During his heyday, Pete Rose was not the most talented baseball player in the world. Or the fastest. Or the smartest. Or the most ethical.

But “Charlie Hustle” kept at it. He broke one of the most hallowed records in sports (Ty Cobb’s all-time hit record) by working hard, sticking around, and running out every ground ball.

Writing and publishing are no different, a point driven home as I watched a Stephen King biography this weekend. His success came after years of rejection, being ignored, and working odd part-time jobs.

For aspiring authors who believe that their first book will take them to the promised land, best of luck to you. Ditto artists, actors, and musicians. Because of the proliferation of incredibly powerful content creation and distribution tools, it’s never been easier to get your project out there.

Never.

Does this represent amazing opportunity?

It’s never been easier to get your book out there.

Of course. But that opportunity exists for everyone with a computer or smartphone and an Internet connection.

Brass Tacks

To make it these days, you have to hustle. Unless your King, James Patterson, or John Grisham, you’re not going to just sit back, churn out books, and collect royalty checks. As much as I like Stephen’s books (and The Stand is one of my favorites), even King would probably not be King today.

Today, you have to hustle.

Feedback

What say you?