In 1989, before becoming a published author, Malorie Blackman queued for hours at an Alice Walker signing for 'The Temple of My Familiar.' Blackman was then receiving repeated rejections from publishers. When her turn came, she told Walker about her struggle and asked her to write 'Don't give up' in the book. Years later, the inscribed copy was displayed in a British Library exhibition alongside objects including 82 rejection letters Blackman had retained. What distinguishes this queue is that the few minutes at its end produced more than a signed souvenir: one writer received a specific sentence that she carried through continued rejection. The later success does not automatically turn the wait into a triumph; the record rests on the words exchanged and on the physical book that preserved them.