Authors need persistence and resilience like books need spines.

There’s often as much rejection as celebration in the life of an author – whether that’s of manuscripts, book proposals or idea pitches. Yet, just as the route to publication can be paved with rejection and desperation, so too are opportunities to celebrate abound – whether you write your own book or have your book ghostwritten.

Say you venture down the traditional publishing route. If successful, there’s the day an agent agrees to represent you, or the moment you leap from your chair and almost spill coffee over your laptop as an email from a commissioning editor arrives in your inbox, agreeing to publish the book you’ve pitched. There’s the day a publishing offer is officially made and you sit, contract in hand, with the name of your book staring back at you in big bold font.

If you self-publish, you forgo that initial flurry of excitement, but you still benefit from what’s to follow. Many months later, once the book is written, there’s the day you receive your first artwork proofs and see the book taking shape, crafted from word document into actual book format; typeset, designed and ready for production.

And finally, months after the final artwork proofs are signed off, the postman delivers your author copies and you revel in the excitement of holding your book in your hands, running your hands over the cover and sniff it, as is often the case.

Indeed, when the advance copy of your book arrives, wrapped in cardboard but swathed in glory, the hope and joy which had been banished by rejection are restored. And when people order your book and share what they love about it, the jubilation makes every prior rejection worth it.

Indeed, for me, that moment arrived today – my new book (the 17^th book I’ve written, the seventh book with my own name on the cover) was published and made available to order on Amazon.

Funnily enough, it’s a book about resilience; about how we respond, recover and rise after adversity (including rejection).

Of course, to counter the rejection, as well as resilience you need persistence – not just if submitting your manuscript to publishers but, as a writer (or ghostwriter) to keep going. That’s what happens behind-the-scenes.

The writing part takes place in between the glory of book proposal acceptance or publishing offer, in between book production and publication. In the middle of all of that greatness is hours of research and planning and plotting and drafts and redrafts and final ‘final’ drafts and the actual craft of writing, which is not an easy undertaking.

As best-selling author Elizabeth Gilbert says:

“Every writer starts in the same place on Day One: Super excited, and ready for greatness. On Day Two, every writer looks at what she wrote on Day One and hates herself. What separates working writers from non-working writers is that working writers return to their task on Day Three. What gets you there is not pride but mercy. Show yourself forgiveness, for not being good enough. Then keep going.”

Yes, when it comes to writing good books, writers need as much persistence as they do resilience. It’s impossible to sustain a career as an author without those qualities.

The problem is, not everyone has time to persist on writing their story. People have jobs to do, mouths to feed and writing, good writing, takes time and devotion.

Hence why people hire ghostwriters. There are so many incredible stories, empowering messages and expert guidance to be shared, written and read, yet the majority of people, especially those who have jobs, don’t have sufficient time required to write a strong manuscript worthy of publication.

Seasoned ghostwriters with enough books under their belt can devote the time required to write a book. That’s what we’re paid to do. What’s more, we’ve faced rejection and, over the course of our careers, have learned how to hone our craft to write well. We know how to create a strong start to grab the attention of agents and readers early. We know how to write a book proposal which de-risks the pitch for a publisher by being on trend or sufficiently sellable.

We can also identify the right potential publisher for your book and also have self-publishing expertise and contacts, should you opt for that route. We’ll have a firm idea of current publishing trends and will know exactly how to pitch your expertise in your own experience to the right editors.

In fact, when you hire a ghostwriter, you get to enjoy the glory – the offer, the glee as you see your story coming together and taking shape, and the joy of holding your book in your hands without the blood, sweat and tears part of the creative process. You get to have your cake and eat it.

All you have to do is provide the right ingredients for a best-seller and we’ll do the rest.

Cheryl Rickman is the author/ghostwriter of 17 self-help and business books. Her latest book, The Little Book of Resilience is out now, (Octopus Books, September 2019).