So you received the dreaded rejection letter.  Well it was bound to happen.  You are in great company, and I wasn’t talking about me.  If you are a writer, then rejection will be a part of your everyday life.  Author David Eddings said, “If you don’t have callouses on your soul, writing isn’t for you. Take up knitting instead.” Funny but true.

When you get your rejection letter and odds are you will, treating it as an insult and allowing it to bring out the worst in you will stall your dream of becoming an Author.

Those who are successful as novelists recover and learn from their rejection letters. They use them as motivation to become better writers. They recognize that rejection hurts, but see it as part of the process. They also take action.

• Wallow then write – Give yourself thirty minutes or so to  get the rejection out of your system, then get back to the keyboard.
• Learn from the critique – Attempt to understand what you did wrong and correct your mistakes.
• Try to understand where the publisher is coming from and why your novel didn’t work.
• Remember publishing is a business, and publishers are in the market to make money. It’s not personal.

I received rejection letters from four different agencies. I hated the ones that said, “Thank you, but this isn’t what we are looking for.”  What do you do with that?  Fortunately one saw something in my manuscript, and while she said it wasn’t ready for publishing, she offered suggestions to make it better. As a matter of fact, that particular agent has offered me advice on three separate occasions. That’s why I started this blog. She told me I needed to build a solid platform.

I took all of her suggestions to heart. I researched, took classes to make me a better writer, and I started this blog to begin building a platform. If you’re not sure what that is, I have written about it in previous blogs, and you can google ‘building your platform’ for more information.  I recommend reading some of Michael Hyatt’s stuff. The man is very knowledgeable on the subject and easy to follow.

Most importantly, Don’t Give Up!

-Jan R