Rejections are numerous for every writer. Be they playwright, poet, novelist,
or cook-book author. We all know the emotional risk, the gamble of the publishing
world. We all wish to avoid rejection - here are some ways to do so.
1. KNOW YOUR MARKET
Or hire someone who does, or find an agent who does. Don’t send
haiku to a market which only wants experimental poetry. Don’t send a
non-fiction how-to article to a literary fiction journal. Get sample copies
of the publications you are considering submitting to. Many of our clients
have attempted publication on their own. Their approach to this amazes me
everyday. They act as if they are planting wildflowers - scattering their
submissions to the wind and hoping that by luck of Mother Nature - one seed
will take root and grow into a by-line.
2. NO FOLLOW-THROUGH -
Just like the ball player that suddenly goes into a slump, many writers fail
to have any follow through in their swing. In your last rejection you had
an editor tell you to send more of your work, or they told you that this
particular piece was “close but no cigar”, have you followed through?
I doubt it. If an editor takes time out of her extremely busy schedule to
write you a note that says "Please Try Again" - then by all means, that is
what you need to do - and ASAP. Find some of your work that is a little better
suited for her publication and SEND IT ! They may still reject your work,
but they may remember you and ask you to submit again, or they may accept
the work, or even make suggestions as to how they feel it could be improved.
Don’t let a wounded ego, hurt feelings, or false pride stand between
you and being published.
3. ALL YOU’RE REALLY SEEKING IS TO SAY THAT YOU HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED
-
Let’s face it - you don’t really like all the hard work that writers
must do. The revisions, the outlines, the synopsis, the query letters - all
you want is to see your name in print. You are a dreamer, a pie in the sky
kinda guy. You never realized that writing requires effort. If you actually
do see a project through its first draft - you submit it, and then blame
the editor for being so stupid in not seeing your talent.
4. YOU KNOW NOTHING OF CRAFT AND DON’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME TO LEARN
IT -
You can turn a good phrase. Your friends tell you you have a way with words.
Writing is easy - everyone loves your letters. You’re widely read and
can recognize poor writing when you find it. But yet, you have no idea of
the technique needed to avoid the mistakes that you find in other's writing.
Developing characters, building suspense, constructing a plot are all things
you think will come naturally. Well, they won’t. You need to read magazines,
and books on how to write. You need to attend workshops and lectures detailing
the fine points of the craft of writing.
5. YOU DON’T READ -
If you want to write poetry you must read poetry. Romance is what you want
to write - then reading comic books isn’t going to help you much. You
need to be a voracious reader to become an accomplished author. Hemingway
read 3 hours a day, everyday. Read whatever you can get your hands on and
then read more . Study your chosen genre.
6. YOU GIVE UP TO EASILY -
One or two rejection slips has you brooding around the house for weeks. Many
manuscripts take up to 50 or 60 rejections before they are published. In
fact, the works of Thoreau or Emerson may never have been read if they had
given up as easily as you. After receiving countless numbers of rejections
these great authors self-published their works. Zelda Fitzgerald told F.Scott
she would not marry him until he became a published author. F.Scott literally
wall-papered his room with rejection slips before he and Zelda actually wed.
Most magazines in today’s market only publish about 2 % of the material
sent to them, and many of our current best sellers would have never been
published if the writer had given up after a dozen rejections.
7. YOU WRITE POOR QUERY LETTERS -
A good strong query letter is a great way to better your chances of selling
your work. Many well-written, potentially publishable manuscripts are rejected
because of a bad query letter. Many authors hate to write query letters,
some don’t even bother to find out if the publisher they are submitting
to prefers a query. Writing, and more specifically - publishing is a business
- you must learn, to sell yourself and your product.
8. YOU DON’T BELIEVE IN REWRITTING OR REVISON -
If you submit the first draft of your work to a publisher, then you deserve
the rejection that will inevitably follow. Many top selling authors go through
as many as 20 drafts and revisions.
There are many more reasons why our work gets rejected, to list them all
would require a book in itself. The reasons listed above are the most common
ones that I see personally with my clients. The best way to succeed as an
author is to know your market, learn how to handle rejection and criticism,
be persistent, study your craft, and be willing to revise. If you falter
or stumble in any of these areas - you drastically reduce your chances of
ever being published.
Leslie Blanchard is a published author, critic and poet who has devoted over
23 years to the creative process. Her experience includes editing copy and
proofing for several small presses and large houses as well as teaching and
mentoring in the literary arts. Leslie was the founder and literary agent
for Bearlife Women's Writing Advocate - which sadly she had to close in May
1997 due to Multiple Sclerosis. She is also the editor and publisher of
A Writer's Choice
Literary Journal.
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