Ra Giving Up Kidbooks!

Monday 6:10 p.m.
A couple of posts ago, I wrote about giving up on getting the kidbooks published because I couldn't get anyone to read them, no one in the book business anyway. Well, that's not the first time I've given up. Probably the third time!

I must have sent an email to Julia Churchill of Darley Anderson asking for some free advice about the kidbook business. If you can't get anyone to read anything .... you can't do business with anyone obviously. Well, how does it work then? How do these books keep appearing in my library? Somebody must be reading something. Whatever transpired, I had an email this morning saying there had been a mistake maybe and she had the three chapters of the two books and was waiting to read them. So that was good. Then I got another email saying she didn't fancy Bugtown, but seemed to like Light in the Dark. The email said this:

Light in the Dark I enjoyed. You've created a magical world that is convincing, Shantha sounds like a great heroine and I was interested to know how Yuketsbava's story connected with hers. An exciting intro too and in terms of narrative it looks like by far the more commercial and engaging of the two. I'd certainly like to look at the rest of the ms. Please do send along.


It was hard not to feel pleased by this turn of events. All it means is that she will read the book, but that's the first time anyone has asked for more than the three chapters. That's one little chink of light after maybe five years. Of course, I'd just given up hustling.

Being unemotional about business is the difficult part. It's hard not to feel pissed off by rejections. It's hard not to feel pleased with some petty little triumph. I've a feeling a thick skin and perserverance are the tools people like me need. I'm sure some of the best books ever written never got published. A well balanced person would have given up years ago.

I spent an hour re-writing my new book last week. At this rate I will have to live an awful long time to finish it.