If you've ever struggled to sell your work and found yourself wondering if you have a future in illustration, remember that even the greatest illustrators have been in that same boat. Beatrix Potter is one of the most beloved illustrators of all time, forever associated with a series of beautifully-realised children's books starting with The Tale of Peter Rabbit, but even she had to deal with publishers who simply weren't interested.

如果你曾经努力推销你的作品，发现自己不知道你是否有未来的插画，请记住，即使是最伟大的插画家也有同样的经历。 比阿特丽克斯 · 波特是有史以来最受喜爱的插画家之一，从《彼得兔的故事》开始，她就一直与一系列美轮美奂的儿童图书联系在一起，但即使是她也不得不与那些根本不感兴趣的出版商打交道。

By the time Potter wrote The Tale of Peter Rabbit she was already an accomplished illustrator, specialising in detailed recreations of fungus; she had also printed her own Christmas cards and sold illustrations to publishers. But when she tried to sell Peter Rabbit in 1900, there were no takers. Rather than give up, Potter had the story printed at her own expense, and this led to interest from Frederick Warne & Co., which finally published The Tale of Peter Rabbit in 1902.

在波特写《彼得兔的故事》的时候，她已经是一个很有造诣的插画家，专门从事真菌的详细再现; 她还自己印制圣诞贺卡，并向出版商出售插图。 但是当她在1900年试图卖掉彼得兔时，没有人接受。 波特没有放弃，而是自己出钱印刷了这个故事，这引起了弗雷德里克 · 沃恩公司的兴趣，最终在1902年出版了《彼得兔的故事》。

Potter also took a smart approach to merchandising her work; she made and patented the first Peter Rabbit doll in 1903, and followed this up with all manner of merchandise, which provided her – and her publisher – with a welcome secondary income.

波特还采取了一个聪明的方法来推销她的作品; 她在1903年制作了第一个彼得兔娃娃并申请了专利，随后又推出了各种各样的商品，这给她和她的出版商带来了可喜的第二收入。

Lesson learned: Sometimes you just have to take the initiative and do things yourself. Once your work's out there and gaining popularity, you'll become a much more attractive proposition for publishers – although you may still have to be persistent.

经验教训: 有时候你只需要采取主动，自己做事。 一旦你的作品出版并获得知名度，你对出版商来说就会变得更有吸引力——尽管你可能还得坚持下去。