Jacob M. Appel has put rejections in perspective for us. He's had lots of work published - but it took him 11,100 rejections to get there. You gotta go visit "Dude is a Prince" to read some of the better quotes. (Thanks to Nathan Bransford for the heads up.)
So, how many rejections have you received? I've worked with agents for much of my career, so don't know the full number, but it's got to be in the 100's. You?
And what keeps you going? For me, I am unbelievably stubborn. Often a bad thing, but in this career, it has it's plusses!
4 comments:
The Front Porch Prophet received 88 rejections (including some nice ones) before it sold. Writers have to be stubborn and confident!
Wow Ray. And yup - it's the most important trait!
Where are those lists of numbers of rejections of famous books - does anybody know?
e
Stories like these keep me going. On my desk, I have a posted blurb about a Wrinkle in Time, which was rejected 26 times before going on to win the Newbery in 1962. It still sells 15,000 copies a year.
It takes tenacity to be a writer.
Jacqueline Jules
www.jacquelinejules.com
Jacqueline,
I agree. Sometimes we need to hear this isn't an easy career path - even for those who make it look easy.
And yes! These are exactly the stats I was talking about. If y'all find more, please post them here!
:)
e
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