tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799373378016545552.post603009219762321532..comments2023-09-13T16:56:56.949+03:00Comments on Mike Wells Official Website: Persistence & the Myth of Overnight SuccessMike Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14201237076057603217noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799373378016545552.post-74044358799343060782015-02-14T17:50:57.878+02:002015-02-14T17:50:57.878+02:00I watched Katy Perry's documentary last summer...I watched Katy Perry's documentary last summer and had no idea she had been working so hard, for so long, to become what she is now. This post is so true. Hard work and persistence are vital to success!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799373378016545552.post-54827720178861581652014-02-19T15:08:57.475+02:002014-02-19T15:08:57.475+02:00Nicely said, Mike. Sometimes it helps to gain a li...Nicely said, Mike. Sometimes it helps to gain a little perspective...I needed to read this. I have no doubt that I will be successful, but I need to be reminded that things may appear stagnant on the way there and it make take several years to reach my goal. <br /><br />Persistence matters because not only does it get us to our end goal, it's what helps us build our skill and strength. I definitely won't give up!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08991419941950311574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799373378016545552.post-38275852423718747352013-10-30T18:51:38.118+02:002013-10-30T18:51:38.118+02:00i'm an artist,working on my art career now for...i'm an artist,working on my art career now for 40 years,came up to nyc from baltimore in 1973,thought i was going to be an instant sucess,well,its taking a little longer than i thought-took 26 years to come up with anything orignalsayford fordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06590512521628112788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799373378016545552.post-41282028543498331552013-09-09T20:01:33.978+03:002013-09-09T20:01:33.978+03:00Great post, Mike. It really made my morning. Espec...Great post, Mike. It really made my morning. Especially when I also found that my Kindle book had sold a couple of copies in Denmark. Now that's not friends of family buying it!!Marjorie DeLucahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11882176271402911229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799373378016545552.post-85639176377561350712013-02-26T05:48:22.397+02:002013-02-26T05:48:22.397+02:00This is a great post. And I am glad I read it. Som...This is a great post. And I am glad I read it. Sometimes I get really scared when I think all the work that a writer needs to do. Thank you for give us some strength.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12054120907143263289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799373378016545552.post-1520581288004030032013-02-23T08:51:32.730+02:002013-02-23T08:51:32.730+02:00Thanks so much for this post! I really needed to r...Thanks so much for this post! I really needed to read it just now. I was just about to start wondering what sort of appeal my book could have if no agent wants to take a chance on it. <br /><br />But it does. I just know it. :-DMisha Gerrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799373378016545552.post-27047443026116635082012-09-29T03:41:37.104+03:002012-09-29T03:41:37.104+03:00Thank you for the encouragement. I'm at the po...Thank you for the encouragement. I'm at the point in my 'writing' career where I'm staring at the beginning numbers of sales and they're not changing, and I ask myself: did I do something wrong? Hence, why I'm searching around and running into these kind of articles, hoping to find something to help me out. Again, than you so much. I won't give up.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18353395217800712712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799373378016545552.post-45154374292990941422012-09-13T00:14:58.256+03:002012-09-13T00:14:58.256+03:00Apparently you didn't read that section of the...Apparently you didn't read that section of the book very carefully--I said she took the Russian courses at Brown. Double majors can be set up between the two schools. I research my books very carefully.<br /><br />Anyway, thanks for your commment about the post.Mike Wellshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14201237076057603217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799373378016545552.post-66477558528907743612012-09-13T00:00:08.039+03:002012-09-13T00:00:08.039+03:00Great advice. But as my daughter graduated from RI...Great advice. But as my daughter graduated from RISD I know they don't offer Russian. I guess that's why they call it fiction.Adminhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02913434448648608103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799373378016545552.post-85355913332654668382012-08-16T18:40:50.609+03:002012-08-16T18:40:50.609+03:00In the words of Randy Pausch, "Brick walls ar...In the words of Randy Pausch, "Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want something badly enough. They are there to keep out the other people." <br /><br />You can't control luck or natural talent, but you can control dedication. I am a HUGE fan of persistence!