A collection of personal letters from successful celebrities, artists, athletes, and business people sharing their greatest setbacks and how they overcame them.
Storms of Perfection 2 - Author's NoteWhen the first Storms of Perfection was released three years ago, I was unprepared for the reaction. It seemed to be a book for which many people were waiting. The concept was simple: a collection of letters from over fifty of the world's most successful men and women. In their correspondence, they told the stories of problems and rejections they overcame before becoming successful.
The stories and challenges they faced seemed to come from every possible angle--thus relating to a wide variety of people. Soon, mail began arriving literally from all over the world. Letters told how the book affected marriages, businesses, and lives in a positive way. "I'll never quit now!" seemed to be a common theme. There were even letters and messages from those who had been, but were no longer, contemplating suicide.
The real story of the first book, however, was its more than two years in the making. I was turned down by over 600 people before finally accumulating the 52 letters needed for publication. Then I couldn't get a publisher . . . or a distributor. My own agency (William Morris) refused to represent me on the book. I thought, "My gosh, I've written a book about rejection--now I'm getting taught a lesson about it!"
The outcome, of course, was that Storms of Perfection became one of the few books in American publishing history to sell over 100,000 books before it ever reached the book store. It has been translated into Spanish and is distributed in Mexico, Europe, Australia, and the United Kindgom.
The success of the book is not something for which I take a great deal of credit. I just put it together by hanging in there while being told by everyone that it would never work. This, by the way, was a lesson I learned from the people who took the time to share their stories.
And now, Volume 2. Many people have asked if it was eaiser this time. The answer is a definite yes and no! Yes, in the fact that I knew the concept was worthwhile. The letters help those who are hurting and provide encouragement for us all. So to that end, I was aware that in time, I would be led to 52 achievers who were to be included.
The "no" refers to the question of participation. In this book, 458 requests were made. It is interesting to note that of the 52 letters received, 21 were from people who had turned me down for Volume 1.
For the record, the totals for both books reached 1,072. Of those requests, 194 were women and 106 were African American. The letters were not sorted through or picked over. When 52 letters arrived, the book went to press.
Neither were the letters edited. The participating correspondents were promised an exact reprinting--typos and all. Obviously, any platforms or opinions expressed in the letters are not necessarily my own. All the letters do, however, have merit as an example of what a person can accomplish by using life's challenges to learn and grow.
As you turn the pages, remember that the men and women who elected to bare a part of their painful pasts became famous or wealthy because of their actions . . . but they became great due to their attitudes toward the difficulties in their lives.
Andy Andrews
Gulf Shores, Alabama
