Is It Good Enough?

Is my story good enough to share with others? Will it hold their interest? How many rejections from publishers are necessary for me to give up and "get a real job."

Several years ago, two motivational speakers decided to assemble their favorite inspirational stories into a book. When Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield thought it was ready they offered it to the big New York publishing houses, fully expecting an enthusiastic contract offer. Reality settled in with the multiple rejection letters; thirty-three rejections in the first month. After receiving 140 publisher rejections, these motivational speakers found little motivation to continue hawking their manuscript.

Almost, as a last ditch effort before shelving their manuscript, they went to the American Booksellers Association Convention and took their manuscript booth to booth, trying to find anyone who might show a little interest. Finally the president of Health Communications, Inc. caught their vision and decided to give these unpublished authors a chance.

As they say, the rest is history. Chicken Soup for the Soul was first published in June 1993.
Not only did it become a best seller, but it would become a series that took the publishing industry by storm. The Chicken Soup books started appearing on best seller lists all over the country and wining prestigious awards, prompting Time magazine to call the series the "publishing phenomenon of the decade."

More than eighty-million sales later, I wonder what those other publishers are thinking who wrote Hansen and Canfield and told them, "your manuscript doesn't meet our publishing needs." The Chicken Soup books are being sold in thirty-seven languages.

That is the power of a true story. People experiences have an uncanny ability to shine a searchlight into your soul. It also shines a spotlight on the wonderful and amazing things that God is capable of doing. There are times when our lives become so mundane or difficult we need a good story to jump-start our faith in God.

One Scottish sage wrote, "Writing is easy -- it's like wrestling alligators all day long." But don't give up when rejection comes from the big publishers. The great value of a story is that it places a finger under the hard-road traveler's chin and gently pushes up. I don't know the details of your life, but just maybe your experience is the divine Rx someone needs today.

(Idea from Walking with God on the Road You Never Wanted to Travel" Mark Atteberry, © 2005 Nelson Books)