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799373378016545552.post-62568632304238729022012-05-23T04:54:49.144+03:002012-05-23T04:54:49.144+03:00So true--sometimes we just need to hear it again! ...So true--sometimes we just need to hear it again! Thanks for posting this!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00700737187405826842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799373378016545552.post-26264135492189230282012-05-07T01:08:42.744+03:002012-05-07T01:08:42.744+03:00Thank you so much for writing this! It's odd w...Thank you so much for writing this! It's odd why entertainment media don't talk about how hard people work, because stories like that are so inspiring! I'm just starting out in terms of self-publishing, and know I have a long row to hoe. All encouragement helps - and real encouragement comes in the form of advice a person can actually use, like that persistence pays off. I let myself get a bit discouraged this afternoon because my Kindle reports page wasn't showing the numbers I knew for sure had been bought (by friends and family, of course) and people in the forum said that some of my "buyers" had lied to me. I know they hadn't, and yet for some reason that bitter lack of faith got under my skin. So it was good to read this, thank you.<br />By the way, I got here through a retweet by Michael Scott. That's pretty cool!Zantippy Skiphophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00622010693675129244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799373378016545552.post-91775558825103681642012-03-20T07:15:50.175+02:002012-03-20T07:15:50.175+02:00I know you are referring to writing but I believe ...I know you are referring to writing but I believe your words pertain to life in general!Terri Jenkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12259951784889096111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799373378016545552.post-56970352619708408972012-02-16T23:10:19.750+02:002012-02-16T23:10:19.750+02:00Hi Mike,
Great comments - and great encouragement...Hi Mike,<br /><br />Great comments - and great encouragement for those of us that may be wondering just what good is going to come of all their hard work. Hang in there Mama and keep writing!Mamasimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13045305538488331579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799373378016545552.post-57175274961970340232011-11-17T13:39:10.987+02:002011-11-17T13:39:10.987+02:00Viv, thanks for your post, I'm glad things are...Viv, thanks for your post, I'm glad things are improving for you. About that last question, I don't believe "talent" is relevant in discussions of success (can't really nail down what talent is in the first place, let alone find any correlation between talent and sales volumes) Second, if you don't have the product, as you say, then it maybe it's time to ask your current readers, "What is it about my book that you liked best, what did you like least, and how can I make the next one even better?" In other words, tweak your product (and perhaps the marketing approach) to make it appeal to a broader audience, and continue to tweak with each new offering. I don't believe there has ever been a successful artist in any field that did not have to bend his/her work or vision to some extent to start selling in larger numbers. The question then becomes how far are you willing to bend before it feels too much like "selling out" to you?Mike Wellshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14201237076057603217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799373378016545552.post-65204648797708299602011-11-17T11:54:52.270+02:002011-11-17T11:54:52.270+02:00Good to hear this.
I am slowly and steadily seeing...Good to hear this.<br />I am slowly and steadily seeing sales rise and it feels good.<br />The hardest thing is keeping on keeping on when it seems like everyone you hear about is doing so much better.<br />At what point, though, if any, should a writer actually say, I've persisted, I've worked my arse off for X years, must I now accept I don't have the product, the talent to make it?<br />VivAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799373378016545552.post-90726047271910445872011-10-31T00:17:39.541+02:002011-10-31T00:17:39.541+02:00Mike, I too thought of Gladwell's "Outlie...Mike, I too thought of Gladwell's "Outliers" as I read your article. It really hits the nail on the head. Although many of us know that it takes persistence, it always helps to hear from people like you as a reminder. Now, back to my writing.<br />Thanks.Lew Sauderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10909712277443725362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799373378016545552.post-45153379802423632092011-10-09T23:43:15.497+03:002011-10-09T23:43:15.497+03:00In "Outliers" Malcolm Gladwell points ou...In "Outliers" Malcolm Gladwell points out the Beatles' years in Germany playing an incredible number of hours for not much money, but they were honing their craft. He goes on to say that if you want to be world-class at anything, just spend 10,000 hours doing it. Either Steven King or Ray Bradbury has said that anybody's prose will suck until s/he's written a million words. I leave as an exercise to the student the computation of the number of words per hour you should shoot for.