My first acceptance came after ten years of submitting work. I was happy about it, but after that length of time, writing and submitting had become part of my life, so I’m not sure that it made a huge impact. I’ve never felt that acceptances are the most important part of being a writer. Way back when I first started submitting, you weren’t considered a “real” writer unless you had a contract from a top publisher and your book was available printed on paper. Now, decades later, indie writers can be as successful as traditionally published ones. No one has to wait and hope for someone else to maybe like your work enough to consider publishing it.
I’m still submitting and still waiting for acceptances and rejections, but I’ve also self-published work and intend to continue doing so.
The impact of an acceptance, whether your first or your fiftieth, depends on each author and his or her goals. While it’s great to receive an acceptance, it doesn’t have to dictate whether you continue writing and it doesn’t measure how much you enjoy working on your stories.
How do other authors in the MFRA 52-Week Blog Hop feel about acceptances? To find out, please click here.
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I’m not sure whether I’ll continue to query big publishers. At 56, I’m impatient to get my books “out there” while I’m still mentally sharp and have the energy to write and do all the promo, etc. That dream of a Big 5 contract still sparkles, but it’s just not reality for so many good writers whose work would never see the light of day if they don’t seize the reins. (2 cliches in one sentence!)
Big name publishers no longer appear on my radar. I’m going it alone and learning all those hard lessons along the way.
You are so right about changing perceptions. I gave up on the Big 5 a few years back when the world changed and I had more readers from my newspaper articles than I did my novels. Indie-publishing and small press seem to be my lot in life.