Overnight Success
A real life fiction: it doesn't actually exist
(pictured: TL Clark meeting Sophie Kinsella)
Yes, even the big names of the author world worked hard to where they got to. Nobody ever just wrote one book and with 0 effort had it reach number 1. Sorry.
Let’s take a look at some of the warriors, shall we?
· Agatha Christie – 5 years it took her to get a publishing deal. She now has sales totalling over £2 billion (a feat only outdone by Mr Shakespeare himself).
· I love this one as a fellow indie: Beatrix Potter…heard of her and her “bunny book”? She was rejected so many times she turned to effectively self-publishing (which was a lot harder back then, I can assure you). Now sold over 45 million!
· Louisa May Alcott was told to “stick to teaching” when submitting ‘Little Women’, but she is still in print 140 years later. That publisher is not (*chuckle*).
· Stephen King’s Carrie was turned down no less than 30 times! Can you imagine that? The guy's since written an extremely popular book on how to write.
· But even that’s outdone by ‘Jonathan Livingston Seagull’ by Richard Bach, which was rejected 140 times! That’s some grim determination right there. Kudos to Richard.
· Even Anne Frank was rejected 15 times. Shame on them!
In my last post (about Indie vs Trad Publishing), I mentioned about rejections from publishers. Hopefully, this adds a bit more context to that.
If at first you don’t succeed try, try again!
- and then keep on trying. Try until you think you can’t possibly go on, and then once you’ve done that, guess what; try harder.
You gotta be in it to win it! My brain likes to look at the best-selling authors of all time and marvel at the dizzying heights. According to Wikipedia, the list currently stands at:
1) William Shakespeare – est. sales of £4 billion (British)
2) Agatha Christie - £4 billion (British)
3) Barbara Cartland - £1 billion (British)
4) Danielle Steel- £800 million (American)
5) Harold Robins - £750 million (American)
6) Georges Simenon - £700 million (French)
7) (some woman we don’t name) - £650 million (British)
8) Eiichiro Oda - £535 million (Japanese)
9) Enid Blyton - £400 million (British)
10) Jackie Collins - £400 million (British)
Now, the interesting thing about this list is the variety. Yes, it’s mostly British, which is good news for people who write in British English. But there are other nationalities too.
But also, there is a wide variety of genres: plays, romance, manga, children’s books and mysteries.
The minimum number of works by any individual on this top 10 list is 22 books. But it goes all the way up to 800 with Enid Blyton. Consistency is key. Keep going.
To really ‘make it’, you should probably do these things:
1) Write something good – yeah, sounds obvious. But take time to hone your craft, appreciate ‘active voice’ whilst finding your own special style. And make sure it’s been edited and proofread. Don’t forget to obtain an awesome book cover.
2) Build your fan base – on social media and in your newsletter, don’t be all about ‘buy my book’. Connect with potential readers. It takes time.
3) Don’t compare! - “Comparison is the thief of joy”. We each have our own journey. Jealousy only harms yourself.
4) Keep trying – keep writing/publishing.
5) Write because you love it – I know I harp on about this, but it’s true. Hold the love of writing in your heart and it will see you through.
Hey, I’m just managing expectations here. Write your book. And then another. And another.
Have fun!
Always in love and light,
TL
