I've been rejected. I feel a country song coming on. I've been cheated, been mistreated, when will I find - a publisher. Not only that - I tried to answer the lovely postings from Kerry, Watery Tart, Galen and Elizabeth and it told me 3 times that it posted but it didn't. Whyyyyyyyy???
I wrote on Galen's blog today, that I didn't fret anymore with rejections because I considered it a necessary step on the way to being published but apparently I was lying. I haven't quite reached that Zen state of non-attachment to my manuscript. I'm plenty attached. But I will do what I said I'd do for every rejection - I will send it out again. I will take the positive words the publisher gave me for strength and the critical ones for a polish and send it out. Because that's what we writers do. We mail things endlessly. Besides the writing that is. Ah phoooooey.
8 comments:
Jan, I'm sorry about the rejection. I've got a whole drawer of them in my living room ...I'm not sure why I keep them. I'm glad you're resubmitting. Our stuff just isn't right for every person, but once we find the right person, we're golden! :)
Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder
It seems to be a rite of passage. Sorry to hear about the rejection, but you seem to have a great attitude. Keep sending it out. I'm cheering for you all the way across the country. Can you hear me?
Elspeth
Sorry about that! It is both true that it is part of the process, and that it REALLY sucks. A good policy to send one for each rejection, though I actually sent a batch in August (13 in just 3 weeks) and oddly, five rejections in a day didn't hurt much more than one, so there might be something to batching them.
The whole query process though, SO COMPLETELY saps my mojo that I can hardly do anything writing wise when I'm doing it. I have a partial out there and two I'm waiting to hear on, but I am pretty much resigned to a month of querying again once my trilogy is written (editing and querying aren't quite so contrary)
I wish you the best of luck! (and I saw ALL 3 replies? Maybe your computer isn't catching them...)
JAN! I feel your pain. Seriously. If you were close by, I'd cook us a nice comfort food dinner with a spectacular dessert. (But only if you promised to take a long walk after!) It's easy to get down. Confucius once said, "It's not how many times you fall that matters, it's how many times you get back up." Just think how sweet that acceptance will be! I'm thinking of ya!
Sorry. No good words can make up for rejection. If it's any consolation, most of us have been in your shoes, many times over. ;-)
Hi all you lovely lovely women. Words make all the difference and as writers - you all know that!
Elizabeth S-C - I keep mine too! I used to post them but when we were thinking of selling this house I took them down. Some sort of magical thinking (the keeping I mean)!
Elspeth - why yes I can. I just went out to walk the dog in the dark and I heard you! This is a small country don't you think?
Tartlet! - Yep, that's my policy - one rejection - one query. I have two to send out - one for this publisher's rejection and one for an agent that didn't sting at all - I had met the publisher and harboured hopes. And I just saw the three replies I made - they weren't there last night or this morning. Weird.
Stacy - oh, comfort food and a big dessert - yay! And I'm glad it is virtual because I can't eat any of that yummy stuff right now. Only in the kitchen of my imagination.
Elizabeth B. - oh contraire - your words and the others are very consoling. And friends of all sorts are the gold in my treasure chest!
Thing is this. You thought you had been rejected but here I am getting your message anyway and being touched by the fact that you tried. I am clueless when it comes to the big bad publishing world but I think if you can write a novel in a month you can apply the same discipline to the next stage. Aluta continua my dear!
It is many days late in coming, but here's a warm hug from sunny India. I am sure the next publisher will be more sensible than this one has been.
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