You’re a writer. You’re going to get rejections.
You’ll hear the same thing over and over again from published writers: Don’t fret over your rejections and keep writing.
I definitely agree, but really, “don’t fret,” seems a little callous.
I remember the most devastating rejections I ever received. I was applying for graduate programs and, being a starry-eyed dreamer, I thought for sure I would get into Oxford. The first rejection letter came and I was devastated. I cried, I sniffled, my friends got me ice cream, and I felt better.
Being a starry-eyed dreamer, I applied to Oxford again. And again, I got that lovely, mass-produced rejection letter.
I was devastated, I cried, I sniffled, my friends got me chocolate cookies and hugs, and I felt better. I always thought it was something wrong with me, that I didn’t get into Oxford. I thought it was personal.
Then I applied to the University of Chicago. I sent in my application, all the supplementary materials, and waited, hoping against hope…
I got a rejection letter, but this one was different. If only I had submitted my material to the correct department, then I would have gotten into Chicago. I made one small mistake and that cost me getting into my second choice for graduate school.
What that taught me, though, was it wasn’t me. It wasn’t my experience or lack thereof that made Oxford deny me. It was just something on their end. Whatever made them not accept me, it was them, not any fault of mine.
No, I never did get into Oxford, nor Chicago. I got into the University of Memphis instead, and it was better than me going to Oxford. I have gotten experiences I would not have gotten had I gotten into Oxford.
So, when you get a rejection, just remember that it’s not your fault, nor the quality of your work.
Recently, I was reading a book about writing, The Pocket Muse: Endless Inspiration by Monica Wood, and found this story on page 24:
Back in the late eighties, when I was sending out short stories and getting rejections back by the busload (top one-day total: six), I received a handwritten rejection from an editor at Story magazine. He liked my story, but the editor-in-chief rejected it. I sent him another – ditto. Seven years and many rejections later, that same editor wound up managing a book series on fiction-writing technique. He remembered my stories, had read my first novel, and thought I’d be a good bet to write one of the books in the series.
No stories of mine ever did see print in Story magazine. But in the hope that they would, I wound up publishing two books with that same editor.
If you keep your hat in the ring, sooner or later somebody’s going to need a hat.
If you need any more inspiration, here is a list of people who have been rejected:
1. Stephen King: Received dozens of rejections for his first novel, Carrie.
2. William Golding: Lord of the Flies was rejected by 20 publishers.
3. Anne Frank: The Diary of Anne Frank was rejected by more than 15 publishers.
4. JK Rowling: Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone was rejected by a dozen publishers, including big publishers ike Penguin and HarperCollins. She was signed by Bloomsbury, a small London publisher. She has earned more than a billion dollars from her Harry Potter books and movies.
5. John Grisham: Mr Grisham’s first novel, A Time to Kill, was rejected by a dozen publishers and 16 agents before breaking into print and launching his best-selling career.
6. EE Cummings: Mr Cummings’ first work, The Enormous Room, was rejected by 15 publishers. He eventually self-published the book and it went on to be considered a masterpiece of modern poetry. He dedicated the book to the 15 publishers who rejected him..
7. Irving Stone: Mr. Stone’s Lust for Life was rejected 16 times. The book went on to sell over 25 million copies.
8. Frank Herbert: Dune was rejected 20 times before publication. It went on to become one of the most beloved science fiction novels of all time.
9. Madeleine L’Engle: Ms. L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time was rejected by 26 publishers before finally breaking into print. It went on to win the 1963 Newbery Medal.
10. Margaret Mitchell: Ms. Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind was rejected 38 times before finally finding a publisher.
11. Judy Blume: Ms. Blume received “nothing but rejections” for two years. Ms Blume is now considered to be one of the most influential children’s literature writers of her generation.
12. Jasper Fforde: Mr Fforde received 76 rejection letters before finally seeing his first novel, The Eyre Affair, in print. The Eyre Affair is now considered a classic of the modern fantasy genre.
13. Meg Cabot: The Princess Diaries slipped through the hands of 17 publishers before finally being accepted for publication.
(Above list courtesy of: http://www.writersandillustrators.com/famous-rejections.php)
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