Nothing is as depressing as a rejection letter. In times of lean, struggling novelist may look to their literary heroes for hope. But is overnight success even possible?
Many writers struggle with their work, and not all novelists take off with their creations right away. In fact, there are so many writers out there, so many different stories, it may seem that instantly making it as a novelist isn’t even possible. But, in fact, it’s happened before – more than once.
Is overnight success as a novelist possible? Just ask Jean Auel, known for the Earth’s Children series, which takes place in the Ice Age when Cro-Magnon and Neanderthal Man roamed Europe at the same time. Auel was interested in the time frame, and wondered if she’d be up to writing a short story about it. She did some research at the library, worked up an outline, and began to write. As if by magic, she ended up with a novel of 450,000 words instead. The Clan of the Cave Bear became a bestseller and a movie.
Stephen King, easily one of the most recognized best-selling novelists in the world and a self-made millionaire, enjoyed almost immediate success with his first book. It was called Carrie, and also became a movie. Today, the film is widely recognized as a cult classic, and Stephen King continues to produce pulse-pounding fiction that sells.
One day, a young journalist living in the south wondered if she could write a novel after a friend jokingly said she couldn’t. She began to write, and in this fashion Gone With the Wind was born. The book became a bestseller, is now widely regarded as the Great American Novel, and the multi-million dollar movie is often regarded as the finest in cinematic history. Margaret Mitchell never wrote another book, and yet every writer knows her name.
They all have one thing in common. Great writing? Beyond that, they all had great publishers. Ever heard of Crown, Doubleday, and MacMillan? Auel, King, and Mitchell respectively were published under these powerhouse names, and in this fashion bestsellers were born and careers were set. Overnight success is possible – when you’re got strong backup and a good foundation for starting. Your chances are exponentially increased when you publish with a larger, well-known house.
When it comes to being a novelist, nothing is as easy as it sounds. Even the writers today who give glowing reports of their first, early success still struggled through a long, tedious writing process to get there. Not everyone finds instant success with their first novel, but the ones that do have to do two things: write the novel first, and find a publisher second.
A simple formula for a process that is extremely hard, but it is possible. Others have been down that road before, so that means anyone can get there.
