Learn To Embrace Whatever Success Comes Your Way

I have a friend who is an author who wanted to write novels about spiritual and cerebral topics. He tried screenwriting for Hollywood as part of pursuing that dream.

His success came when he did a how-to book and a companion online course.

He made a comment during a video interview that the how-to book and course are paying his mortgage. I’m sure if he could’ve wished upon a star he would’ve said I want to be famous and have the big sellers be his spiritual novel. Instead, it’s the how-to book. And so he writes how-to books.

You must embrace the gifts that the literary gods bestow upon you.

This is similar to the First Rule Of The Winemaker: make the wine that sells. A winemaker in Ohio told me something similar as I made a comment that he probably hated making his cheap sweet champagne (which I love). But he said making and selling the sweet champagne was what paid the bills for him to be able to make the other wines – the really intricate Meritage and whatnot – that he really loved.

He was embracing the gift that the wine gods bestowed upon him.

I wrote six books about life with my little girl. I got #1 bestseller status from a “family favorites” cookbook written with a co-author.

For a while, my second-most popular book was one where I primarily used other people’s stories to talk about a rare heart condition.

It was almost like, the less I had to do with a book, the better it did. That is certainly not what I want my literary legacy to be.

However, if that’s how it is, if that would pay the mortgage or buy me a yacht, then I would have to accept that and make a decision: do I want to be in this niche – and maybe pay the bills for me to do things I want or do – or I want to go do something else?

Every actor that gets off the bus in Hollywood wants to be Channing Tatum or Bradley Cooper – but remember, Tatum actually had to work as a stripper to pay the bills before Magic Mike was ever on his radar screen, and Cooper might like to forget about his role in “Wet Hot American Summer.”

Everybody had to start somewhere. That doesn’t mean give up on your dream; it means embrace what success the gods are bestowing upon you.

For Bruce Willis, it was Dr. Pepper ads for a while. He got the last laugh.

The rule of the winemaker plays in, too. Make what sells, and it may help you make what you want – and maybe that allows the ship to stay afloat long enough for your special stuff to find its market.

If you are humble enough to embrace the gifts the literary gods bestow upon you.

.

.

Enjoy my writing brilliance in all its glory on my Author Page HERE http://www.amazon.com/Dan-Alatorre/e/B00EUX7HEU/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

and find out about the release of my new book “25 Great eBook Marketing Tips You Wish You Knew” by emailing me at savvystories@outlook.com and I’ll let you know when you can get a free advance copy! Shh! Don’t tell.