For those of you who haven't given up your goals and resolutions after the first week of the new year, I offer these words of inspiration to follow your dreams in 2014. Following is a speech I gave two years ago at a SCBWI new member conference. Many aspiring writers came up to me after the speech and thanked me for offering these words of encouragement. I now share them with you here:
They asked me to say a few words about my path to publishing. I think I can best explain my path with a little help from Monty Python. There’s a scene in The Holy Grail movie where the lord of the swamp castle is talking with his son. He says
All the other kings said I was daft to build a castle in a swamp, but I built it all
the same, just to show 'em. It sank into the swamp. So, I built a second one. That sank into the swamp as well. So I built a third one. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp. But the fourth one stayed up.
And that’s sort of how my path to publishing
unfolded.
My first “castle in the swamp” came in the form of a regional
children’s magazine called, Kid’s World. I discovered their debut issue and
noticed they didn’t have any fictional stories. I contacted the editor and asked
if she’d like some fiction, and asked if I could be the one to provide that
fiction. To my great surprise, she said “yes” and my first castle was under
construction.
I worked with Kid’s World for a year. During that time, I got to
perform readings in schools, I gained experience working with a deadline and
writing in general, and I experienced the joy of seeing my writing in print.
Things were going well and I was pretty excited about my writing future, when
the editor contacted me and told me that she and the publisher were no longer
seeing eye to eye and they had decided to dissolve the
magazine.
And so my first castle sank back down into the
swamp.
After a period of pouting and sulking I picked myself back up and
started writing again. I got some rejection letters, then I got accepted to the
master’s program in Children’s Literature at Hollins University, I got more
rejection letters, then I got a poem published in a regional magazine called
Poetry Train, I got even more rejection letters, then I got another poem
published in Highlights. I thought I was doing everything by the book. I was
getting my share of rejections, but I did manage a few meager successes. I
thought that was just the way it went. Then I went into a Barnes and Noble to
research current picture books and discovered a book that would change my path
to publishing dramatically. The book was called QUACK. I opened it up and began
reading. Page one “Quack.” Page two “quack.” Page 3, 4, 5.. “quack, quack,
quack.” I put the book down for a second and rubbed my eyes. Surely I wasn’t
seeing what I thought I was seeing. Surely editors wouldn’t be that cruel to
reject the manuscripts that I had lovingly created with months of hard work,
sweat, and dedication just to turn around and publish a book with one word? To
make matters worse, I double checked the cover thinking that maybe some famous
illustrator had just used this marginal text to supplement his artwork. Nope.
Right there on the cover, were separate credits for author and illustrator. I
felt a little confused, a little betrayed, and even a little angry. Suddenly I
knew what I had to do: build my second swamp castle! You know, just to show
‘em.
My second “castle in the swamp” came in the form of self
publication. I was lucky enough to have a good friend who was a graphic
designer. After a few drinks I convinced him that publishing a children’s book
together would be a good idea. We worked on the layout and design for a couple
of months. I researched prices for book printing. I learned about ISBNs and bar
codes and distribution. Finally, six months later, DON’T PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD!
was officially released! I performed readings at area schools and book stores.
I received glowing reviews from several online review sites. Somehow I managed
to get a brief TV interview with one of the local news stations. My book even
managed to crack the Barnes & Noble top 100 children’s books (for about a
half an hour) – I printed it out to make sure. Things were going so well that a
distributor specializing in children’s books contacted me and offered to handle
marketing and distribution for DON’T PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD! as well as my next
book, PIGGIES.
My second castle was well under
way!...
Right until the month before my second book was scheduled for
release. I received an email from the distributor saying they were filing for
bankruptcy. And so my second castle sank into the
swamp.
After a shorter period of pouting this time, I went back to
writing and submitting. I was starting to get really nice, personalized
rejections. If there was such a thing as a good rejection, I was getting it. So
I decided the only thing I lacked to get over the next hurdle was an
agent.
And so construction began on castle number
three.
I received an email from an agent at the Ronnie Herman agency
saying she liked my sample and wanted to represent me! Woohoo! Quickest castle
ever, right? Not so much. The agent asked me to make a few revisions which I
gladly did. Then she emailed to say the market was soft for the theme I’d chosen
for my original manuscript. I emailed back to ask what she was looking for. She
said math and science themed stories. I sent her one. She said it had potential,
but she felt she wanted to devote more time to her other clients and could no
longer represent me. No pouting this time - I sent out a few more queries right
away and received an email from an agent at Muse Literary. She said she liked my
writing and kids would love the whimsy of my story. She included a list of about
ten suggestions for editing the story and invited me to resubmit my revisions. I
incorporated about half of her suggestions and made my defense for keeping the
rest of the story the same. A week later I received a very short follow up email
informing me that she felt children would not be interested in my
story.
And I watched as my castle burned, fell over, and sank in the
swamp.
Just as I was feeling completely defeated and considering giving
up, something truly amazing happened! A fourth castle began to rise from the
swamp! One of the “nice rejection” editors at Tiger Tales contacted me and told
me they wanted to publish my latest submission, WITH ALL MY HEART. A few months
later I received another offer of publication from an editor at a Sylvan Dell
for the title I had originally written for the first agent, THE DEDUCTIVE
DETECTIVE.
So as I consider my “path to publication” and my quest for the
grail castle, I have to stop and give thanks for the little successes and
especially the many failures along the way. Each sunken “swamp castle” helped
lay the groundwork for my next success.
