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| I love Christmas trees |
Persistence + Sense of Humor = Published. That is my theme.
Take heart.
Before an author sells a book and becomes famous, most received enough rejection slips to supply a ticker tape parade in Manhattan.
Like Kathryn Stockett. She got 60 rejections before finding an agent to represent her novel, The Help.
And the author of The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger. She gave up and submitted her manuscript directly to publisher MacAdam/Cage. They saw it differently than all the agents that had turned it down.
A children's book was destined for obscurity after 12 publishers rejected it. When the eight-year-old daughter of an editor at Bloomsbury wanted to read the rest of the manuscript, the publishing firm reluctantly took it on. And Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone exploded on the world.
There are many more examples here that give us writers heart. The key is persistence and believing in yourself.
You aren't finished when you're rejected.
You're finished when you quit.
You're right. Elana Johnson has mentioned that she received MANY rejections before Possession was finally agented and published. But the ending only happens when WE end it.
ReplyDeleteToo many stories.
Couldn't stop if I wanted to lol!
Ho Ho!! Those stories grab and won't let go, don't they.
Deleteyes!
ReplyDeletein the words of galaxy quest,
never give up, never surrender!
Excellent reference to the vastly underrated Galaxy Quest.
DeleteYou've hit upon the right equation for publishing success. I can't even remember how many rejections I got before I was finally published -- I stopped counting.
ReplyDeleteMy number of rejects is astronomical.
DeleteExcellent post, Huntress :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, my inspirational CP.
DeleteTrue. But just because someone else makes it doesn't mean you will. That's what chaos theory teaches us.
ReplyDeleteI agree. But you'll never be published if you quit.
DeleteTo paraphrase a quote I read somewhere:
'The difference between obscurity and published author is perseverance."
Joe Konrath says, "There's a word for people who don't give up on their writing: published." So yeah, I guess it works both ways.
DeleteHey thanks for hosting me tomorrow. I hope I can get some twitter peeps to visit.
That's a great attitude! We only fail if we quit. And if others make it, then it IS proof we can. Anyone that doubts, go take a look at my books.
ReplyDeleteAh so true.
ReplyDelete"You aren't finished when you're rejected.
ReplyDeleteYou're finished when you quit."
Love this. I am framing this. =)