Edison failed 10,000 times before he made the electric light.

Do not be discouraged if you fail a few times...said Napoleon Hill

I was about to say, with weary resignation, that I was sure Napoleon Hill hadn't been trying to find a literary agent (in this case, for children's books) or he wouldn't have said that with such spirit - but he was an author so maybe he had.

It's hard not to be discouraged, sometimes. However kind the 'No,' however much you're told,  "Try to keep "No" in perspective. This is a highly subjective business and another agent may adore your work. All it takes is one "Yes." We wish you success in finding that "Yes" - Sometimes you just get ground down and worn out with it all and begin to doubt the quality of your work.


When I say 'you' I mean 'I'...I'm sure that no other writer in the entire world has experienced this struggle. I am The Only One. (I'm also sure that I've retained my sense of humour!)


SO...

By the way, I haven't just been rejected by a literary agent again. It's simply that, for a while, I haven't had the heart even to TRY.


But today, I'M GOING TO.

Onwards and Upwards by Philip Dunne