M.J. Rose is the International bestselling author of nine novels and the creator of the first marketing service for authors - AuthorBuzz. com. She's also on the founding board of ITW and runs the blog, Buzz, Balls & Hype.
M.J. had this to say:
Staying Alive
I think the single most difficult and yet liberating moment I had in publishing was when I found out that ultimately my success depended not on me or the reader, not on my talent or the responsiveness of the audience but by the vagaries of the publishing industry.
That truth was provided to me by a friend, who happens to be a very good agent, one day over lunch, when he simply said, no matter what you do for your book, you can't make yourself a bestseller.