Rejection is Inevitable

Tip of the Day: get a rejection recently? Don't forget to send out another query letter!

There might be one or two people out there who've gotten published without receiving one rejection letter, but for the most part it's a natural part of the publishing process. Not everyone is going to like your book or think they are the one that can sell it. Recognizing this is a business helps those rejections sting less. Don't get me wrong, it still stings, but maybe not as much.

So how exactly do you handle a rejection?

• Don't take it personal. A rejection just means the person doesn't think your book is the right fit for them.
  
• Take the construction criticism if there's any given and apply it to your book. If you are lucky enough to get a personal rejection letter, don't just throw it away without reading what the person said. Is there anything you can take from the letter to improve your work? If so, try it. You never know how it might improve that book.
• Move on. The best way to deal with rejection is to just move on. Whether that be sending out another query letter or working on a different book.
  

During my publishing journey, I've received a fair number of rejections. Some are worse than others, some aren't written very nicely (though most are), some help, some don't, some make you want to cry, some make you want to give up, and some make you want to prove the person wrong.

Rejection stings no matter what, but it's how you react to rejection that separates the published from the unpublished.

--Emily, Miss Querylicious