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Rejections can Lead
to Major Success
By Melvin Durai
Did you hear the story of the University of Maryland mathematics professor who
tried to write fiction? Poor guy. He was rejected more than 50 times. He should
have stuck to solving complex equations, leaving the business of making up
stories to authors, playwrights and presidential candidates.
For more than a decade, Manil Suri's attempts at writing produced only one minor
credit, a short story published in a Bulgarian-language journal whose editors
somehow mistook him for a writer. The Indian native couldn't get a single short
story published in English, yet he had the nerve to embark on a novel. What was
he thinking? Or, more precisely, what was he drinking?
Surely he must have realized, after so many rejections, that bookstores wouldn't
want to give up valuable space for his writing, not even on their bathroom
walls. Surely he must have realized, after so many rejections, that he'd have
better luck trying to explain his complex equations to George W. Bush.
Suri: "Mr. President, I've come to the White House to explain the numerical
analysis of partial differential equations."
Bush: "The numerical what of what? Who sent you here? The Democrats? Those
left-wing nuts are peeved at me for pushing a tax cut."
Suri: "No, Mr. President, it wasn't the Democrats. I'm just trying to see
if this is easier than writing a book."
Bush: "You're thinking of writing a book? We have something in common. I'm
thinking of reading a book. My wife, Laura, knows a lot about books. She was
once a librian. I mean, liberian."
Suri: "From Liberia?"
Bush: "No, silly. From Midland, Texas. She used to work in the lie-bury.
You know, that place where people lie buried in books. She once brought a book
home for me. It was long. Took me 10 years, but I finally got through the first
chapter. I still don’t know what happened to Hansel and Gretel."
Suri: "They moved to Liberia."
Bush: "Oh no, they became Liberals."
It's a good thing Suri persisted in writing his novel "The Death of
Vishnu," for it eventually created a bidding war among publishers, earning
him an advance of $350,000 and allowing him to immediately show support for
Bush's tax cut.
Yes, the aspiring writer who endured years of rejection is now happily ascending
the bestseller list, using his advanced math skills to extrapolate his royalty
checks. For his next book, he'll be the one doing the rejecting.
"An advance of only $500,000? Sorry, that's way too little. My last book
was translated into 42 languages and sold out within a day in Bulgaria. Simon
& Schuster has offered me a cool million, as well as a Porsche, yacht, and
Sony PlayStation 2."
As Suri knows, rejection may sting a little, but it's better than not trying.
That's why I've always tried hard to get rejected. I've been rejected so many
times, I should be in the Guinness Book of World Rejects. I've been rejected by
women, employers, editors, women, banks, credit card companies, women, newspaper
syndicates, colleges, and did I mention women?
Despite all that rejection, I'm following in Manil Suri's footsteps and trying
desperately to get published in Bulgaria. From him and others, I've figured out
something important: Learning to handle rejection is a vital ingredient of
success.
Melvin Durai is an Indiana-based
writer and humorist. A native of India, he grew up
in Zambia and moved to the U.S. in the
early 1980s. For a free subscription to his columns,
send a blank message to
durai-humor-on@mail-list.com or go to http://www.melvindurai.com.
For more information on Manil Suri and his book, go to http://www.manilsuri.com.
Copyright 2001 Melvin Durai, All rights reserved.
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