For the pre-published:
- How many queries did he send?
- How many agents offered?
- How many rejections?
- How long did it take her to write that draft??
- How long did it take to sell her book?
- How many editors did you submit to?
- How many publishing houses offered?
And it doesn't stop there. Even on "this side" of the fence, there are numbers to obsess over:
- How many books has she sold?
- How much was her advance?
- How many books were in her deal?
- What's her print run?
- How many ARCs did she get?
And on and on. And on. AND ON.
I want to stop the madness. Today I declare that the freaking numbers do not matter. So what if she can write a book in 11 days? Does that really matter? Does that mean that she's somehow better than you, because it takes you 11 weeks or 11 months or 11 years to write a draft?
I want to climb on the table and shout: "That's ridiculous!"
I think we all know it's ridiculous, but deep down inside, it matters to us. But it shouldn't. It shouldn't.
It doesn't matter if someone sends 5 queries Or 50. Or 500. If they get a request, yay! It doesn't matter how many agents offer on your manuscript. Just because someone gets two offers, or five, or ten, doesn't mean their book is better than yours.
IT DOESN'T. (Repeat it. Repeat it again.)
Just like it doesn't make a bit of difference if a book sells in 1 day or 1 year.
Seriously. Both books sold! They'll both be published. They'll both have covers and be enjoyed. It matters not how long or how many of something the book has under it's belt.
Now, it might make the journey easier or harder for the author, but TIME/QUANTITY does not influence the QUALITY of the book.
And I think it's time (ha!) we gave up on the freaking numbers. Stop using them to compare ourselves and our work to someone else. That's a dangerous game with a slippery slope. I know. I've played it before. It's not fun.
So today, I'm advocating that you spend your time doing what matters: writing your next best-seller.
Are you all hung up on numbers? Do you think faster = better? Or more = better?
The only thing I want more of faster, is bacon. And sour patch kids. And summer.