<br /><br />I used to think that my obscurity and the obscurity of all unpublished writers was a terrible thing, and if only we all had a book deals, all would be perfect. Poppycock. I hadn't written a million words yet. Jon Acuff points out in "Quitter" that obscurity is a good thing. He was cranking out his first blog that nobody saw and nobody criticized while he made all his rookie mistakes. It's freeing to know that if you screw up, nobody will yell at you.<br /><br />Thus I think Mike's advice is spot-on, and if you really need a decision point when to give up, set it at 1,000,001 words or 10,001 hours of writing time. (Of course figuring out howto market your books, that's extra.) If you want to be a writer, this is the price you should plan on.Steve Polinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06095291939072131815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799373378016545552.post-23033463492233808782011-09-23T09:16:28.103+03:002011-09-23T09:16:28.103+03:00Overnight Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspi...Overnight Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.<br />But you know the media...unless it is instant they don't want to know. Great post and such inspirational truth.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799373378016545552.post-50881652442162198432011-09-19T22:30:31.927+03:002011-09-19T22:30:31.927+03:00I have spent most of my afternoon at the day job r...I have spent most of my afternoon at the day job reading past posts (shhhh don't tell anyone), but this one really got me. It is so very true. Being a serious newbie to the game I have been soaking up all the info I can. I dream about selling millions of books and being lumped with some of my favorite authors, but I also know it will not happen overnight. I have merely dipped a toe in the literary ocean and have a looooong way to go. On one side it scares the bejezzus out of me. On the other, it is the most thrilling thing I have ever done. <br /><br />Thank you for keeping things real.Deena Graveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04362161494089639395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799373378016545552.post-19786919093739741442011-09-14T00:01:10.312+03:002011-09-14T00:01:10.312+03:00All I can say is "Amen!"
I'm endin...All I can say is "Amen!" <br /><br />I'm ending up a hybrid author with both indie books and a new NY contract for a series because I kept scraping myself up off the floor and trying again. Persistence truly is the key to success. Oh, and hard work and good writing, too.<br /><br />Thanks so much for telling it like it is, Mike!Pamela Beason, Authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03248353762610509354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799373378016545552.post-29083212624596416442011-09-13T21:19:05.090+03:002011-09-13T21:19:05.090+03:00You and me both, Aric. About the people who appea...You and me both, Aric. About the people who appear to be rolling out so many books in a short period, I believe many of them are just pulling out all the unpublished manuscripts they've written over a period of years, giving them a quick polish (or not), and digitally publishing them. I think this is a temporary gush and will settle down eventually. So hang in their and stick to quality, it will pay off in the long run.Mike Wellshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14201237076057603217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799373378016545552.post-74707687160950052462011-09-13T21:07:35.978+03:002011-09-13T21:07:35.978+03:00Like you were speaking right to me. Of course, mos...Like you were speaking right to me. Of course, most of my frustration comes with the book itself. I'm not done making it the best it can be, so it's not out there right now getting me sales (or not getting me sales). I get frustrated by how looooong the process is when some people can roll out 12 books in 18 months. If anyone has advice for how you write faster without allowing the quality to suffer, I'm all ears :).Aric Mitchellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04675864907131784458noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799373378016545552.post-58376820318857947832011-09-09T09:18:43.164+03:002011-09-09T09:18:43.164+03:00this is a wonderful article. All writers need to r...this is a wonderful article. All writers need to read this, to heed this and to REMEMBER this advice. <br /><br />you must FIGHT for your dreams. Thank you for being an advocate for writers. Keep it upStephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15633376404773394397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799373378016545552.post-29393406828323030892011-09-09T02:43:55.110+03:002011-09-09T02:43:55.110+03:00I agree, Mike. Talent is a word used by people who...I agree, Mike. Talent is a word used by people who have never worked hard at anything to describe people who eat, breathe and sleep what they do -fun or not.Sarah Brabazonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06910824309837321774noreply@blogger.com