The First Rejection

I still ask myself those questions during dark nights of the soul, and I've been rejected over a dozen times!

It's going to sound hokey, but if you read The Writer's Book of Hope by Ralph Keyes, you read stories like how John Grisham was selling his books out of the trunk of his car and you feel like maybe your day just hasn't come yet.

I also have a dear friend who has been a series editor for a very successful series of nonfiction books and has published a couple of other books in his own right. Last year, he wrote what I think is his best and most important book ever. Guess what? It took him almost a year to find an agent and his agent still hasn't sold the book yet.

I guess I'm just trying to say that it sucks, but every published writer has been there, every great writer has been there, and you being there now does not mean you won't be published or aren't great.

Feel better.

Keep the faith. (-:

I can still remember my first one; I thought the agent was a perfect match, and I was bummed.

Today, 100+ rejections and non-responses later, I don't even know how I feel. Have I become numb to rejections? Far from it. Used to them? Perhaps, a little. Do I still have hope? Not much, to be honest. I will not give up though. I'd rather die trying.

Read Callalily's signiture line- and then repeat it and repeat it until it is engrained in your pysche!

Have you put your query up for critique in SYW Query letter hell? Have you put the first few pages of your novel in SYW?

If not- you should consider doing that, maybe its your query- maybe not- This a VERY subjective gig- apply teflon to your skin and let those rejections slide off-

Laura Lond said:

I can still remember my first one; I thought the agent was a perfect match, and I was bummed.

Today, 100+ rejections and non-responses later, I don't even know how I feel. Have I become numb to rejections? Far from it. Used to them? Perhaps, a little. Do I still have hope? Not much, to be honest. I will not give up though. I'd rather die trying.

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I'm with you, Laura.

Keep reading, keep writing. You WILL get that acceptance! And you're doing good, submitting your work. Not an easy thing to do, hitting "Send."

Aw, I so know how you feel. I got my first query rejection a few months ago and then through a funny fluke ended up resubmitting a revised query to the same agent. She loved the second query, didn't love the partial. Rejection at any point in the process stings.

I agree with the others about being persistent but I'd say it's a 2-pronged type of persistence--with the publishing world and with your own craft. Never give up on either.

I posted my first rejection (and several others that came after) on my wall near my desk as a reminder to always keep my sense of humor. I never counted the number of rejections I received because I queried off and on over three years, but I know it was over 50 and I finally signed with an agent in May. Pay close attention to what the agents have to say and get some feedback on your query letter. Your letter should be as intriguing as a jacket flap or book blurb. If you get no requests for a partial over many, many queries, then you probably need to either rewrite your letter or better target the agents you query.

Hang in there!

Oh, and to tack on to Happywritermom's post above, if you haven't already, post your query in the SYW section. The wonderful people who helped me there made all the difference between the reception of query 1 and that of query 2 with the same agent so I'm a believer.