STATUS: Squeezing this blog in before the day gets too crazy. It will be a miracle if I’m back to my hotel room before midnight tonight.
What’s playing on the iPod right now? WINDMILLS OF THE MIND by Sting
Tip of the Day: In the course of your publishing career, know that one or all of these things might happen to you at some time.
1. A Bad cover
2. A low advance
3. A book that doesn’t quite reach its projected sales potential
4. Writer’s block while on a deadline
5. Another author being jealous or spiteful of or to you
6. An editor leaving
7. A contract cancelled
And when the bad happens, let it roll off you because in the course of your publishing career, know that one or all of these things might happen to you one day.
1. A gorgeous cover
2. Hitting a bestseller list
3. Having your whole backlist bought for a reprint
4. An advance from your dreams
5. A book that does reach the projects sales potential and then goes beyond
6. Being a lead title
7. Another author supports and helps you with a blurb or cross-promotion etc.
That ultimately it’s the journey that you must savor not just the end result of what you might define as “success.”
Now here are a few shots of several authors who are at the start of this journey.
Yay for them! I can’t see their book covers very clearly though–can you tell us who they are, and the title of their books.
I like what you’ve said about the journey. I’ve come up with a tagline about me writing my book, searching and then finding my ideal agent, and now in the pit of trying to get a book published…
Been There, Don’t That–WHERE’S MY BOOK DEAL??!!
Haha. Thanks for reminding us that it’s a journey. I know I’ll get there someday!
Oops, just found the authors and their books on the previous post!
Great photos! 🙂
Excellent post for keeping things in perspective. I am agented (not with Kristen) and as yet unpublished as a novelist, though I have had several shorts stories and quite a few reviews published. My mantra for bad days now is, “There are writers not as good as me who are published. Keep at it.”
I have also promised myself that, should any of the good things noted in Kristen’s post befall me, I will change my chant to “Remember, there are a lot of people who write better than I who aren’t published yet. Don’t get cocky.”
Oh thank god! Yes, those things might happen. but when it is happening to you it is hard (with the good and bad) to think that it’s just a part of publishing.
Dear gods I hope that the top one doesn’t become a check list of milestones for my career. Okay, maybe I can deal with getting all of those if I can get all of the bottom list too 😉
I found your post very encouraging. Hope you don’t mind if I link back to it from my livejournal.
Thanks,
~ Storm Grant
http://www.stormgrant.com
Great attitude!
Children are born knowing that the process is more important than the product and we practically bludgeon it out of them as they grow up. We would do better to learn from their example.
😉
What lovely advice to help keep this business in perspective.
Thanks. 🙂
You say having other authors jealous and spiteful of you like it’s a bad thing…
I only hope my work is outrageously successful enough some day to have other authors jealous and spiteful of me.
Ha!
Children are born knowing that the process is more important than the product and we practically bludgeon it out of them as they grow up. We would do better to learn from their example.
😉
So true Kimber!
And beautiful post, Kristin. I’m usually a lurker on the blog, but I had to post because this one was particularly inspiring and gives me so much to hope for regarding my writing career!
Thanks and keep up the great work!
-Rae
Not to suck up, but that is a gorgeous dress!