Anonymous wrote:OP i know it is hard to swallow but deep down you know that bestseller status is unfortunately almost barely correlated with the quality of the book. The bestseller list is full of … mediocre books. It’s also full of people who were able to game the system with mass orders - a megachurch that bought thousands of its pastor’s book in presale to ensure it debuted as a bestseller comes to mind. Great books sell a handful of copies all the time.
- Publishing industry person.

Yes, this. Also, OPs book will sell more as backlist if she publishes more books.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only thing you're failing at is persistence. Other than that, you're perfectly fine. If you want to throw in the towel, that's fine too but be at peace with it.

Either persist and show resilience or be at peace with living your regular life (which is a perfectly fine life, btw).

OP here. This is what I can't figure out how to do. I'd love to be successful in some aspect, but I just keep failing. And I get it - not everyone can be successful. I just want to learn to be ok with that.

OP you don’t “keep failing” at writing because you wrote one book! An author friend of mine was in the same situation as you 10 years ago. Guess what she did? Wrote another book and sold it to another publisher. She now makes $100k a year with a book a year. Her 3rd book is still hugest selling, so not all winners. It’s not like writing is some upward trajectory. You clearly aren’t listening to podcasts or talking with writer friends to know your situation is common.

And WTH do you mean that because you’re in your late 40s your life is over? That is disordered thinking. Read up on CBT.

Have you ever heard of internal locus of control? You attribute your success and failure to your own control, which leads to more success.