Don’t Give Up

November 30, 2015 at 4:45 pm

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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