Dealing with Rejection

Rejection. It’s one of those memory-laden words that instantly transports us back to a time and a place and a particular song or perfume or words. From the hurtful Kindergarten rejection of, “You’re not my friend anymore” to the adolescent heartache of, “I’m dumping you and going out with your best friend instead”, rejection is hard to take. There is nothing pleasant about it. As a writer, however, I’ve had to let go of the emotional baggage of the past and learn to deal with rejection in new and positive ways.

After 18 months of submitting my work to publishers I’ve become pretty used to getting rejection letters. Whilst I would never class it as fun, it’s also not as devastating as I thought it might be. And over that time I’ve had a few acceptances which have helped soothe the sting of the rejections somewhat. But each time I send out a manuscript, I’m sending out part of me and I need to be prepared that I will often get a polite ‘no thank you’. The most surprising thing is that I’ve actually found encouragement and affirmation in some of those very responses.

When I first started submitting I got a lot of standard rejections. “Thank you for submitting your manuscript. We have read your novel with interest but have decided against publication at this time. We wish you every success as you seek to place your work elsewhere.” Over time, there has been a gradual and satisfying shift. One of the major Australian publishers rejected my last three or four submissions, but said in a rejection letter in September, “…we think your work shows real promise and we would be pleased to consider any manuscripts that you may care to submit in the future.”

If it was just one publisher I might wonder if they were just more chatty in rejection letters than another, but it’s happening more often. As I was cleaning my desk last night (I can now see the wood grain laminate that was hiding underneath all that paperwork) I found a rejection letter that I had somehow missed. A few weeks back I submitted three separate manuscripts to a particular Australian publisher with a small, but quality list. One was a picture book, another a junior novel and the third was a picture book with rhyming text. Each of the rejection letters were specific and personal and I was delighted that a publisher would take the time to comment in such detail. Here are some of the comments:

Benjamin Buster Barnaby Bill (the picture book) has a lot of charm. It is well written, playful and has a nice twist at the end. That said, however, I don’t think it is quite strong enough for the currents competitive climate, and as a small publisher who publishes only six books a year I am having to be very careful about what books I take on.

Publisher XYZ is currently concentrating on producing picture books for the young children’s market. Therefore, while Operation Raspberry (the junior novel) is a good read with plenty of pace and drama, and lively characters, I cannot find a place for it on my list right now.

And this is the one I discovered last night, stuck to the back of another piece of paper:

You are a very versatile writer as the three manuscripts you sent me show. The story of Soccer Socks (the rhyming picture book) is fun and Mitch’s dream of becoming a Socceroo is one that many young Australian boys would relate to today. The manuscript also provides plenty of imaginative and colourful opportunities for illustrations. However, picture books in verse are notoriously difficult to market and promote in this very competitive industry and so, unfortunately I am unable to find a place for Soccer Socks on my current list.

When I read these rejection letters I get a real buzz. I feel like I’m at least in the game. I’m about to sign a contract with one small Australian publisher and have already signed two contracts with a small UK publisher. I really get the feeling that my next contract might only be a matter of time. And I’ve decided that there are simply three reasons why I get rejection letters:

1. My manuscript isn’t strong enough

This is something that is entirely in my control. I need to have a commitment to excellence and be prepared to put in the hard yards and edit, edit, edit my manuscript until it shines. I must have the determination to make it the best it can be. I also need to keep learning, going to workshops and improving my skills any possible way I can. If a manuscript is rejected because my writing is not strong enough then it’s only me who is to blame. Publishing isn’t a feel-good charity, it’s a tough business. Publishers make business decisions that are in the best interest of their companies and that means being very, very selective about what they publish. Particularly in the picture book market, the number of books being published in Australia every year is miniscule. Most publishers, even the big ones, only publish in the single digits and most of those spots are taken by established authors. That means there maybe only 5 or 6 unsolicited manuscripts that get accepted each year in the entire country. To say the competition is tough is an understatement. Nothing but the best will do.

2. My manuscript doesn’t match the publisher’s needs

This is partly something in my control and partly something out of my control. I have control over doing my research and making sure I’m sending my manuscripts to the right publishers. I need to learn who publishes what. Which publishers focus on picture books? Which publishers focus on junior novels? Who is interested in one-offs and who is interested in a series? This is something I’m still getting my head around. With three young children I find it hard to get to bookshops just to browse. Ideally, I’d find books that are similar in style or content as mine and target those publishers. The reality is that I rely heavily on the internet and do most of my research online. This is an area where I definitely have room for improvement.

The second part of it, however, is totally out of my control. I may have targetted the best publisher for my manuscript, they may really, really like what I’ve written but for any number of reasons they may still choose not to publish. Perhaps there is no more room on their list in the forseeable future. Perhaps they have just accepted a manuscript that is similar to mine. Perhaps they are about to shift focus and I won’t know about that until a year down the track when there’s a change in what they publish. I can’t control this so I just have to look after what I can control and accept that there is an element of ‘luck’ or timing in the process.

3. Factors within the publishing house and external environment

There are a whole host of other variables that I have no control over whatsoever, the economic climate being one of them. My very first manuscript, There’s an Elephant in My Lounge Room fell victim to the downturn. After being over the moon to have my first ever submission accepted in April 2008, the niche publisher was undergoing all sorts of managerial and structural changes that stalled the contract. And then, the Global Financial Crisis hit hard. The publisher was a non-profit group with few resources. Publishing was just a sideline business. Their main work was in developing resources for counsellors, therapists and teachers. They had to make the hard decision to cut their publishing schedule and focus on what was most profitable. Initially, my elephant friend survived. The editor was as passionate about the concept as I was and fought hard to keep him alive. In the end, it wasn’t enough. They stopped publishing books altogether. I was disappointed, of course, but it was a good learning experience and a good example of how fickle the industry can be.

Some people throw their rejection letters away quick smart, determined not to let them become an obstacle in their path to success. Me? I choose to keep mine, each and every one. They are a reminder of how I keep putting myself out there, how I keep taking risks. They are symbolic of the exciting and wonderful journey I’m on. And even in the words of my rejection letters I can see the progress that I’m making and I’m happy to say it’s all in the right direction. Dealing with rejection is just part and parcel of being an author. It’s to my advantage to learn to deal with it well. And it’s really not personal. The publishers don’t know my name, who I am or what I believe. They are making a judgement on my words, not on me as a person. There’s no conspiracy or hidden agenda. It’s just business.