Monday, September 19, 2016

L is for Lucky

Ana muses about luck's role in writer's life.

Serendipity. We often write about it in our stories. The pouring-rain traffic jam that delays the heroine so she misses her train. Drenched and dejected, she slogs into a bar for some napkins to dry her face and meets the love of her life.

At a writer's conference I attended last Saturday, Faith Sullivan told the story of a National Book Club award-winner. He sent out his prized novel under an assumed name, and every publisher rejected it. "This proves," Ms. Sullivan said, "that acceptance is a crap shoot. It in no way reflects the quality of your story."

I've heard similar anecdotes before, and they are heartening. A book goes through stages, and when it's finished, It's time to send it out and let the wheel of luck spin.


4 comments:

  1. Yes, there is a definite piece of luck to this business!

    ReplyDelete
  2. J.K. Rowling had 20+ rejections before she 'hit lucky'.

    ReplyDelete
  3. There's definitely some luck involved in having the right kind of book when the market is hot for that particular genre or theme, however, I still think you have to have a good quality product in the first place.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Or a good publicity department that will hype your book like it did with 50 Shades, which could not be called a good quality product!

      Delete