--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In many ways, it was much, much harder to…" description: "\"In many ways, it was much, much harder to get the first book contract. The hardest thing probably overall has been learning not to trust people, public..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/neil-gaiman-29_book_in-many-ways-it-was-much-much-harder-to_3096819.jpg" --- # In many ways, it was much, much harder to get the first… ![“In many ways, it was much, much harder to get the first book contract. The hardest thing probably overall has been learning not to trust people, publicists and so forth, implicitly.” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/neil-gaiman-29_book_in-many-ways-it-was-much-much-harder-to_3096819.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/neil-gaiman-29_book_in-many-ways-it-was-much-much-harder-to_3096819.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/neil-gaiman-29_book_in-many-ways-it-was-much-much-harder-to_3096819.jpg) > “In many ways, it was much, much harder to get the first book contract. The hardest thing probably overall has been learning not to trust people, publicists and so forth, implicitly.” [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Learning to distrust industry insiders is a hard but protective lesson. **In simple terms:** Trusting people too easily can hurt you. Key Takeaway Be cautious with trust in professional settings. Themes trust industry vulnerability Mood cautious thoughtful Type advice reflective When to use this quote - book deals - agent negotiations - publicist collaborations - career planning Key Concepts publishing psychology risk management Questions to Reflect On - What boundaries will you set with collaborators? - How do you balance trust and skepticism? A Different Perspective Blind trust can also lead to missed opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book Contract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-contract-400919/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Contract Hardest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contract-hardest-5348852/) [Harder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harder/) [Harder Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harder-book-1001986/) [Hardest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hardest/) [Hardest thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hardest-thing/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Ways Harder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ways-harder-1238255/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I always want to try to bring something fresh to every book. It's getting harder instead of easier. I feel like I work harder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/i-always-want-to-try-to-bring-something-fresh-to-every-book-it-s/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [In some ways, this one was harder, because I felt like I was doing an impersonation of myself. Which, aside from being nearly impossible,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-keaton/in-some-ways-this-one-was-harder-because-i-felt-like-i-was-doing-an/) [Michael Keaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-keaton/) > [Until I became a nurse, no one had ever asked me to sign a book contract. I had been writing for decades, read thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-amsterdam/until-i-became-a-nurse-no-one-had-ever-asked-me-to-sign-a-book/) [Steven Amsterdam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-amsterdam/) > [I set the goal of getting a book contract by age thirty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/i-set-the-goal-of-getting-a-book-contract-by-age-thirty/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [When you write your first book, you're writing in a vacuum; it doesn't matter how much time it takes. And then with the second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/when-you-write-your-first-book-you-re-writing-in-a-vacuum-it-doesn-t/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [“The author is at one end of the experience of writing and the reader is at the other, and the book is the contract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-humphreys/the-author-is-at-one-end-of-the-experience-of-writing-and-the-reader/) [Helen Humphreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-humphreys/) > [I was extraordinarily lucky. I wrote a book because I wanted to see if I could write a mystery. Someone nagged me into sending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-leon/i-was-extraordinarily-lucky-i-wrote-a-book-because-i-wanted-to-see-if/) [Donna Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-leon/) > [I wouldn't write any kind of book without a contract and an advance. You can't invest that amount of time and effort without one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harrison-salisbury/i-wouldn-t-write-any-kind-of-book-without-a-contract-and-an-advance/) [Harrison Salisbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harrison-salisbury/) > [I quit law in 1988 to start writing, and it took me 17 years from that point to get a book contract. I guess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/i-quit-law-in-1988-to-start-writing-and-it-took-me-17-years-from-that/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [Publishing is a business. It's about squeezing every last dollar out of every available source, and the most vulnerable source is the author. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hauser/publishing-is-a-business-it-s-about-squeezing-every-last-dollar-out/) [Thomas Hauser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hauser/) > [I signed my first book contract without paying much attention to what it said. I didn't know at the time that the book would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-land/i-signed-my-first-book-contract-without-paying-much-attention-to-what/) [Stephanie Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-land/) > [Because YouTube is focused on a lot of different types of content at the same time, it has many opportunities, and the hardest thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kyncl/because-youtube-is-focused-on-a-lot-of-different-types-of-content-at/) [Robert Kyncl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kyncl/) > [I think that one of the hardest things in the world to be is a black male. I mean everyone hates your guts. White…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-think-that-one-of-the-hardest-things-in-the-world-to-be-is-a-black/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [For a lot of women, one of the hardest things about leadership is the desire to be liked by everyone. That's often inconsistent with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weddington/for-a-lot-of-women-one-of-the-hardest-things-about-leadership-is-the/) [Sarah Weddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weddington/) > [I was in good shape from Divergent. Damien Chazelle, the director of Whiplash told me, ‘Stop Working Out! Don’t go outside!’ He wanted me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-teller/i-was-in-good-shape-from-divergent-damien-chazelle-the-director-of/) [Miles Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-teller/) ## More by Neil Gaiman > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Like all sentient beings, Fat Charlie had a weirdness quotient. For some days the needle had been over in the red, occasionally banging jerkily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/like-all-sentient-beings-fat-charlie-had-a-weirdness-quotient-for/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Shadow crawled across the floor to the yellow foam-rubber pad and climbed onto it, pulling the thin blanket over himself, and closed his eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-crawled-across-the-floor-to-the-yellow-foam-rubber-pad-and/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [ “\[T\]hey could not help being amused every time another little human believed itself the center of its world, as each of us does.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/t-hey-could-not-help-being-amused-every-time-another-little-human/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [So many things to see, people to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/so-many-things-to-see-people-to-do/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.’ – Ben Franklin,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/three-may-keep-a-secret-if-two-of-them-are-dead-ben-franklin/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You need more than a beginning if you're going to start a book. If all you have is a beginning, then once you've written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-need-more-than-a-beginning-if-you-re-going-to-start-a-book-if-all/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You can tell the date of an old science fiction novel by every word on the page. Nothing dates harder and faster and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-can-tell-the-date-of-an-old-science-fiction-novel-by-every-word/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“The quickest way is sometimes the longest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-quickest-way-is-sometimes-the-longest/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“They were spells, spelled with words to make worlds, waiting for me, in the pages of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/they-were-spells-spelled-with-words-to-make-worlds-waiting-for-me-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Finish what you're writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/finish-what-you-re-writing-whatever-you-have-to-do-to-finish-it/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [What do stars do? They shine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-do-stars-do-they-shine/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“What," asked Mr Croup, "do you want?" "What," asked the Marquis de Carabas, a little more rhetorically, "does anyone want?" "Dead things," suggested Mr…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-asked-mr-croup-do-you-want-what-asked-the-marquis-de-carabas-a/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You get on with your own life. Lettie gave it to you. You just have to grow up and try and be worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-get-on-with-your-own-life-lettie-gave-it-to-you-you-just-have-to/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Eyes will not see you. Minds will not hold you. Where you are is nothing and nobody”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/eyes-will-not-see-you-minds-will-not-hold-you-where-you-are-is/) [neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) [Explore all 2,526 Neil Gaiman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## More Book 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/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In many ways, it was much, much harder to get the first book contract. The hardest thing probably overall has been learning not to trust people, publicists and so forth, implicitly.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neil Gaiman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/in-many-ways-it-was-much-much-harder-to-get-the-first-book-contract/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/in-many-ways-it-was-much-much-harder-to-get-the-first-book-contract/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/neil-gaiman-29_book_in-many-ways-it-was-much-much-harder-to_3096819.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/neil-gaiman-29_book_in-many-ways-it-was-much-much-harder-to_3096819.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/neil-gaiman-29_book_in-many-ways-it-was-much-much-harder-to_3096819.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In many ways, it was much, much harder to get the first book contract. The hardest thing probably overall…” — Neil Gaiman", "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": "Neil Gaiman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In many ways, it was much,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/in-many-ways-it-was-much-much-harder-to-get-the-first-book-contract/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/in-many-ways-it-was-much-much-harder-to-get-the-first-book-contract/#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 } } ] } ```