What does it take to be a traditionally published author? Twenty years ago, I would have said talent and connections. Today, only one word comes to mind—grit. If your field is as cutthroat as publishing, here are four ways that helped me develop mental toughness, which could be the very thing you need.

Tory Hartmann, publisher of the Sand Hill Review Press, has acquired Cindy Fazzi’s literary debut, My MacArthur, a fictionalized account of General Douglas MacArthur’s tumultuous love affair with Isabel Rosario Cooper, a Filipino actress.

It was a Thursday like any other—eight hours in the office, dinner with the family at home, and a treadmill workout, while I watched Brad Pitt’s “Killing Them Softly” on DVD. The movie was abysmal, but Brad looked good, and I burned some calories. What happened next, however, was what made April 10, 2014, one of the best days of my life.