Piggy Backing…

on Kristin Nelson’s post.

I hate to say it. I hate to even think something outside of a great story and good writing has any weight when it comes to selling your book–BUT it does. The rejections that suck the most are the ones that point out “I just took on a story just like this.”

I’m sure this is going to sound like me raining on the publishing parade, but TIMING is everything. And the worse thing is that you won’t know if it’s good or bad timing until the outcome. People in this industry say it’s like rolling the dice. I have to agree on some level. Every opinion on what makes a good book vs. a great book is subjective. Really trying to gauge your odds is insanity. So here is the real trick to being sucessful.

PERSISTENCE

Not to be confused with stubborness or hope, which can play a huge part in being sucessful, but it’s not the defining factor. Persistence is one of the top reasons I keep writing. I figure eventually the Powers That Be will get sick of me and publish my books already. Eventually my writing will hit the right agent/editor at the right time. But this advice is coming from someone who believes corny sayings like “The only way to fail is to never try.”

Yeah, you get what you pay for here.

Anyway, the true moral of this post is to write what you love to write. It’s the only thing in this business you can control and that actually makes sense. This isn’t to say ignore the market. ‘Cause seriously if you luck out you might end up writing what is selling like hotcakes. Keep growing as a person. Trust me, it will show in your writing. Lastly the only way to learn to write is to keep writing.

*Going back to writerly cave*