I wrote the book (s), sent them out, and guess what? I got rejected. Over and over and over. Well written but too niche. No one wants business with their romance. Business isn't sexy (yep, I gasped at that one too). Rejection is a huge part of the business (and of life).
You know why Joseph Heller's novel Catch-22 was called that? Because it was rejected 22 times. Alex Hailey, author of Roots, received 200 rejections. Call Of The Wild's Jack London received over 600 rejections. If you want to be a published writer, you will get rejected. Guaranteed.
And then there are the critics. I've been criticized by people who haven't even read the book (they say it is too sexy based on the cover, well, it is sexy but since when are exposed legs too sexy???). I've been told that it must not be good enough for the big publishers (being so niche, it won't sell enough copies for the large publishers, is that the same thing as not good enough?). Oh, and there are a LOT of eBook haters out there (as though offering the novel in that format is my personal vendetta against print).
That's why my Why was so important. When all the negativity beat me down, I revisited it. I enjoyed writing Breach of Trust, nothing could take away that wonderful experience. The extreme reactions proved I was providing a different read for romance lovers. I did expose, based on fan mail, business lessons to non-business people. Check. Check. Check. I accomplished my Why.
