The first book I ever wrote was one called The One and Only. It’s a book for children and one that will forever have a special place in my heart simply because it was my first effort as a then would be author. Even when the rejection slips began piling up, I never gave up hope that one day this book would be published.
One day I was reading a writing magazine and saw that The Loft Literary Center was looking for submissions for its Children’s Literature Award. With nothing to lose, I slipped it into an envelope and headed out to the post office, wishing it good luck as it made its way there, but knowing that I was competing with lots of other authors who probably had more experience than me.
To my surprise, I returned home one day to a blinking red light on the answering machine. The caller was a coordinator from the Loft telling me I was one of four winners for this award. It garnered me not only my first accolade, (and yes, my first earnings as an author), but it kept the dream of being a writer alive for me too.
I’m sorry to say even after winning the award, it still gathered rejection slips but I still didn’t give up hope which finally paid off. Three years ago, Muse It Up Publishing offered me a contract to publish it. Now that the rights have reverted back to me, I’ve given it a new cover and price and this morning I uploaded it to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo Books as a self-published book.
Here’s a look at the cover and I hope this book’s long journey gives you inspiration and that you never, ever give up on seeing your books get published. It can happen so stick with it!
