In 2021, I had the idea for a book in which I’d celebrate a different fake holiday every day for a year. (You know, Talk Like A Pirate Day, National Cabbage Day, Bubblewrap Appreciation Day and all the rest.) My publisher of the time loved the idea and commissioned the book – to be called Awareness Daze – paying 50% of a small advance up front.

I did the work, spending a grueling but fascinating year doing silly things and finding out about all sorts of worthy causes. My first draft came in at 210k words which, unsurprisingly, my publisher wanted to cut in half. That took me several more months. But it was all good: the book was scheduled for publication, we had a marketing plan and a great cover design, and I even sold an article to a national paper about my silly challenge.

Then, about three weeks before going to press, my publisher went into liquidation. End of book, no more advance. All the interest generated by the article fizzled away.

After a few days of stewing, I tried to salvage something from the debacle. I approached various other publishers but no joy. But then, out of the blue, I was approached by another publisher who was signing up some of the authors from the bankrupt publisher’s stable. They agreed to re-issue one of my novels, but as for Awareness Daze… sorry, but we only do fiction. I said: What if I re-wrote it as a novel? Sounds good, they said.

So I sat down and wrote Thank You For The Days, a romantic comedy about a hapless bloke who sets himself the challenge of celebrating a different fake holiday every day. The new book was acquired and came out in December 2024.

Then I remembered that my original manuscript of 210k was full of lots of stories and items that might make interesting pieces of content in themselves. I put together about 20 ideas for articles which I have since published in various publications on Medium and in local magazines to promote the new book. There are at least a dozen more to come. A piece I wrote on Medium about my year-long challenge made a decent bit, was featured in Medium’s own newsletter, and has since led to another big site asking to reprint the piece.

Next, I suddenly remembered that my original publisher had also managed to secure an audiobook deal (with a different company) for Awareness Daze. I’d assumed this deal would now be dead as there was now no print edition in the works, but I thought I’d find out for certain. It took several months trying to track down the right person, but I finally got an answer: they were still happy to go ahead.

So Awareness Daze is out there now too, in audiobook form at least. (Not in the US yet.) And I’m still writing new pieces and making more money from that original disappointment.

It was difficult to face the prospect of all that time and effort going to waste, but this journey has taught me a few things. First, not to be consumed by disappointment. Feel what you feel but don’t be paralysed by despair. Persistence comes with the territory.

Second, always look for ways to reuse and re-purpose work in your locker. Just because work is rejected in one place doesn’t mean there aren’t lots of other possible outlets for it. And remember that every piece you write is also a networking opportunity. You never know what other doors it might open.

Above all, we keep going. As James Baldwin said: ‘Talent is insignificant. I know a lot of talented ruins. Beyond talent lie all the usual words: discipline, love, luck, but most of all, endurance.’

BIO – Dan Brotzel’s latest novel is Thank You For The Days