37 Comments
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Carroll Lachnit's avatar

How did you know what I was thinking? Thank you.

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Matej Rumanovsky's avatar

Love it, thank you

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Frances Moore's avatar

That's an injection of fortitude right there on the page. Thank you Kate:)

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Graeme Outerbridge's avatar

Strength,Honour ,Fortitude and graffiti .....and self-publishing^^

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Graeme Outerbridge's avatar

Well we know what happened to the Gladiator^^ Hidden enemies!

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kaylen alexandra's avatar

Strength & Fortitude & Honor & Perseverance. And a few other choice words.

Thank you Kate for this nudge of support while we are trial & error-ing out here!

KEEP WRITING people. Just keep writing. <3

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Robyn Ryle's avatar

I love this and thanks for the raw honesty. This biz is not for the faint of heart, but, yes, the people and the writing are worth it.

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Kimberley Cameron Brody's avatar

Thanks Kate, for the optimistic viewpoint. I too, as a literary agent, get my share of rejections everyday, and sometimes it’s tough not to doubt yourself, your taste, etc.

One has to remember, as much as our hearts ❤️ are involved in what we do, publishing is a business and commerce!

I enjoy reading your newsletter👩🏻📖🥰

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Kate McKean's avatar

See? Agents! They're just like us! :)

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Richard Donnelly's avatar

"That fourth grade teacher who said you could be a writer one day." I attended the closing of my old grade school, and my sixth grade teacher asked if I was still writing. I was dumbfounded.

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Nicole Schwartz Navratil's avatar

Love this, thank you.

Geocities!! That made me chuckle, and think of Livejournal. Which reminds me: I’ve actually been writing for a pretty long time.

I’ll be saving this piece to revisit later (and later, and later). 🩵🙏🏻

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Lauren Harr's avatar

I could kiss you right now. Thank you!

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Alexander M Crow's avatar

I love the wisdom here, thank you. It is also always a great thing to hear these thoughts from those like yourself--remembering to separate 'publishing' from 'people' is particularly perfect. Thanks.

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James Marshall's avatar

Sage advice to not get advice from those outside of writing/publishing. Comments about my novel was published include, 'You should get it on Oprah,' to 'turn it into an audiobook,' (with no budget?' to . 'Can you sign it for me so I can sell it when you're famous' (at least a dozen people, none of whom left a review on Amazon). Ugh.

Rant over. As to 'publishing has never been easy,' I've just finished Bernard Crick's excellent biography of George Orwell.

Orwell said, 'Never start writing novels if you wish to preserve your happiness.'

But what would we read if no one wrote?

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Rachel Beto's avatar

It is so nice to get some of your encouraging words in my head after listening to my inner critic hurl insults at me all day. Reading your newsletters is like rolling down a window to take a big breath of air. Thank you for cheering us all on. I'm cheering you on, too! Go Kate!

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Lori  Pohlman's avatar

You are so wonderful to send this out to all of us. Thank you, Kate! Felt like a friend’s hug.

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Annie Wilson's avatar

Needed this today - thank you!

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