Forty-Love

I used to play competitive tennis as a kid, although by today's standards it hardly seems competitive. Nonetheless, I dutifully signed up for enough USTA sanctioned tournaments to generate a ranking in my age group. And every summer the experience was the same. I usually lost in the first round.

You know the drill--I played one of the top seeds because my ranking was not high enough to guarantee me a good draw. Yet, there I was caught in a no-win cycle: always playing the top seeds, so virtually always guaranteed of losing and never moving beyond the current of losing in the first round.

I tell you this because that is what it feels like in this publishing vortex: stuck in the same cycle. It seems as if once you publish that first book, everything gets easier--you get a better draw. But breaking out of the pattern that locks you into playing against the top seeds seems, at times, like a no-win situation.

To be fair, this is the way most sports work. Come in off the bench in virtually impossible situations and prove yourself. Pinch hit with two outs and bases loaded. Even then, there's no guarantee you get the chance to move up in the rotation. In other words, perform under pressure.

Which I would be delighted to do but the top seed needs to have a very off day.