Hope, and the “Dear Jane” letter…

 

The fact is that most writers face many rejections before they make a sale to a publisher.  It’s par for the course, and if you’re a writer who can’t handle rejection, or take it to heart as a personal evaluation (or devaluation) of your worth, you’d do best to do like they did in Monty Python: “Run away! Run away!”

Before selling my novel Darkroom to Simon & Schuster’s Howard Books line, I must have gotten close to 40 rejections.  That didn’t bother me because I always refer to Dean Koontz’s 75 rejections before his first novel sale.  But I also received several requests for full manuscripts, which is always exciting because it’s then just one step closer to a contract offer.

Prior to Darkroom’s sale to S&S, it had been on the desks of about 5 editors from major publishing houses in NY and the UK, and one or two agent’s desks for consideration.

Today, I had to send an email officially withdrawing my book from their consideration.  It was an interesting feeling, and I hoped to be very respectful in conveying the information.

Regardless of your life’s pursuit, you need to have two things:   1) Certainty of your calling, and 2) Faith that if you have been called to something, you will accomplish it.  The only limiting factors are patience, persistence and hope; hope in things for which we have no tangible evidence.

“hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance”

(Romans 8:24, 25)

So in the words of Cmdr. Peter Quincy Taggart of Galaxy Quest, “Never give up, never surrender!”

As long as you are secure in your calling, it will come to pass.  Just position yourself close to the Divine Source and His word, and you’ll be amazed at what He can accomplish through you.

I think the Apostle Paul put it best:

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

(Eph. 3:20)

Joshua Graham is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, winner of the International Book Award and Forward National Literature Award. His thrillers include DARKROOM, LATENT IMAGE and BEYOND JUSTICE, and TERMINUS. Graham's works have been characterized as thought-provoking page-turners.

Legal Notice: All information on this website and blog are from Mr. Graham's personal experience and insight and should not be viewed in any way, directly or inferred, as qualified professional advice.

All creative writing on this website or Mr. Graham's books: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. (novels, short stories)