February 22. That’s the day I sent my first pitch for a quote for my book. To Ashwin Sanghi of all people! I don’t know what got into me to aim so high right at the beginning, but I did. And come March 1, his quote was in the bag. I was elated – and a tad cocky. One down, nineteen more to go. This wasn’t going to be so tough after all.
Ten months later, I can’t really express how much of a grueling experience it has been reeling in the remaining folks. My last quote reached me on December 19, a Monday I will forever treasure as the day I could finally say goodbye to this all-consuming madness. I nearly lost my mind pitching people, getting rejected or accepted, and accordingly feeling either down in the dumps or over the moon. And then. being crazy enough to do it over and over again!
Emails, contact forms, Tweets, Facebook and LinkedIn messages…I used them all to reach out to—and follow up with—people.
How many, you ask? Honestly, I lost count at 57. And it’s best if we don’t talk about the number of ways in which I repeatedly contacted quite a few of them. Side note: My deepest reverence to those of you who do this for a living. You guys must have a secret reserve of patience and nerves of steel!
Now that you have an idea of how hard this has been for me, I hope I have earned some bragging rights.
I am going to take yes for an answer, so ta-da! here’s my list of incredible people. Oh, and it also happens to be the list of cliches I have covered in my book :)
- Look before you leap – C.E. Potnis, Industrialist
- Good things come to those who wait – Deborah McKinlay, Author
- Time heals all wounds – Vishnu Subramaniam, Relationship Blogger
- Let sleeping dogs lie – Megha Rao, Artist
- Too many cooks spoil the broth – Sumdeh Natu, Film Producer
- The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree – Ashwin Sanghi, Author
- Blood is thicker than water – Samantha Spijkers, Student
- Old habits die hard – Chetan Mahajan, Educationist
- Where there’s a will, there’s a way – Vidya Sury, Authorpreneur
- Jack of all trades, master of none – Andrew Saroch, Senior Sales Advisor
- If you can’t beat them, join them – Jason Zook, Internet Entrepreneur
- One good turn deserves another – Tianna Coelho, Creative Writer
- There’s no smoke without fire – Ankitaa Dalmia, Image Consultant
- Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me – Joel Thottan, Assistant Curator
- Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery – Dominique Hall, Scientist
- The early bird gets the worm – Lee McKing, Hypnotherapist
- Practice makes perfect – Romita Puruswani, Media Professional
- Don’t count your chickens before they hatch – Aparna Vinod, Craft Expert
- Birds of a feather flock together – Razwana Wahid, Copywriter
- Money makes the world go round – Jarod Kintz, Nomadic Philosopher
And that’s it. You have reached the end.
I want to thank each and every one of them for being generous enough to share such enriching personal experiences with me and my readers. Before I get all teary-eyed, I’d like to conclude with this wonderful quote:
“Thank you for all your guidance and wisdom, for setting the bar so much higher than I thought I could reach, and for giving me plenty of room to run with my own ideas. You’ve been the best teacher I’ve ever had.”
—Lisa Genova
The book is out! Buy your copy of Busting Cliches in Kindle or paperback here!
I loved the tips, but I confess that sometimes we want a quick result and you after a while came the result of the book, congratulations success
You do indeed have bragging rights. Though I do not know you personally, I can feel your pride in these accomplishments. Thank you for the following today, Mahevash! So appreciated.
:)
Congratulations on your book. Hope to see it all over as a Best Seller soon :)
All the best. Thanks for adding me as friend on FB. Take care.
Thank you. Take care and keep visiting :)
OMG 10 months?? It wasn’t easy but hey, great Christmas present to yourself AND an awesome start to 2017 with a printed book!! (are you going to print it hahaha)
Yes, it took that long!
Indeed! Yes, I am. I love print books :)
Awesome awesome!! :D
Congratulations on finishing your book! All your hard work will surely pay itself off. I am very excited and happy for you :)
Thank you <3
Well, hats off to you–and a healthy feeling of guilt combined with happiness at being one of the contributors to your book! ♥ Very well done, Mahevash, for being persistent and for compiling such a wonderful group of people! Hugs!
Thank you so much! You really made me smile today <3
Well done!
Congratulations!
Thanks :)
Congratulations! Way to stick it out!
Thank you <3