Last week, our Elementary School students were visited by New York Times bestselling author, Mark Cheverton. With over 30 published books and more on the way, it is easy to look at Cheverton and see someone who has always succeeded, but that is not the case here. Cheverton shared the importance of perseverance with our students, pointing to himself as the prime example.
Before becoming a published author, Cheverton had a long career as a teacher and a researcher. He had a passion for writing and decided to try to get a book published. Cheverton knew that in order to share his book with the world, he would need a publisher and an agent. This would turn out to be the biggest obstacle for him, but he only needed one person to see the potential in his writing to start his career. Rejection is part of the process.
Anticipating the challenges ahead, Cheverton and his son set a goal to get 100 rejections. This seemed to be an ample amount of publishers to contact. In the end, the pair received 253 rejections. Cheverton felt defeated but continued to pursue his passion of writing. In total, he spent thousands of hours writing four books that were ultimately rejected. “It is ok to fail, as long as you learn from your failure,” Cheverton told students.
This is when Cheverton decided to self-publish his work using Amazon. In just five months, he sold 50,000 copies of his self-published work. The book naturally picked up traction, to the point that agents and publishers were now reaching out to Cheverton! “If you give up, you guarantee the outcome,” shared Cheverton. It is important to not allow “Nos” to define you.
Now, Cheverton has written and published over 30 books. His books are available in 32 countries and 22 languages. His career as a writer is an example of the power of resilience. Thank you for stopping by to inspire us all! You can learn more about Mark Cheverton and his work on his website.