Whiff of doubt?

This one is more self-obsessed blah, blah, blah about me and my book, but it's also about you. I urge you to read on and find out how.

Yesterday I told you about the rave reviews pouring in for my book on a social networking website for wannabe authors. My book climbed another 77 spots since yesterday, breaking the 1,000 barrier on the charts for the first time. Go me!

Here's an excerpt of a review that came in yesterday from a writer in Ireland: I read on and on as if I was just enjoying a book for my own pleasure. I haven't been taking notes, or thinking about what I should say in my comments. Instead, I've been relaxing and laughing and having fun. This is a brilliant book, quite a lot different from the usual, written in an excellent, publishable style and original in its characters and settings.

Whoo hoo!

Now, let's get real for a moment, shall we?

For the last few weeks I've been sending out query letters and writing samples to literary agents and publishers. I'm sending out a handful a week to tweak my presentation based on the feedback I receive.

So far, of the dozen or so queries I've sent, I've had a whopping two responses. Here was the more encouraging of the two: Thanks so much for considering us. Although this sounds quite interesting, it is not what we are looking for at this very time. Thanks so much for giving us the opportunity and good luck in your quest for publication.

As for the others--all I've heard back so far is the sound of crickets. The silence is worse than the outright rejection. The silence is also a statement of rejection--only louder.

Is that the first whisper of self-doubt I hear? Could be, friend--could be.

Is the BYE a fool's errand and the product of self-delusion? Could be, my dear Discerning Reader--could be.

Was it unrealistic to believe that I could write a publishable manuscript the first time out of the blocks against very long odds. Maybe so--maybe so.

I think the posters sold on despair.com are hilarious. They turn the bright, cheery images and vapid messages of the motivational posters you often see in business upside down. I've put a few of them below this post so you can see for yourself.

As the posters remind us, there are dreams and aspirations, and then there's reality.

I'm not going gently into the world of reality just yet. No, no, no. I'm going to rage, rage against the dying of the light. Not while there's still time.

A week or so ago I printed up a quote from the author Samuel Beckett and posted it on the wall in front of my computer. You can see it in the picture of the nerve center of the dream factory. It's my new mantra.

Here's how the Beckett quote reads:

Ever tried. Ever failed.
No matter.
Try again. Fail again.
Fail better.

I'm off to fail better. See you later.