--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I just submitted what I had to the…" description: "\"I just submitted what I had to the 'Octopus Books' contest open reading period, and they said they wanted to publish my poetry book. Then I started to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b27/jenny-zhang-7725_books_i-just-submitted-what-i-had-to-the-octop_629536.jpg" --- # I just submitted what I had to the 'Octopus Books' contest… ![“I just submitted what I had to the 'Octopus Books' contest open reading period, and they said they wanted to publish my poetry book. Then I started to publish more and more poetry because people would ask me to do readings or ask me submit something for their journal.” quote by Jenny Zhang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b27/jenny-zhang-7725_books_i-just-submitted-what-i-had-to-the-octop_629536.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b27/jenny-zhang-7725_books_i-just-submitted-what-i-had-to-the-octop_629536.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b27/jenny-zhang-7725_books_i-just-submitted-what-i-had-to-the-octop_629536.jpg) > “I just submitted what I had to the 'Octopus Books' contest open reading period, and they said they wanted to publish my poetry book. Then I started to publish more and more poetry because people would ask me to do readings or ask me submit something for their journal.” [Jenny Zhang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-zhang/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author describes how initial acceptance led to a cycle of more publishing and public demand, showing how early success can amplify creative output. **In simple terms:** Early success sparked ongoing demand for more work. Key Takeaway Leverage early wins to build momentum. Themes creativity recognition career growth Mood enthusiastic reflective Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - literary festivals - journal submissions - poetry readings Key Concepts feedback loop public demand artist development Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance audience expectations with personal artistic goals? - What strategies keep creativity sustainable? A Different Perspective Success can create pressure to constantly produce, risking burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) ## Related quotes > [ If I could get that girl \[Courtney Love\] to publish her poetry, the world would change. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/if-i-could-get-that-girl-courtney-love-to-publish-her-poetry-the/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [People who publish poetry today do it from a sense that poetry needs to be published, not because they think they are going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-mcgrath/people-who-publish-poetry-today-do-it-from-a-sense-that-poetry-needs/) [Campbell McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-mcgrath/) > [ I actually wanted to publish \[ interview with Donald Trump about Citizen Kane\] in the New York Times, but the circumstances under which I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/i-actually-wanted-to-publish-interview-with-donald-trump-about/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [My only requirement for that first story was that there had to be a fight or an explosion on every page. 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People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) ## More by Jenny Zhang > [I grew up in a Chinese American enclave where the person who lived down the street had literally lived down the street from my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-zhang/i-grew-up-in-a-chinese-american-enclave-where-the-person-who-lived/) [Jenny Zhang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-zhang/) > [I think it was really important for me before I 'debuted myself' in front of the world to have a private life with my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-zhang/i-think-it-was-really-important-for-me-before-i-debuted-myself-in/) [Jenny Zhang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-zhang/) > [When it comes to love, maturity often gets a bad rap - second love is boring; it's practical. 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People don't want to waste their time on anything less than 'great.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-zhang/that-s-what-people-expect-they-don-t-want-to-read-a-slight-novel/) [Jenny Zhang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-zhang/) > [My privileged upbringing and education and linguistic fluency gave me such proximity to whiteness that it stung all the more to still find myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-zhang/my-privileged-upbringing-and-education-and-linguistic-fluency-gave-me/) [Jenny Zhang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-zhang/) > [I still catch myself trying to become the object someone imagines me to be, but then there are other times, when I am free,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-zhang/i-still-catch-myself-trying-to-become-the-object-someone-imagines-me/) [Jenny Zhang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-zhang/) > [How do we form a coalition of resistance without obliterating our differences? 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It's just a performance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-zhang/it-s-okay-if-someone-is-disgusted-or-offended-by-my-performance-it-s/) [Jenny Zhang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-zhang/) [Explore all 88 Jenny Zhang quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-zhang/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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