Paul Harding won this year's Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his novel Tinker, a 191 page story of a dying man and his relationship with his father in Maine. Harding, a 42 year-old former rock drummer started writing his novel when he was studying at the Iowa Writer's workshop. He took some years to write the book, and once he was done he submitted it to every major publisher -- and every major publisher rejected it!
He was told the story didn't move fast enough -- no car chases, or big romances, or action scenes. However, he didn't give up. Eventually Bellevue Literary Press, a small independent publisher affiliated with NYU Medical School, published the novel. Before the news about the Pulitzer Prize came out, it had sold 15,000 copies since January, 2009. The book had become a favorite amongst independent bookstore owners, and they recommended it to clients. Now, of course, it will sell more. (By the way, I found most of these facts from stories in USA Today and the New York Times). Harding now teaches at the Iowa Workshop, and recently won a Guggenheim fellowship. And he will have a much easier time selling his next novels.
But this is a programming blog. Why am I telling you this? Take a minute and think about it. Figure it out yet? Here's why -- Paul Harding is a lesson for all of us. He wrote the book he wanted to write. Clearly he wrote it well. His success came from sticking to his vision, and not changing it just to be commercial. If you've read my other posts, you know that what's commercial today may not be tomorrow -- but quality programming endures.
Secondly, the best advertising is good word of mouth. If you have a program or an idea that people recommend to their friends, you've got a great chance for success. You don't have to start with a splash. Start with a small ripple, and let your network build.
One final lesson: Paul Harding put in time over several years and finished his novel. He didn't win a prize for his idea of a novel. What are you doing to make your idea a reality?
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