Stay Determined

I met an author once. His determination was scary-crazy. But now that I think about it... it's a good example of how not to give up.

There is a Costco store near my house that my mother and I sometimes shop in. One such day, there was an author signing books. His name was Ranse Parker and his book is called Circle of Doors. He looked confident, and quite a few people were stopping by his table to ask him about his book. Quite a few people would leave the table with book in hand, marveling at his creativity.

It took me a while to build up courage to talk to him. I, being 14, didn't want to come across as being an amateur wanna-be, but at the same time I really wanted his advice. Isn't it every authors dream to get published and to sit at a table of their own, signing books, someday? When I did come up to him, I was surprised, but in a good way.

He was very nice, and was more than willing to answer my questions. He even asked me some questions of his own! Through our discussion, I learned the story behind his book.

He told me it started as a dream. And that dream stayed with him. He HAD to write the story, he said. It wouldn't leave him. He finally ended up giving up his own company to get it written. Now, I thought THAT was a stretch. Sadly, even after all his hard work and the many sacrifices he made, he couldn't get published. It almost seemed like no one would even read the manuscript .

He decided to self-publish a few copies, and see if anyone WOULD read it. Parker wanted opinions, and reviews. Maybe THEN the publishing companies would read his book, find out it was good, and publish it!

Here is the sad part of the story. He found out, too late of course, that if a book is self-published, the media and most book reviewers won't even LOOK at it! Isn't that terrible? By this point, I believe it was about 5 years since he first had the dream that started it all. It took him over 4 years to get the book written and finalized. And then it hit him that he wasn’t likely to get published.

Do you think he gave up?

Never.

What DID he do? He started his own publishing company. Yes, you heard me. Because of a dream, he gave up one company, wrote a book, and started another company. He is incredibly dedicated, and while I haven't read his book yet, I plan to! Parker told me for now, he was going to focus on publishing his own books, but he hoped to soon start publishing local authors. I hope to be one of them!

He really did have some good advice. I told him about the novel my friend and I were writing on here, and he loved the idea. He thought it was brilliant, and told us to not give up. And, looking at his story, I can see why!

So congrats to Ranse Parker, and I hope he has a wildly successful future.

Remember, NEVER GIVE UP!

http://circleofdoors.com This is his website. Enjoy.


Also, I'd like to thank Ranse Parker. He personally went through this article, editing and correcting it for me. Thank you!! ♥