Sometimes, it’s nothing more than perseverance that separates successful authors from those who fail — no matter how you define fail.

Many authors are familiar with the story of how best-seller Chicken Soup for the Soul was rejected by 123 publishers before it was acquired. It’s a contemporary example of why authors must persist.

How do you persevere?

Perseverance can come in many forms, of course.

For some, it might be moving on to the next book.

For others, it could be listening carefully to less-than-glowing reader reviews and improving the manuscript. It might involve applying what you’ve learned from feedback to the next writing project.

For others, it could be building on a positive response by doing one thing a day to promote the book.

It can also mean just showing up in front of your computer to write at the same time every day, even when life knocks you off your feet.

Why you should persevere

Buzzfeed‘s list of “20 Brilliant Authors Whose Work Was Originally Rejected” documents why you hang in there.

After all, Beatrix Potter self-published The Tale of Peter Rabbit in 1901 after publishers rejected it and look where she ended up. She succeeded because she persevered.

If you believe in your book, don’t give up. Get help making it the best if can be if that makes sense — and for most of us, it does — but don’t give up.

If you have something to say, work at saying it better than anyone else.

Package your book so it looks just as good as anything that you see on display in a brick and mortar bookstore.

Find your audience. Tell them about it. Promote it to the right people.

But don’t give up. For many authors, success is about perseverance more than anything else.

That might just be the case with you.

Ready to persist with book marketing but not sure what to do? Get a book marketing tip delivered to your inbox every day for just 99 cents for the entire year — that’s $.0027 per day and per tip — with the Build Book Buzz “365 Daily Book Marketing Tips” series.

Why do you persevere? What’s your motivation? Tell us in a comment.