Dr Seuss books are popping up, for sale, all over again. Hmm…whatever could it mean? Could it even remotely have something to do with the fourth quarter frenzy. You know, that thing that happens every year from September to December. And, yes, I realize that’s four months and not a quarter. But if the shoe fits…
By the way, you know Dr. Seuss books almost didn’t happen. Right?
In fact, if Theodor Geisel (whose middle name was Seuss) had been a typical writer, his books would probably have never been published. Because typical writers, back in his day, typically gave up their writing careers after about one or two rejection letters from publishers.
Imagine if you’re one of those children’s writers and your first book idea gets rejected nearly 30 times. Do you think you would have made it to 20? Or even 10? Well, Dr. Seuss didn’t give up. And his first book, “And To Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street” was finally published after dozens of rejections.
Thank goodness he had a decent career at Vanity Fair and Life magazines as an illustrator and humorist. And he was actually successful as an illustrator for advertising. He even worked on ads for Flit insect repellent.
How’s that for training to be a children’s writer?
Something I think about is how that 28th publisher must have felt when Dr. Seuss’ book sold over 6 million copies. Yeah, I bet some buttons were popping off his vest.
OK, I’ll stop betting you, now.
But did you know Dr. Seuss’ books have sold over 600 million, worldwide? And it doesn’t take much to calculate that even if he only made a dollar off each one, he became a very wealthy writer.
Now, that’s the perfect picture of persistence. That must have been where Horton got his. (that’s a Dr. Seuss inside joke)
But before the good Dr. could be that persistent, he had to know who he was, what he wanted to do, and where he truly wanted to go. I don’t know what sort of system he had for figuring that out. Or if he had one at all. Maybe it all happened by happy accident.
But I doubt it.
And I’ve said it many times. If you don’t know who you are and where you’re going, how will you know when you get there? That’s why I developed RondaReady YOUniversity. To help aspiring writers, website creators, multimedia producers, and business owners of all kinds figure out who they are. And what they’re good at. And what they want to do. So, I can help them figure out how to get there.
If you (or someone you care about) is about to head out into the real world, I’d love to help you (or them) get started in the right direction. With a System to get a clear vision and mission. So, book a free call with me, at the link below, and let’s talk about it. And do it today.
Don’t be one of those people Dr. Seuss described when he said, “Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.”
Stay Ready,
Ronda
