As a result of the generous RNR article this morning (https://www.newsreview.com/…/cool-enough-for-school/content…), I've been asked already several times about the infamous "Rejection Notebooks" I've been keeping for almost 20 years. Originally, I kept them as a way to keep organized about to whom I'd already submitted, but soon after lugging them to a few school visits, I realized that they have incredible power to illustrate just how much persistence is required for authors who hope to be published. Or for that matter for anyone pursuing a dream. I'll soon hit 30 books in print, but there are at least 1,000 rejections here. And I stopped filing them a few years ago when I began exclusively submitting via email--so I probably have another notebook's-worth in digital form. I also stopped because there's no need to risk hernia, even for an author visit :)
