Books Quote by Jeff Goins
““When John Grisham finished A Time to Kill, he pitched it to forty different publishers who all rejected the book. Unfazed, he started working on a new novel. At this point, he’d had three years of practice and was beginning to understand that the creative life is a series of small steps more than any single giant leap. While working on his second book, Grisham published his first book with a short run of five thousand copies. When the publisher didn’t offer much support, he bought one thousand copies to market the book on his own. While promoting A Time to Kill, Grisham finished The Firm, which ended up with a major publisher and catapulted his career.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: Jeff Goins on Writing and Persistence, 2015
Success often comes from many small, persistent actions rather than a single breakthrough.
In simple terms: Small steps build big results.
Key Takeaway
Keep taking consistent, incremental actions.
Themes
persistence
creativity
career
growth
Mood
determined
optimistic
Type
motivational
inspirational
When to use this quote
- writing a novel
- self‑publishing
- marketing a book
- seeking publisher support
Key Concepts
incremental progress
self‑marketing
resilience
Questions to Reflect On
- What small habit could you start today to move your goal forward?
- How do you stay motivated after repeated rejections?
A Different Perspective
Even with many small steps, external factors like market timing can still hinder success.
