The Writers Book of Hope: Getting from Frustration to Publication

In 1889, the editor of the San Francisco Examiner, having accepted an article from Rudyard Kipling, informed the author that he should not bother to submit any more. This isnt a kindergarten for amateur writers, the editor wrote. Im sorry, Mr. Kipling, but you just dont know how to use the English language. A century later, John Grisham was turned down by sixteen agents before he found representationand it was only after Hollywood showed an interest in The Firm that publishers began to take him seriously.The anxiety of rejection is an inevitable part of any writers development. In this book, Ralph Keyes turns his attention from the difficulty of putting pen to paperthe subject of his acclaimed The Courage to Write to the frustration of getting the product to the public. Inspiration isnt nearly as important to the successful writer, he argues, as tenacity, and he offers concrete ways to manage the struggle to publish. Drawing on his long experience as a writer and teacher of writing, Keyes provides new insight into the mindset of publishers, the value of an agent, and the importance of encouragement and hope to the act of authorial creation.