"I got nice rejections explaining that historical fiction was a difficult sell. But I kept trying"
About this Quote
Anita Diamant captures a familiar tension in publishing: the polite no that still closes the door. The phrase "nice rejections" signals that editors recognized craft or promise but deferred to the market calculus. Calling historical fiction a "difficult sell" reduces a literary vision to a risk profile, suggesting that audience size and shelving categories matter more than originality. Yet the second sentence, "But I kept trying", flips the power dynamic. Persistence becomes a strategy not just against discouragement but against the industry assumptions that often lag behind readers.
Historical fiction has long been cyclical in the marketplace, thriving when a fresh angle emerges and receding when it is seen as niche or schoolish. Diamant began as a journalist and nonfiction writer, then turned to a biblical-era narrative centered on womens lives in The Red Tent. On paper, that premise likely seemed narrow: ancient setting, female-centered retelling, religious backdrop. In practice, it tapped into a vast appetite for layered, immersive stories and for voices overlooked in canonical texts. The book did not explode immediately; it grew through book clubs and word of mouth, a reminder that many "difficult sells" simply need time and the right community.
The quote also exposes the euphemisms of gatekeeping. "Difficult sell" is rarely a verdict on quality; it is a hedge against being wrong. But hedges can become self-fulfilling when they keep new kinds of stories from reaching readers. Diamant’s patience contests that cycle. By continuing to submit, revise, and advocate, she let readers, not forecasts, determine value. The lesson is not that every rejection hides a bestseller, but that market wisdom is provisional. Genres bloom when writers push through the polite no, when editors take measured risks, and when readers prove, again and again, that curiosity outpaces caution.
Historical fiction has long been cyclical in the marketplace, thriving when a fresh angle emerges and receding when it is seen as niche or schoolish. Diamant began as a journalist and nonfiction writer, then turned to a biblical-era narrative centered on womens lives in The Red Tent. On paper, that premise likely seemed narrow: ancient setting, female-centered retelling, religious backdrop. In practice, it tapped into a vast appetite for layered, immersive stories and for voices overlooked in canonical texts. The book did not explode immediately; it grew through book clubs and word of mouth, a reminder that many "difficult sells" simply need time and the right community.
The quote also exposes the euphemisms of gatekeeping. "Difficult sell" is rarely a verdict on quality; it is a hedge against being wrong. But hedges can become self-fulfilling when they keep new kinds of stories from reaching readers. Diamant’s patience contests that cycle. By continuing to submit, revise, and advocate, she let readers, not forecasts, determine value. The lesson is not that every rejection hides a bestseller, but that market wisdom is provisional. Genres bloom when writers push through the polite no, when editors take measured risks, and when readers prove, again and again, that curiosity outpaces caution.
Quote Details
| Topic | Never Give Up |
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