There’s Nothing that Will Tell You if You Can Do It
By: Jessica Faust | Date: Jun 16 2022
Finishing a book is a monumental task. So is querying. I know of a lot of writers who get to that first step–finishing their book, but then never make it to the next. Out of fear usually. Fear that it’s not good enough or that they can’t do it. They can’t write the query. They can’t get published. Want to know a secret? There is nothing in the world that will tell you if you can do it. There is also nothing in the world that tells you that you can’t. Not until you’ve done it.
I started BookEnds 20+ years ago and while I never thought it would fail, there was also nothing telling me it would succeed. Heck, when I look back now and think about all the things I didn’t know I am sometimes amazed I did it. But then again, when I look forward and think of all the things I still don’t know. Well, I’m not concerned.
There is true fear in the unknown. It’s why we don’t often walk into dark caves. What we can’t see scares us. But the truth is, throughout life, nothing ever tells us if we can do it. We just convince ourselves of the lie that we can. Baseball players don’t know when they step up to the plate if they can hit the ball. Bakers don’t know when they try a new recipe if it will turn out. And authors don’t know when they write a new book if they can find an agent, a publisher, or if readers will buy it. There is just know way any of us can know. Until we do it.
The only way to know we can do it is to look back and see if we did. So if you’re sitting on that book, worried that you can’t do it, know that you can’t do it unless you do.
Thanks so much for coming to the blog. Please don’t forget to like and share this post. We value feedback and questions from readers, so feel free to leave a comment below! Lastly, subscribe to our YouTube channel for even more publishing insights and advice, and follow us on our socials to see what we’re up to. Twitter | Instagram | Illustrator Instagram | Facebook
Finishing a book is a monumental task. So is querying. I know of a lot of writers who get to that first step–finishing their book, but then never make it to the next. Out of fear usually. Fear that it’s not good enough or that they can’t do it. They can’t write the query. They can’t get published. Want to know a secret? There is nothing in the world that will tell you if you can do it. There is also nothing in the world that tells you that you can’t. Not until you’ve done it.
I started BookEnds 20+ years ago and while I never thought it would fail, there was also nothing telling me it would succeed. Heck, when I look back now and think about all the things I didn’t know I am sometimes amazed I did it. But then again, when I look forward and think of all the things I still don’t know. Well, I’m not concerned.
There is true fear in the unknown. It’s why we don’t often walk into dark caves. What we can’t see scares us. But the truth is, throughout life, nothing ever tells us if we can do it. We just convince ourselves of the lie that we can. Baseball players don’t know when they step up to the plate if they can hit the ball. Bakers don’t know when they try a new recipe if it will turn out. And authors don’t know when they write a new book if they can find an agent, a publisher, or if readers will buy it. There is just know way any of us can know. Until we do it.
The only way to know we can do it is to look back and see if we did. So if you’re sitting on that book, worried that you can’t do it, know that you can’t do it unless you do.
Thanks so much for coming to the blog. Please don’t forget to like and share this post. We value feedback and questions from readers, so feel free to leave a comment below! Lastly, subscribe to our YouTube channel for even more publishing insights and advice, and follow us on our socials to see what we’re up to.
Twitter | Instagram | Illustrator Instagram | Facebook
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