Lynne Stringer – Author & Editor

dontgiveup copyOn Saturday I had my latest book signing at Angus & Robertson at Capalaba. Happily, I sold six copies of The Heir and two each of The Crown and The Reign, which was a nice number, especially considering how the morning started.

That’s because, for the first hour, I sold nothing.

Selling nothing in the first hour is unusual for me, and usually a sign I’m not going to do too well. In fact, not only was I not selling, it was difficult to even catch anyone’s eye to engage them. Usually if I don’t make a sale, I’ve at least given out a few bookmarks here or there. Not this time. Well, I had given away one bookmark, but even that took a lot of work.

So going into my second hour I was feeling despondent. It didn’t help that I’ve just started a new job (one that actually brings in money!). That, combined with the fact that it’s the end of the year, meant that I already felt exhausted. I contemplated throwing in the towel. Also, as Christmas is approaching rapidly, all I could think of as I sat there was the huge list of things I had to do at home.

But as that nagging voice of doubt told me it wasn’t worth hanging around, I knew I couldn’t give up. I would never forgive myself.

Fortunately, in the next hour, I sold four copies. That buoyed me up. It was worth persisting. I persisted for another couple of hours, until I was sure I had done all I could. I went home satisfied.

So next time I’m sitting there selling nothing, I’ll think about this event, and think of the people who might be just around the corner …

How about you? Is there a time when you wanted to give up but were glad you didn’t?

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2 Responses

  1. Glad you hung in there Lynne. It’s so easy to get discouraged, but we never know what’s around the corner. And each author visit builds more author recognition and hopefully some good word-of-mouth.