Uneven. The publication stories from the first half of the book are very depressing, and made me think going indie would be the best way to get my novels published. Stories in the second half pick up a bit, but still have the air of persistence in the face of repeated abuse.
Three things I learned:
- One author's book was published 6 years after receiving an initial rejection, but only after the editor that rejected it died (!) and the person going through his office found the manuscript and liked it.
- Many authors at one point took a break from writing -- for 5, 8, 10 years -- and eventually came back to it, then stuck with it long enough to be published.
- Even after you sell your book to an editor, that book might not be published. The editor might get fired, or the publisher could close shop, or they could get bought out, and then your book is "orphaned" until you can get the rights back to it.
