateway will provide in the next decade!!!

Bottom line...the winner of the Space Race will be humanity regardless of who or what gets us there!!! But is Space ready for humanity...??!!!

 Chuck again.

I have the utmost confidence in Mark. I've known him for years, and he did an outstanding job of blending fact and opinion. I'd take this answer to the bank.

Thanks for using Authors Bureau ECN.

All the best.

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I imagine you've met a lot of interesting people during you treks up the mountains. Was there a common theme among the people you met? What is the most common thing that drives people to climb Mt. Everest? Or was it different for everyone? 

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