Seven and a Half Years Was Only the Beginning (Holly Schindler)

When my first book sold back in (ahem) 2009, I began telling the story: "It took me seven and a half years to sell a book!" This was even with a Master's in English and some short publications before graduation. 

As though this would surely be my only tale of woe. 

Anyone who's been in publishing long is well aware that just because you sell one book, that doesn't mean you'll sell another. Just because you sign with an agent doesn't mean you'll sell the book they're repping. Just because you publish a book doesn't mean you'll make enough money to eat...

Etc., etc., etc.

But maybe the most important thing we can show kids are the times that things don't work out for us. Our (many) tales of woe. 

And, as part of that showing, the way we get back up or find new direction or just plain keep going. Time and time and time and time again. 

Every life has more knocks than successes. It's so funny--I think if lives could get grades (knocks being wrong answers and successes being correct answers), I think that most lives would get about a D+. And those are successful lives! Filled with professional triumphs and solid relationships and good friendships.

We all get dumped and fired. We get disappointed. We lose friends. We get kicked out and told not to come around. 

But we just keep moving. And with every step along the way, we teach the kids in our lives how to do exactly the same.

Oh, and by the way: I hear the industry average is 10 years. A full decade to sell your first book. So many tales of woe are also...well...successes, if you just learn to look at them the right way.

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Holly Schindler is the author of the MG The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky