Let’s talk about rejection. Serious writers like us face rejection often, and we must remember it’s not personal—it’s not about us. It’s about our manuscript.
Way back before the turn of the century (circa 1998) I plugged away at my computer until I had completed a proposal for a book I titled _Rev Up Your Writing and Win._ I felt determined that Writers Digest Books (now defunct, although some of its books are still available) would snap up my book as soon as its editor read my proposal regarding ways to make creative writing simpler, faster, and unique. I focused on Writers Digest Books as the perfect buyer for the book.
WD Books accepted only agented submissions, so after a few rejections from agents, one finally agreed to represent my book. Hooray! She then submitted my proposal to WD Books, and we waited. I recall exactly where I was standing when my agent called and said the publisher had rejected my proposal. She said, “The acquisition editor told me WD Books already has a book on grammar.”
My book wasn’t about grammar, though. It was about ways to find what I called “missed opportunities for improvement.” It explained ways to make writing more powerful. In fact the opening line of the introduction clearly said, “Many books have been written about grammar. This ain’t one of ’em.” I knew that the editors hadn’t even read the very first line of my book or even glanced at my book proposal.
As if receiving a rejection from WD Books wasn’t bad enough, my agent went on to say, “I don’t have any other connections with publishers that handle your genre, so I’m going to have to drop you as a client.”
In one fell swoop (excuse the cliché), I felt rejected twice. Demoralized, I thanked the agent and ended the call.
Years passed.
At lunch one day my friend Deb asked me, “What’s the latest news about your book?”
“It got rejected by Writers Digest Books a few years ago, so that was that.”
“That was that?” She tilted her head and asked, “Was that the only publisher in the whole world?”
Her comment brought my negative thinking to a screeching halt. It gave me the motivation I needed.
I did more research and found imprints that specialized in books for writers and accepted unagented submissions. I submitted my proposal and sample chapters to several of those publishers, and within weeks I received an offer.
The publisher changed the title of the book, but otherwise changed little of the content. The publisher paid me an advance against royalties, designed the cover, secured an ISBN for the book, printed thousands of copies, sent me dozens of free copies, distributed the book to bookstores across the country, and even got my book into libraries. That, fellow writers, is how the first edition of _Write In Style_ came to be published in 2004.
Getting past that first rejection took me quite some time, but rejections are part of the publishing business. Expect rejections, but unlike me, don’t let them stymie you for years. A rejection means only that your book, story, poem, or essay has not yet reached the right hands. In the interim keep improving your work in progress until it reaches the right person who loves it as much as you do.
For many years I cherished all my rejection letters, seeing them as a sign that I was submitting my works to publishers. I plastered a wall in my office with them, until another wise friend said, “Do you really want to see all your rejections every day?” I took them all down, and soon I was putting up only my acceptance notices.
What do you do with your rejections? How do you manage them? Do you have any advice for your fellow writers? Share it with me, so I can share it with others.