So if there’s a moral to this rambling story of mine, it’s
this:
If insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results - then success is insanity squared!
They asked me to say a few words about my path to publishing. I think I can best explain my path with a little help from Monty Python. There’s a scene in The Holy Grail movie where the lord of the swamp castle is talking with his son. He says
All the other kings said I was daft to build a castle in a swamp, but I built it all
the same, just to show 'em. It sank into the swamp. So, I built a second one. That sank into the swamp as well. So I built a third one. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp. But the fourth one stayed up.
And that’s sort of how my path to publishing
unfolded.
My first “castle in the swamp” came in the form of a regional
children’s magazine called, Kid’s World. I discovered their debut issue and
noticed they didn’t have any fictional stories. I contacted the editor and asked
if she’d like some fiction, and asked if I could be the one to provide that
fiction. To my great surprise, she said “yes” and my first castle was under
construction.
I worked with Kid’s World for a year. During that time, I got to
perform readings in schools, I gained experience working with a deadline and
writing in general, and I experienced the joy of seeing my writing in print.
Things were going well and I was pretty excited about my writing future, when
the editor contacted me and told me that she and the publisher were no longer
seeing eye to eye and they had decided to dissolve the
magazine.
And so my first castle sank back down into the
swamp.
After a period of pouting and sulking I picked myself back up and
started writing again. I got some rejection letters, then I got accepted to the
master’s program in Children’s Literature at Hollins University, I got more
rejection letters, then I got a poem published in a regional magazine called
Poetry Train, I got even more rejection letters, then I got another poem
published in Highlights. I thought I was doing everything by the book. I was
getting my share of rejections, but I did manage a few meager successes. I
thought that was just the way it went. Then I went into a Barnes and Noble to
research current picture books and discovered a book that would change my path
to publishing dramatically. The book was called QUACK. I opened it up and began
reading. Page one “Quack.” Page two “quack.” Page 3, 4, 5.. “quack, quack,
quack.” I put the book down for a second and rubbed my eyes. Surely I wasn’t
seeing what I thought I was seeing. Surely editors wouldn’t be that cruel to
reject the manuscripts that I had lovingly created with months of hard work,
sweat, and dedication just to turn around and publish a book with one word? To
make matters worse, I double checked the cover thinking that maybe some famous
illustrator had just used this marginal text to supplement his artwork. Nope.
Right there on the cover, were separate credits for author and illustrator. I
felt a little confused, a little betrayed, and even a little angry. Suddenly I
knew what I had to do: build my second swamp castle! You know, just to show
‘em.
My second “castle in the swamp” came in the form of self
publication. I was lucky enough to have a good friend who was a graphic
designer. After a few drinks I convinced him that publishing a children’s book
together would be a good idea. We worked on the layout and design for a couple
of months. I researched prices for book printing. I learned about ISBNs and bar
codes and distribution. Finally, six months later, DON’T PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD!
was officially released! I performed readings at area schools and book stores.
I received glowing reviews from several online review sites. Somehow I managed
to get a brief TV interview with one of the local news stations. My book even
managed to crack the Barnes & Noble top 100 children’s books (for about a
half an hour) – I printed it out to make sure. Things were going so well that a
distributor specializing in children’s books contacted me and offered to handle
marketing and distribution for DON’T PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD! as well as my next
book, PIGGIES.
My second castle was well under
way!...
Right until the month before my second book was scheduled for
release. I received an email from the distributor saying they were filing for
bankruptcy. And so my second castle sank into the
swamp.
After a shorter period of pouting this time, I went back to
writing and submitting. I was starting to get really nice, personalized
rejections. If there was such a thing as a good rejection, I was getting it. So
I decided the only thing I lacked to get over the next hurdle was an
agent.
And so construction began on castle number
three.
I received an email from an agent at the Ronnie Herman agency
saying she liked my sample and wanted to represent me! Woohoo! Quickest castle
ever, right? Not so much. The agent asked me to make a few revisions which I
gladly did. Then she emailed to say the market was soft for the theme I’d chosen
for my original manuscript. I emailed back to ask what she was looking for. She
said math and science themed stories. I sent her one. She said it had potential,
but she felt she wanted to devote more time to her other clients and could no
longer represent me. No pouting this time - I sent out a few more queries right
away and received an email from an agent at Muse Literary. She said she liked my
writing and kids would love the whimsy of my story. She included a list of about
ten suggestions for editing the story and invited me to resubmit my revisions. I
incorporated about half of her suggestions and made my defense for keeping the
rest of the story the same. A week later I received a very short follow up email
informing me that she felt children would not be interested in my
story.
And I watched as my castle burned, fell over, and sank in the
swamp.
Just as I was feeling completely defeated and considering giving
up, something truly amazing happened! A fourth castle began to rise from the
swamp! One of the “nice rejection” editors at Tiger Tales contacted me and told
me they wanted to publish my latest submission, WITH ALL MY HEART. A few months
later I received another offer of publication from an editor at a Sylvan Dell
for the title I had originally written for the first agent, THE DEDUCTIVE
DETECTIVE.
So as I consider my “path to publication” and my quest for the
grail castle, I have to stop and give thanks for the little successes and
especially the many failures along the way. Each sunken “swamp castle” helped
lay the groundwork for my next success.
So if there’s a moral to this rambling story of mine, it’s
this:
If insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results - then success is insanity squared!
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