I have some really exciting news to share, and one thing that just knocked the wind out of me. Last week I met with the brilliant art director who made the Griffin and Sabine series happen. She deeply connected with my book and expressed her belief that is should be out there in the world. She has offered to help make that happen and shared with me the contacts of two others who worked with her at Chronicle Books. I love this woman. :) I was deeply honored that the artist and change agent who traveled across continents to get Griffin and Sabine put together would connect and help with my own. Ive worked on Searching for the Echo-Man for over 15 years now and my identity is pretty wrapped up in this project. Her affirmation of it was deeply moving. And then something happened. I met a brilliant man last week who also connected with my work. He is a self-published author of an amazing graphic novel and is starting an independent publishing company. He thought my book would fit well with its mission. He tentatively offered to finance the publishing costs, connect me with agents in New York for speaking gigs, and discussed the possibility of building an app connected with the book. I was thrilled and honored. It happened so quickly and again I felt so touched that people found my writing and artwork significant. He believes in me. He started showing my book around and then sent me a sad email rescinding the offer. It wasnt going to work this time. The production costs are going to be significant and though he still loves my book, its just not going to work. Its a pretty sizable risk for an individual to take on a first time author. I was crestfallen. It has always been easier for my heart to believe and over-focus on the ever-playing rejection narrative it gravitates toward than to choose to believe what is true. I started to lose heart. Thats my souls M.O. Yet this morning it chose to do something shockingly different. I chose not to this time. The truth is that people do connect with my work. The truth is that my book seems to move people, it seems to inspire vision. It surfaces personal stories and spurs creativity and deep reflection. It taps into something deeper in ways that transcend my initial intentions and takes people to places I never imagined. This book is going to outlive me and it is going to prompt significant things I never dreamed of as a struggling 23 year-old sleeping on the hard, dusty floor of a Korean Sunday School room in L.A. Im proud of it and I believe in it. I think that its significant and worth the 15 years of my life I poured into it. It is going to get published. I just need to find the right fit. So I am going to choose to be encouraged and move forward. Im going to choose to risk failing, risk rejection. Im going to choose to go after this thing because I believe helping others discover their true identity, purpose, meaning, and place in this world is a project worth a little failing and rejection. Im still a little tender though, so wish me luck.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 15:23:31 +0000
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