The Bibliophile
“Alice! Munchkin, we make a great team, you, and me!
Read this chapter and assess if it warrants my attention.”
My eight-year-old bibliophile seized the manuscript with gusto,
and retreated into her haven, her happy place, the bookish realm.
Publisher’s daughter she was, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
Occasional gasps of wonderment punctuated the silence,
an hour later she emerged, as excited as a puppy seeking a treat.
Her face glowed like the sun; eyes full of jubilant exhilaration.
“Daddy, where is the next chapter? This is fabulously delightful!”
Who else to gauge children’s fiction better than a child?
I called the agent to sign up the author with an advance,
“Give me subsequent chapters too!” Alice demanded from behind.
The best decision of my life; a gamechanger, a windfall, a blessing,
rejected by many; a diamond spotted by my little connoisseur.
My sagacious sweetheart made Harry Potter known to the world,
establishing JK Rowling as a household name, and enriching lives.
Dear writers, wear your rejections like badges of honor.
For every snub, a bibliophile is waiting to read your story,
longing to proclaim to the world, the true worth of your work.
AUTHORS NOTE
JK Rowling’s Harry Potter was rejected by several publishers until Bloomsbury picked it up.
Nigel Newton of Bloomsbury publishing gave the first chapter to his eight-year-old Alice, to test its appeal. She came to him back in an hour, demanding the entire book. Newton went on to sign Rowling, and the rest is history.
Bless bibliophiles (book lovers) like Alice for bringing Harry Potter and other amazing characters into our lives.
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