Wednesday, October 1, 2014

How to Benefit from Rejection

We can’t always succeed no matter how hard we try. That’s something I’ve learned to accept as a human being and as a writer. How do we go about making lemonade from lemons?

Here are some ways writers can actually benefit from rejection:

First, examine the nature of the rejection. Has this particular work consistently received standard rejections from numerous agents, editors, publishers or publications? Maybe it’s time to put this particular book, story, play, article aside for a while and examine it again at a future time with fresh eyes. You might need to do some rewriting. Perhaps this particular work is not yet ready for publication. Start a new project for now. But never, ever destroy your rejected work.

Second, if your work has received a personalized rejection from an editor, write back to that editor and thank him/her for taking the time to point out why the work was rejected. You might just turn that rejection into an acceptance after all.

Example, I received a personalized rejection on a short story. The editor stated she liked the story but felt the ending was too abrupt. I wrote back and thanked her, also asking for further details on how she thought I could improve the ending, because I was willing to rewrite it. She provided me with her insights. I actually had to rewrite the story’s ending twice before I finally made the sale. But the story was published in print and I was paid. Was it worth the effort? In my opinion, yes it was.

I can only speak for myself. I accept rejection as part of the nature of freelance writing. I always write to the very best of my ability, intending to create quality work. However, I know I cannot please everyone. I realize my words are not chiseled in granite—nor should they be.

What I advise: if you enjoy creating the written word, if you want and need to write, keep at it. Writing is a craft, and you can improve your abilities. Don’t let rejection discourage you. Success will come in time with effort, hard work and pit bull determination. Go forth: read, write, and prosper.

Your thoughts and comments welcome!




20 comments:

  1. Oh, so true! Rejection is not only part of the business, it is a great learning/teaching tool. (And yes, it does hurt sometimes!) I keep thinking of that line from Galaxy Quest - "Never give up, never surrender!" Great post. Susan, who is also known as Janis

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  2. Susan/Janis,

    I think you've said it very well. Rejection can be a great learning and teaching tool. It hurts a lot, but is part of the growing pain process we all must endure to become better writers. All the famous authors we admire endured rejection as well.

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  3. Thank you for your words of motivation. I so agree wth all your points.

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    1. Hopefully, this blog will prove encouraging to those who write.

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  4. A good post, thoughtful and useful. No one likes rejections but I look for something useful in the comments, and try to see the work from the other person's perspective. If I can learn something from the rejection I'm making progress. I may not send it back to that editor but I can rewrite and resubmit elsewhere.

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    1. You're right, Susan. We can't always send our rewritten work back to the same editor, but we can learn from a personalized rejection which will help us sell to another editor due to the revision.

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  5. Good advise. I liked the fact that you said if you receive SEVERAL form rejections, put the work aside for a while. Sometimes a form rejection isn't based on the writing or even the story. It may be you've sent the work to the wrong publisher and they simply don't publish that type. Or maybe they just published something similar. Or maybe they hate that subject. Don't let one or just a few rejections discourage you. Some of the stories we consider classics were rejected multiple times.

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    1. Excellent observations, Maris, and all true. Some of the most famous work received many rejections before finding the right publisher or publication.

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  6. Good post! I used to curl up on the floor if I got a rejection. Now I just shrug and move on.

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    1. Hi, D'Ann,

      Writers are sensitive people, but in the area of rejection, we need to develop thicker skins. It's vital.

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  7. Thanks for this
    I needed it today. Unfortunately not all editors respond with why a story 'isn't right' for them. But yes, it's all a learning experience

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  8. Zohra,

    The majority of editors just provide a standard rejection because they get so many submissions. The work can be great but they are often overwhelmed. Still, I we should keep submissions going. You never know when the next editor will offer an acceptance.

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  9. Thanks for the encouraging blog. I DO learn something from everything I write for publication. We can't let rejection stop the creative stream.

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    1. Susan,

      I still get plenty of rejections, but I don't intend to let that stop me either.

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  10. True story: I sent a YA novel to a specific editor at E.P.Dutton publishers in NYC. It was rejected. It sat in a drawer for 3 years, unrevised, until my daughter (who was a character in the novel) urged me to send it out again. I did, and it was accepted by the same editor! I had to cut 10,000 words. I did, and it was published! So you never know. The old moral: Never give up.

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    1. Nancy,

      That's a wonderful story! It's amazing that the same editor accepted the novel. She probably forgot she'd read it before.

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  11. Hi Jacqueline, I'd like to address two issues for your readers. I started writing a mystery series nine years ago and got an agent within three months. When after four years, as I kept working on the series, he had sold nothing, I fired him and learned the self-publsihing business. Now there are twelve published, plus none other books. Please see my recent blog about how well that can work–– http://www.blogster.com/johnscherber/self-publishing-one-more-word. At this point I have 21 books out and if a NY publisher wanted one of my books I would say no, because I enjoy the income and the control of being on my own. See my website for what I mean: www.sanmiguelallndebooks.com

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  12. Hi, John,

    You make a strong case for self-publishing. I just read the blog of another author who gave up on agents for the same reason. I would say that if you do get an agent, make certain it's one that's well-connected with the big six publishers. Read their bios before you submit. I've done decently without an agent selling my own work to publishers. But to hit the bestseller list, in general, you need to go the traditional route.

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