The next time you're feeling unappreciated, consider the case of Herman Melville. He decided at a certain point to stop cranking out what he considered "pot boilers" and get down to writing a master work. Moby Dick received critical and public scorn. His total earnings from Harper's on possibly the greatest American novel ever written was $556.37. They never sold out the 3,000 initial printing. It ruined his career and he died in virtual obscurity as a customs agent in New York City. His obituary in the New York Times identified him as Henry Melville.
