Product Details
The Writer's Book of Hope: Getting from Frustration to Publication

The Writer's Book of Hope: Getting from Frustration to Publication
By Ralph Keyes

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Product Description

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 isn't a kindergarten for amateur writers," the editor wrote. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kipling, but you just don't know how to use the English language." A century later, John Grisham was turned down by sixteen agents before he found representation-and 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 writer's development. In this book, Ralph Keyes turns his attention from the difficulty of putting pen to paper-the subject of his acclaimed The Courage to Write -to the frustration of getting the product to the public. Inspiration isn't 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 mind-set of publishers, the value of an agent, and the importance of encouragement and hope to the act of authorial creation.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #166345 in Books
  • Published on: 2003-10-01
  • Original language: English
  • Dimensions: .63" h x 5.52" w x 8.22" l, .49 pounds
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 240 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
To be clear: this is not a guide on how to write a book (Keyes covered that in his last volume, The Courage to Write). Rather, it's a tool for writers who have found their courage and now need hope: that their work is good, that it will be published despite the inevitable rejections, that readers will actually buy it. "Frustration is the natural habitat of writers at every level," writes Keyes, a trustee of the Antioch Writers' Workshop, and his goal here is to lead writers out of the darkness of despair and into the light of reassurance. Keyes offers useful advice on coping with "discouragers" (they "can be dispatched by understanding their motives and by putting them to work as goads"); "exorcising excuses" ("I have no talent"); and "rites of rejection." He introduces writers to the strange habits of the "publishing tribe" (they are, he says, slaves to the opinion of their peers), and offers many anecdotes from the experiences of A-list writers such as Ann Patchett and Tony Hillerman. Writers seeking reasons to hope should get a boost from this gently reassuring handbook.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A perfect companion for every writer. Keyes gives you solid information you can put to use while he bolsters the faith you need to keep going." -Judith Appelbaum, author of How to Get Happily Published

About the Author

Ralph Keyes is the author of ten books and numerous articles for Newsweek, Harper's, GQ, and other publications. A writing teacher for over thirty years, Keyes is a trustee of the Antioch Writers' Workshop. He lives in Yellow Springs, Ohio.