Malorie Blackman on receiving 82 rejection letters from publishers

0:00Welcome to Deser Island Disks postcards. I'm Lauren LeVern. We've cast away thousands of people to our imaginary desert island among them many writers. Today's castaway, Mallory Blackman, has written more than 70 books for children and young adults with her noughten crosses series, perhaps best known among them. But getting her first book published was hard. She told Kirsty Young in 2013. When I was in my mid-twenties, I had enough of computing and I thought, okay, what can I do? I tried acting classes for a while and I was a dead loss. Absolute rubbish. But I used to come up with sort of scenarios for our improvisations and after a while it was on Mallory, what do you think we should do? So at the end of the course, the tutor said to me, Mallory, have you ever thought about writing some of your ideas down? Because you came up with some really good ideas.

1:03And that's how I started on my writing classes and kind of try to get into it. Then when you wanted to take that step out of my, I'm sure a pretty well-paid job in the being a financial market analyst and in full time into writing. Did you worry about the cash? Did you think I will I pay the gas bill? Yeah it was and I mean, but I was so unhappy. I mean, it was taking its toll on me physically and mentally. I started having really bad nightmares. Nightmares were I'd wake up screaming and I was so desperately unhappy because I wanted to write. I didn't want to work in computing anymore. And so in the end, because Neil, my hubby, could see how unhappy I was, we made a deal that I would take a year off and I would try and I'd just write solidly for that year and see if I could make a go of it. But if I couldn't, then I'd have to go back to computing. So I'm right. I was 82 rejection letters. That's right. For about eight or nine different books. When letter 83, Suddened on the doormat. And it said, yes, we quite like what you.

2:03Yeah, tell me about that. Oh, wow. I still remember that because every time the post arrived, I'd go charging down the stairs and it was always dear Mallory Blackman not suitable for our list and no thank you. And then I heard the post and I went charging down the stairs to open the letter and it was dear Mallory Blackman. We would love to publish your story. And I just stood in the hall and screamed. I hate it. I was so thrilled. And my hubby came charging down the stairs going, what's the matter? What's the matter? And I said, oh my god, oh my god. And I just freaked out. And it was one of the best days of my life. And after my third book was accepted for publication, that's when I gave up my job. Mallory Blackman, speaking to Kirstie Young in 2013 when she was children's laureate, she was made a dean in this year's birthday honors. You can listen to her full episode on BBC Sirens. Just search for Mallory Blackman Desert Island Discs.