Every writer gets rejected. I just received a rejection yesterday on a book that I thought was going to make it through the process. It was looking good, and then it wasn’t.
It hurts.
You pour hours, days, weeks and months into a book and then someone tells you what is wrong with it (if you’re lucky) and why they don’t want to publish it.
And I”m not going to tell you that each rejection is one step closer to a yes or any of those cliche’s because honestly when you’ve just been rejected that’s the last thing you want to hear.
Also, it may not be true. You may never get a sale for that book. But you have a choice.
I’m weighing my choices right now. They are as I see them:
- Shelve this book for a while and focus on my current WIP
- Send it to another publisher and keep on keeping on.
- Revise it based on the publisher’s comments and resubmit.
- Hang it all up and go get an office job.
- Self publish
Notice I’m not crying my eyes out, binging on junk food or getting a tattoo that says “Loser.”
I’m not into pity parties – they’re not productive.
While I did contemplate option #4 for a few seconds that’s not the choice that I want to make and it’s probably not the choice you want to make either. If you love writing, then write. No one can or should stop you. And it’s totally okay if you contemplate this option for more than a few seconds, just don’t take too long!
#3 is a viable option and if you get this type of offer I recommend taking it into serious consideration. Most publishers don’t make this offer unless they mean it. They must see something good if they want you to make changes and resubmit. (In my case, I don’t agree with one of the recommendations so I will not be resubmitting to this publisher. Their other comments made a lot of sense and I will consider those before I submit to another publisher.)
So that leaves me weighing options #1, #2 & #5. To be honest I don’t know right now and that’s okay. You don’t have to have an immediate reaction or decision. Sometimes it takes days for a rejection to fully sink in. And a few more days for you to find the response that makes the most sense for you.
Rejection sucks but it is part of being a writer. You don’t have to develop a thick skin but you do want to approach it with clarity. If you feel bad about a rejection, that’s normal. Feel it and then let it go and move forward. Decide what you want to do and then do it. Take action! The only way to ever achieve your writing and publishing dreams is to take action.
I’ve been hearing a lot of great things about the ease of Kindle publishing. I don’t know how the market is for fiction, but for screenwriting how-to books it seems like a person knows other people, says “Hey, there’s this Kindle book and it’s only $1.99 and people buy it. (At least I did!) I think it’s easier to argue in favor of self-publishing a how-to book because to me, it’s more like an extended blog. But worth considering. There’s that woman who made more via online downloads than she ever could once she signed with a publishing company.
The one positive thing about rejection letters is that, at least once upon a time, Zingerman’s would give a discount if you brought the letter with you when ordering. 😀
I love that Zingerman’s did that! I could save a lot of money if delis around here gave discounts for rejection letters. I am actually looking into the self publishing option. I’ve been ghostwriting non-fiction books for years that people then digitally publish, or publish themselves via POD, so I know it can be done quite successfully, and profitably. I do receive a lot of questions about self publishing fiction so I figured it was time for a bit of education. Will definitely share what I learn:-D.
Don’t give up! There can be not success without failure. You are too good to give up!
I believe in you!
xoxo
Christine
Thanks, Christine. No worries, I’m not giving up:-D. The thought did cross my mind for about 2 seconds and then I let it go. I’ve settled into what I like to call “Noodling” it’s that period of time where you simply contemplate without any general direction and wait for the right answer to come to you. I actually enjoy that time because it is without boundaries and there is no “right” answer or action to take – I’m am experiencing inspiration:-D.
XOXOXOX!