Whenever I’m asked to speak to a group, the one story I always tell is how I came to write Losing Clementine. I wrote it because the previous book was rejected by every publisher in New York. All of them. One even wrote my agent twice — just in case I had any illusions. “No, seriously. We really don’t want to buy that book.” I wrote Clementine because I really had nothing to lose. And here’s the thing: It won’t be the last time.

We all come up short sometimes, whatever our profession. And in publishing, it happens more than average. Whether that marks the end of a career or a turning point, depends on your willingness to get up again. Author Sophie Littlefield wrote a great little piece about the failures of writers. Whether you’re a reader or a hopeful author yourself, you should read it. Really.