Michael Baisden redefined marketing in the book industry when he self published his first book, Never Satisfied: How and Why Men Cheat. The controversial book about infidelity sold over 50,000 copies during the first eight months and has since sold more than 300,000 copies nationally. This is a staggering figure considering that Michael had no experience as a book publisher. In 1997 Michael self published his second book, Men Cry in the Dark which has since become one of the most popular books ever amongst African American men and was adapted to a stage play by I'm Ready Productions in 2002. The play featured notable actors such as Richard Roundtree (Shaft) Allen Payne (New Jack City), Rhona Bennet (The Jamie Foxx Show) and singers Christopher Williams, Monifa, and comedian Lavell Crawford from BET Comic View. In 1999, Michael self published his third book, The Maintenance Man, which has also been adapted into a stage play by I'm Ready Productions is scheduled to open in January 2003.

On recent visit to Atlanta (October 2, 2002), Michael held court at an upscale dinner club in Decatur, known as Harriston’s, to promote his new book God’s Gift to Women. Of the 300 plus patrons who attended, I noticed about 60 percent were women with books in hand. Michael autographed books and graciously greeted those who wished to meet him. The fun started when Frank Ski, morning show personality of Atlanta's R&B radio station V-103, who normally hosts ladies night on Wednesday's stopped the music for a live forum about relationships in the ATL. Things got pretty steamy when Frank opened the floor up for poetry, from a very opinionated female from Mobile, Alabama. She recited a poem about her no-good male counterpart and the fact that she got to a point in her life where she could no longer take it anymore and politely, but directly sent him on his way. This was followed by a brother from Houston whom Frank told to “Bring it and represent the fellas.” This brother did ! His flow was impeccable and direct. Michael later addressed the crowd and talked about relationships and the fact that people initially look for the wrong things in a prospective mate. These are some of the points that I took from his forum.

Tips on Dating…

• Do not focus on a mate based solely upon their appearance or their material wealth. Look for inner qualities such as how he or she treats the significant other women or men in their life.
  Does he/she have a five year plan?
• Never ask a person what they do for a living or offer that information about yourself in the initial conversation. Ladies, if you are in a position of power such as president or V.P. of a company, say that you simply work in the banking industry or hotel industry. Don’t volunteer that you manage and own the company - it’s not important! Get to know the person first, find out what they have to offer and what things they can contribute to the improvement of your life.
• Never offer or take a business card on a social outing. Have personal cards made up or write your name on napkin or sheet of paper. This will create a level playing field where the other person gets to know you for you and not what you do for a living.
• Women often say there are no good men out there. Question how many good girlfriends do you have and how many can you can trust?

Tips on being "Happily Single"

Don’t feel that you need a man to complete you. Happily Single means exactly what it says. Unfortunately, society puts so much pressure on people to be in relationships, especially women, that we forget that being happy with ourselves is necessary in order to be happy with someone else. That applies to friendships as well as intimate relationships. The best way to find your ideal mate is to be honest about what you're looking for.  Happily single people:

• Can't wait to get home. They speed down the highway from work then lock their doors like a vault to shut out the rest of the world.
• Aren't obsessed with having kids or being married.
• Don't receive many phone calls after nine o'clock. They end their day in peace and quiet, not on the phone having a conversation with a dramatic friend.
• Are health conscious. They realize that exercise and a healthy diet give them balance and boost their self-esteem.
• Love themselves and take full responsibility for their bad choices, instead of blaming the no-good man or woman for doing them wrong.
• Are organized in their personal and professional life. If a person's house and office are messy, so is their way of thinking.
• Never compromise their standards.
• Are not content with what they accomplished yesterday. They're always looking forward to what's next.
• Live life to the fullest. They treat strangers with kindness, are optimistic about everything, and have a zest for life.
• Don't define themselves by how much money they earn or their level of education.
• Understand the difference between being religious and being spiritual.
• Associate with other happy and positive people.
• Don't try to change people. They accept who they are, and just as importantly, who they “aren’t!"
• Have the ability to overcome economic and emotional adversity, and move on!
• Last but not least, happily single people have mastered the art of being alone. They look forward to spending Friday night curled up with a good book and a glass of wine, a basketball game on TNT and a cold beer. When you call, they don't answer because the phone has been unplugged

Vincent P. McCant – For ATLANTAHAPPS.COM

(Some of the information in this article was gathered from www.michaelbaisden.com)