Tips for dealing with letters of rejection, if you are a new writer you should expect them.
By Lanee' Blunt
Dealing with letters of rejection can be very hard. If you are a new writer you may feel devastated after receiving one, but accept it and keep writing. This may be hard to do at first, but as you keep writing you will come to terms that rejection letters are part of your business. There are some tips that I have found over the years that may be helpful.
Send the Story to another Publisher on Your Marketing List
Don’t let the rejection depress you and keep you from publishing your work. Find a home for your story. As soon as your short story returns to you, put it in another envelope and mail it to the next publisher on your marketing list. According to Leonard Bishop’s book, Dare to Be a Great Writer. “Writers must not be tyrannized by their esteem for publishers or literary agents that they assume rejection of their work is an irrevocable, dooming judgment.”
The Story Was Sent to the Wrong Publisher
Writers should always send their stories to the right publisher, check the latest edition in Writer’s Market, and read the directory. In Writer’s Market it will list the type of story the publisher is looking for. If you’ve written a romance story don’t send it to a publisher that only accepts mysteries.
Don’t Beat Yourself Up
Writers are hypersensitive, but I think that’s what helps us to be writers. After a suitable period get rid of your depression or anger and understand that rejection is part of being a writer. All writers have received rejection letters.
Don’t Read too much Into a Form Rejection Letter
You are not going to get an editor’s reply on all of your rejection letters. Most will come in a form letter. Editor’s are just too busy and have other responsibilities. Sometimes an editor might write a comment on the form letter, but don’t expect a personal letter. “No matter how well you have honed your business and writing skill and mastered the lessons of professional etiquette, rejection rears its ugly head. Expect it. And don’t run from it,” according to Loriann Hoff-Oberlin’s book titled, Writing for Money.
Rewrite Your Story
If the story keeps returning with a rejection letter, you might want to rewrite it. You should read it again, but this time reading as an editor or a critic. Are there weak parts? Can you delete anything? Are there any typos?
The writer must accept the reasons for rejection, try to improve, and not take rejection personal. Keep writing.
Sources:
Leonard Bishop, Dare to Be a Great Writer, OH: Writers Digest, 1988.
Loriann Hoff-Oberlin, Writing for Money, OH: Writers Digest, 1994.
