--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you're trying to be a successful…" description: "\"If you're trying to be a successful writer, and you go into a second-hand bookshop, it's the graveyard of people whose books haven't been wanted.\" — Ma..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f5/mark-haddon-1056_been_if-you-re-trying-to-be-a-successful-writ_3100511.png" --- # If you're trying to be a successful writer, and you go… ![“If you're trying to be a successful writer, and you go into a second-hand bookshop, it's the graveyard of people whose books haven't been wanted.” quote by Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f5/mark-haddon-1056_been_if-you-re-trying-to-be-a-successful-writ_3100511.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f5/mark-haddon-1056_been_if-you-re-trying-to-be-a-successful-writ_3100511.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f5/mark-haddon-1056_been_if-you-re-trying-to-be-a-successful-writ_3100511.png) > “If you're trying to be a successful writer, and you go into a second-hand bookshop, it's the graveyard of people whose books haven't been wanted.” [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Second‑hand bookshops symbolize abandoned ideas, warning writers to seek fresh, wanted content. **In simple terms:** Unused books reflect neglected ideas; aim for relevance. Key Takeaway Seek originality and audience relevance. Themes creativity relevance writing market failure Mood encouraging pragmatic Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - writing workshops - editing - marketing - career planning Key Concepts idea generation audience analysis publishing strategy Questions to Reflect On - What untapped ideas could you revive? - How do you test if a story is wanted? A Different Perspective Focusing solely on novelty can ignore timeless value. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Been](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/been/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Bookshop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bookshop/) [Bookshop Graveyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bookshop-graveyard-5371214/) [Go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/go/) [Graveyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graveyard/) [Hand Bookshop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hand-bookshop-5371215/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Second hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/second-hand/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [Whose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whose/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Second](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-second-4562839/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [A perfect treat must include a trip to a second-hand bookshop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-perfect-treat-must-include-a-trip-to-a-second-hand-bookshop/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [The first draft is for YOU, the writer; the second and subsequent drafts are for the reader. Trying to do both things at once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-karbo/the-first-draft-is-for-you-the-writer-the-second-and-subsequent/) [Karen Karbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-karbo/) > [To stand in a great bookshop crammed with books so new that their pages almost stick together, and the gilt on their backs is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/to-stand-in-a-great-bookshop-crammed-with-books-so-new-that-their/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“The bookshop of Kipps is on the left-hand side of the Hythe High Street coming from Folkestone, between the yard of the livery stable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/the-bookshop-of-kipps-is-on-the-left-hand-side-of-the-hythe-high/) [H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/) > [Because there is nothing I would rather do than rummage through bookshops, I went at once to Hastings & Sons Bookshop upon receiving your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/because-there-is-nothing-i-would-rather-do-than-rummage-through/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) > [“The bookshop felt damp and chilly, but it was still and unsupervised bookshop, and Anna felt a frisson of excitement as she scanned the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-dillon/the-bookshop-felt-damp-and-chilly-but-it-was-still-and-unsupervised/) [Lucy Dillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-dillon/) > [In a town like London there are always plenty of not quite certifiable lunatics walking the streets, and they tend to gravitate towards bookshops,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-a-town-like-london-there-are-always-plenty-of-not-quite/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“He is totally abandoned in the way he buys book after book, never to read a single one. I wouldn't mind if he used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsume-s-seki/he-is-totally-abandoned-in-the-way-he-buys-book-after-book-never-to/) [Natsume Sōseki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsume-s-seki/) > [A good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-good-bookshop-is-just-a-genteel-black-hole-that-knows-how-to-read/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“though books, as Milton says, may be the embalming of mighty spirits, they are also the resurrection of rebellious, reactionary, fantastical, and wicked spirits!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/though-books-as-milton-says-may-be-the-embalming-of-mighty-spirits/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [“Yes, we know you are a graduate with PhD. But when was the last time you chase after a book shop to buy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/yes-we-know-you-are-a-graduate-with-phd-but-when-was-the-last-time/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“Forever feels a long time when you're eighteen. When you're away from home for the first time in your life, when you forge instant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-green/forever-feels-a-long-time-when-you-re-eighteen-when-you-re-away-from/) [Jane Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-green/) > [If your memory was OK you could descend upon on a bookshop – a big enough one so that the staff wouldn’t hassle a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/if-your-memory-was-ok-you-could-descend-upon-on-a-bookshop-a-big/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [“Words cannot do justice to the pleasures of a good bookshop. Ironically. (Waterstones Trafalgar Square)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/waterstones/words-cannot-do-justice-to-the-pleasures-of-a-good-bookshop/) [Waterstones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/waterstones/) > [“A bookshop is a peaceful sanctuary of silent voices waiting to heard”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mala-naidoo/a-bookshop-is-a-peaceful-sanctuary-of-silent-voices-waiting-to-heard/) [Mala Naidoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mala-naidoo/) ## More by Mark Haddon > [But I said that you could still want something that is very unlikely to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/but-i-said-that-you-could-still-want-something-that-is-very-unlikely/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“So often these days she seemed to hover between worlds, none of them wholly real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/so-often-these-days-she-seemed-to-hover-between-worlds-none-of-them/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [And I know I can do this because I went to London on my own, and because I solved the mystery…and I was brave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/and-i-know-i-can-do-this-because-i-went-to-london-on-my-own-and/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [And what he meant was that maths wasn't like life because in life there are no straightforward answers in the end](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/and-what-he-meant-was-that-maths-wasn-t-like-life-because-in-life/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [You love someone, you've got to let something go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/you-love-someone-you-ve-got-to-let-something-go/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“when you describe something by using a word for something that it isn’t. This means that the word metaphor is a metaphor. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/when-you-describe-something-by-using-a-word-for-something-that-it-isn/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/they-are-very-logical-but-you-could-never-work-out-the-rules-even-if/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“Places remained and time flowed through them like wind through the grass. Right now. This was the future turning into the past. One thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/places-remained-and-time-flowed-through-them-like-wind-through-the/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [I suffer depression only in the sense that I am a writer. We don't have proper jobs to go to. We are on our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-suffer-depression-only-in-the-sense-that-i-am-a-writer-we-don-t/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [I better make the plot good. I wanted to make it grip people on the first page and have a big turning point in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-better-make-the-plot-good-i-wanted-to-make-it-grip-people-on-the/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“And it was strange because he was calling, "Christopher. . . ? Christopher. . . ?" and I could see my name written out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/and-it-was-strange-because-he-was-calling-christopher-christopher-and/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [A lot of roles for people with disabilities are quite patronising. It's a real pity when they are just used to give dull PC…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/a-lot-of-roles-for-people-with-disabilities-are-quite-patronising-it/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [I do not like strangers because I do not like people I have never met before. They are hard to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-do-not-like-strangers-because-i-do-not-like-people-i-have-never-met/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“Lots of people wrote to the magazine to say that Marilyn vos Savant was wrong, even when she explained very carefully why she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/lots-of-people-wrote-to-the-magazine-to-say-that-marilyn-vos-savant/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [I read very, very little fiction as a kid. All the books I can remember are junior science books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-read-very-very-little-fiction-as-a-kid-all-the-books-i-can-remember/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) [Explore all 278 Mark Haddon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) ## More Been quotes > [When I was trying to come up with a stage name, I thought 'Lord' was super rad, but really masculine - ever since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/when-i-was-trying-to-come-up-with-a-stage-name-i-thought-lord-was/) [Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/) > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) > [A lot of people have been saying 'The 100' reminds them of 'Lord Of The Flies,' 'Lost' and 'Battlestar Galactica,' and all of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-avgeropoulos/a-lot-of-people-have-been-saying-the-100-reminds-them-of-lord-of-the/) [Marie Avgeropoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-avgeropoulos/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [Well, I've been politically involved for a really long time. Growing up in the segregated South, it was a very painful experience for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cybill-shepherd/well-i-ve-been-politically-involved-for-a-really-long-time-growing-up/) [Cybill Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cybill-shepherd/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [Windmills and solar cells are carbon-free sources of electricity. But they are costly. If you've been investing in those, give it up. That game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fisher/windmills-and-solar-cells-are-carbon-free-sources-of-electricity-but/) [Kenneth Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fisher/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [There has always been a feeling with people that they love my singing but not always the choice of material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/there-has-always-been-a-feeling-with-people-that-they-love-my-singing/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [I've always been a believer in research. It's great to have an instinctual human reaction to a character, too, of course, but it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-ve-always-been-a-believer-in-research-it-s-great-to-have-an/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) [Browse all 13,699 Been quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/been/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you're trying to be a successful writer, and you go into a second-hand bookshop, it's the graveyard of people whose books haven't been wanted.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Haddon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/if-you-re-trying-to-be-a-successful-writer-and-you-go-into-a-second/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Been" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/if-you-re-trying-to-be-a-successful-writer-and-you-go-into-a-second/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f5/mark-haddon-1056_been_if-you-re-trying-to-be-a-successful-writ_3100511.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f5/mark-haddon-1056_been_if-you-re-trying-to-be-a-successful-writ_3100511.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f5/mark-haddon-1056_been_if-you-re-trying-to-be-a-successful-writ_3100511.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you're trying to be a successful writer, and you go into a second-hand bookshop, it's the graveyard of…” — Mark Haddon", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Mark Haddon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you're trying to be a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/if-you-re-trying-to-be-a-successful-writer-and-you-go-into-a-second/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/if-you-re-trying-to-be-a-successful-writer-and-you-go-into-a-second/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```