If you have ever experienced the pain of rejection at a book signing–or have imagined that going on a book tour would be the answer to getting your book into the hands of readers–this essay is for you.  Author Steve Israel has written about the realities of rejection at U.S. book signings and says that compared to the rejection he experienced as a political figure, book signing rejections are far worse…

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“… sitting behind a pile of books at an Authors Night, watching people pick up your book as if it’s a piece of spongy fruit at the market, is sheer torture. Often, they frown skeptically, weigh the book in their hands, glance at a few pages and toss it back on the pile. All right in front of you.”  –Steve Israel, Author

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Comparing being a politician to being an author…

“Writing a book…is deeply personal. Politicians put on protective gear, fiction writers take it off — fully exposing their creativity, emotions, fantasies. It’s like unburdening oneself on a therapist’s couch, only every reader on earth is your therapist.

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Plus, there’s the issue of space. At elections, people reject you in the privacy of a voting booth. It stings, but it’s distant and anonymous. At a book signing, the judgments are cast from a distance of a few feet and in real time. The response to you is immediate.”

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Read His Essay Here