Janet Reid on Types of Rejection

Agent Janet Reid wrote on rejection in her blog the other day. The upshot is, if you're a writer, no matter where you are in the process, rejection is a part of life.

I was a journalist for a few years and an editor at my college paper. One summer I interned at a Richmond newspaper and every time I sent an article in to my editor I'd get it returned with more red than than the original piece. I became a masochist and learned to appreciate what criticism can do--at least this editor took the time to tell me my articles were bad so I could get better. I became thick skinned, which has served me well with my fiction writing. I have yet to meet a writer, no matter how "successful," who hasn't had to deal early and often with rejection.

My advice for dealing with rejection: In your personal life surround yourself with people who love you and think you're wonderful no matter what your writing is like and try not to have too many people around who do the opposite. Don't expect or need that unconditional love from editors, publishers, readers, or agents--they will reject you for all kinds of reasons in all kinds of ways.

You can read Reid's post on the many types of rejections writers face here:

http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2011/08/please-respond-only-if-interested.html