Get back on that horse and write!

My apologies for my two day silence, but I wasn't in a good place. However, I'm making the effort now because you can't live in the past - you shouldn't want to, even if you could.

Rejection. It's hard not to take it personally. You see it as somebody telling you there's something about you that just isn't good enough for us. Whether you hear it from the person you're interested in dating, the employer you wish to work for - or the publisher you submitted your heart to in the form of a story/novel. I know it's not always that simple. Sometimes it's the wrong place at the wrong time, the wrong publisher. Bad timing, as in we already have too many of those, sorry, can't use any more.

But it's still hard not to take it personally. And when your writing depends on what's in your head, and how you feel, that makes it difficult to just shrug it off and go on as if it didn't cause a disturbance in your force, 'cause it did. Getting two in two days only compounds the problem. Again, a matter of bad timing, not deliberate foul intent.

But that's just what you have to do is climb back on that horse and keep riding, even if you take a little time to wallow in the trough of self-despair, gloom, and pity.And by climbing back in the saddle, I mean take that story/novel and send it somewhere else right away. No time to mourn, you have business to attend to.

My philosophy is this - everything happens for a reason. No, you don't always know right away what that reason is. Sometimes you never know, sometimes you do (such as the publisher who turns out to be shady and you're more than grateful to have dodged the bullet because they rejected you) You just need to have faith in the fact that it wasn't meant to be and move along, find what is meant to be.

Yes, it's hard to know the difference. Sometimes a publisher looks so shiny and pretty, we think they're the ones for us. Well, all that glitters is not gold, and no more than you can judge a book by its cover, you can't go by what you see, necessarily, when it comes to publishers. That's where research comes in. Avail yourself of what others have said. I always check by googling the publisher and looking for threads on Absolute Write, then read them. They're not all bad, so don't assume that they are. See what others have said. Often you will see publisher rebuttal, as well. But take that with a grain of salt. A bad publisher isn't about to admit to being bad, now is he? I know of one even now who is in severe denial of how seriously he damaged his company, and who is still luring in unsuspecting newcomers who would have no way of knowing to avoid his spider's web if not for people discussing the situation in open forum.

Check with Preditors & Editors too, another invaluable tool, as well as Piers Anthony's site. I know I do. Check the would-be publisher's site. How open is he in discussing what he wants and what he'll give? Does he offer a sample contract to be viewed? Does he answer questions openly and honestly? What about the covers? Are these covers you'd be proud to have on your book? A cover can make or break you, a bad cover just as easily as bad editing. Look at the books he publishes. Does yours fit with them? Keep in mind that his readers may come there for a particular type of book. If yours isn't one of those, you  may not thrive there, no matter how good your book.

Most of all, though, despite the rejection which is an inevitable part of the writing process, do not give up. Keep on writing. Nobody does it quite like you, and there is no better you than you. And remain open to the possibility that self-publishing is the route to go. It's not for everyone, granted. But it is an option.

Just get back on that horse and write.


Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

So You Got Rejected - What Now?

You've taken the plunge, dared to be brave, prepared for the worst and hoped for the best and sent out your baby as a submission to a publisher. But rather than the happy acceptance you hoped for, you've received the worst - and your work was rejected.  Now what?

Congratulations! It isn't a tragedy, it's a rite of passage. We've all been there, done that, it's just a fact of life for a writer, and it happens.  All writers will be rejected in their lifetime, that's simply a given. No need to feel as if the end of the world has arrived, cause it hasn't. No need for doom and gloom and tears, etc.

What is the proper response, you ask? Why, get back up on that horse and ride again!  Metaphorically speaking, of course. The literary world is littered with tales of famous writers who were rejected multiple times before receiving the acceptance and publication they dreamed of.  Don't be discouraged - you're in good company!

So, what do you do now?

You might take a break, recharge those psychic batteries a bit, in preparation for further battle.  Don't kid yourself, it's a battle to be published, and the battle is not getting easier with the advent of e-publishing. True, there are more opportunities to be published, but there are also that many more people who think they can write and are fighting for the limited room to be had. I'll save the rant about those people for another time, let's concentrate on you, the rejected writer.

Before you submitted, did you take a good look at the publisher?  I think the main cause of rejection lies in the writer's not doing that and submitting to a market that his story was never going to be right for, no matter who wrote it. Not everything will fit everywhere, no matter how much you want it to. So rather than trying to force that square peg into that round hole, look at what the publisher has done, see what sort of material they publish. Read the guidelines carefully, they're there for a reason! Take them seriously. A publisher who says they don't accept menage, for example, is not going to look nicely on  your m/m/f story no matter how you dress it. One who asks for no explicitness isn't going to want your steamy cock-laden romance story, no matter how wonderful it is.

Were you really prepared to send in this piece? Did you have anyone else read it?  A beta and a crit partner are invaluable things. One or both, if you can manage it. Your friends are all well and good but seriously, they're more likely to tell you how much they liked it, which isn't what you're looking for. Also, spell check is an invaluable tool, and grammar check. Use them a lot. Don't be afraid to accept criticism, it helps you grow as a writer.

If you have friends that are writers, ask them for suggestions, that is often a good way to find publishers. Those on the inside are more likely to know what a publisher will like or not like. Not that that's a guarantee, but any inside information can't hurt, right? Look for open calls for submissions, see what you have that fits. Sometimes exposure is worth more than mere monetary value, as anthologies don't tend to pay well.

Most of all, don't be afraid to try again with another publisher. And don't be afraid to fail again. Don't look at it as a step back, but rather a step forward. You've eliminated a publisher who isn't interested, now concentrate on the rest and fine tune your search.

Rejection isn't the end of the world, unless you make it that way. So set your mind to success, learn from this failure and move forward!  You'll be glad you did.  Sometimes a rejection is better than an acceptance, and sometimes an acceptance is made to be rejected!

Have any of you later found out you were happy that a publisher rejected you? How do you all deal with rejection?  I'd love to hear what you have to say!