Find Your Open Door

It's one of the most common failures for people who want to get their book published. They give up too quickly and lack the perseverance to keep looking for the open door.

Yes, rejection is difficult. With the information, skill and training that you have, you have poured creativity into your words. Yet when you send them out to an agent or editor, it's returned to you. There is great wisdom in this article from James Scott Bell, Rejecting Rejection. If you are struggling with rejection, I encourage you to read this article from time to time. One of the keys from my perspective is to continue looking for the open door and not give up on your dreams. Each writer is looking for the right opportunity at the right time and the right place with the right publishing house. Yes, my last sentence contains many "rights." Don't give up your search.

There are many examples of persistence throughout the writer community. I want to tell you about one of Intermedia's authors, Dr. Richard C. Harris. His book, One Nation Under Curse, has a startling cover with a hanging figure and KKK symbols. Thirty years ago, Richard was the Grand Dragon of the northernmost chapter of the Ku Klux Klan.

Why are individuals drawn into the world of the KKK? What happens in their secret meetings?

Racism is a growing force in our society and the KKK is growing in unprecedented numbers according to Dr. Harris. With page-turning true details, Richard Harris invites us into his world and reveals the details about how he was drawn into the KKK then quickly rose through their ranks to become the Grand Dragon of the Northern Indiana chapter.

The writing is engaging and the personal drama is spell-binding. This book is difficult to stop reading until you reach the final page. You will learn information which has never appeared in print before about the KKK. As you read it, you will increase your understanding of a curse which continues to hang over America and how you can break that curse in your own life and in the lives of your children. This book is ideal for small groups or individuals. The Reading Discussion Guide provides thought-provoking questions for any group to learn from this fascinating book.

Earlier this year, when I was at a writer's conference, a former acquisitions editor from Thomas Nelson saw Richard's book and exclaimed, "I pitched this book to the publication board over ten years ago and unfortunately it was rejected." She was thrilled to see that Richard persisted and it finally appeared in print.

When I spoke with Richard about this incident, he told me that he has a large file of rejections from submitting his book to different places. Also I learned that his book has changed and improved throughout those years of attempting to get it published.

On Monday, October 19th at 3 p.m. EST, Dr. Harris will be live on Janet Parshall's America. I encourage you to listen to his fascinating story--and get his book. Notice how Richard continually searched for his open door to get his book published and found it through Intermedia Publishing Group. I've heard similar stories from many other authors.

If you have been searching for the open door to get your work published, here are several ideas:

1. Join a writer's group and get to a writer's conference. I'm going to be speaking in Indianapolis on November 6th and 7th and then leading a one-day Intermedia seminar in Denver on November 21st.

2. Read good books about writing and find practical ideas that you can apply to improve your own work and try different opportunities. I continue to receive great feedback (check this link) from Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams.

3. To learn the difference between traditional publishing and Independent publishing, catch this free teleseminar.

4. If you are trying to get a traditional publisher, learn what captured an editor or agent's attention at SecretsAboutproposals.

5. You can also learn from my free ebook about book proposals.

There are many different paths to achieve your dreams. Don't give up and keep looking for the open door.