Shifting the goalposts - by Lu Hersey

 I read a heartfelt twitter post by Stuart White of #WriteMentor fame recently. It was about having his hopes dashed over his latest submission. 

A ton of writers responded because so many of us can identify with that feeling. Nearly every writer, published or unpublished, knows all about the pain of rejection. My father once told me that I should give up writing and buy a Euro Millions ticket every week instead. I might actually achieve something. (Thanks, Dad...)

But that's not the point, is it? Writing is a different game, one which relies (to some degree at least) on talent. It's not even about the money (or if it is, I recommend you give up right now) - it's about recognition. It's about striving for a goal. Having our voices heard. We think we can up our chances of success if we keep trying, constantly improving, constantly coming up with yet another original idea. 

And we're not entirely wrong, either. The harder you try, the more likely you are to eventually succeed. Some of the replies Stuart got were extraordinary - writers who'd had literally hundreds of rejections over decades - AND STILL KEPT GOING! Awesome writers, who'd developed hides thicker than sequoia bark. Liz Hyder's reply is a good example.. and incidentally, Liz went on to win the Branford Boase award for her stunning debut, Bearmouth - which does help show that talent can (eventually) out. 

However, whatever stage you're at on the writing journey, you'll find your goalposts constantly shift. Very few of us get to the point where we don't have to worry about the next stage. 

Maybe you're still desperately trying to get an agent to take you on, writing book after book and being turned down. It's all very well JK Rowling sending HP out to all those publishers before finally getting in at Bloomsbury - that doesn't amount to a hill of beans to today's writers because it was a very different publishing era. A time before the rise of the internet and Amazon, when writers could send their work to publishers direct, and didn't need an agent to even be considered. When publishers still had a pricing agreement in place with bookshops that guaranteed everyone a fair income. But times have changed, and the majority of publishers will only accept submissions via an agent, so finding one is the first goal. 

But once you have an agent, your goalposts shift. Now you need a publisher. A commissioning editor who loves that submission via your agent so much, they're prepared to take your manuscript to acquisitions. Take a deep breath...

You've got that far? Well done! Next goal? To get through acquisitions, you need the publisher's sales and marketing team to love it as much as the commissioning editor. If they don't think your book is right for the current market, sadly you'll still be rejected. These are difficult times for publishers too, which explains the rise of the celebrity author - publishers need to bring in guaranteed income to keep going, and books written by someone who is already a household name are far more likely to achieve big sales figures. Fortunately you don't have to be a celebrity to get a publishing deal, but it certainly helps...

So you got through acquisitions and your book is going to be published! Hurrah! All goals achieved!!! ...or are they? Is it time to start worrying about your next book? Unless you have a great publishing contract for at least two more books, it can be far more difficult to get the next one published, as (five books later) I've discovered... ☺

OMG! You've reached that point where you have a supportive publisher, and guaranteed contracts in place to publish your next however many books? WELL DONE!! 

But watch out. Even at this point you might be on shaky ground if the last book you wrote didn't achieve the expected sales figures, or a new editor/sales and marketing team come on board. However successful you are, the goalposts will shift - it's the nature of the writing game. Writers who'll never need to worry are very few and far between.

I guess the real question is - do you really want to keep playing? Your answer is bound to be yes - because however bonkers it seems, writing is what writers do. And one thing's for sure - you'll have an amazingly sympathetic and supportive crowd of fellow writers to help you get over your next rejection. Because wherever you're at, we've all been there...

Lu Hersey