Rejection: Dead End or Opportunity?

Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler

 

Everyone experiences rejection and if you’re a writer the sooner you get used to it, the better. 

I feel like a bear in springtime who has awakened from a long hibernation. I’m ready to move forward with my manuscript that has been marinating for the past six months. As soon as I stepped out of my den, I got smacked with a rejection from the publisher. Did it sting? Of course. But my pity party only lasted a day because I’ve been around this block before and I know that it’s part of the process. I also know that it’s an opportunity to polish my story, the one I’ve been working on for the past twenty years.

Not all memoirs take twenty years. But my story had to play out and I’ve had to be sensitive to the needs of my children. Time has helped us all to accept and buy into the story that aims to share hope that recovery from addiction is possible.

So back to the drawing board I go with fresh eyes and a willingness to revisit and revise. I have hired a developmental editor for one more round of story editing.

Now to decide on my route to publication.

We as writers are so fortunate to have many choices. I have gone the traditional route with a small press and I don’t have the time nor the inclination to seek an agent. I’m exploring  taking a leap into self-publishing and am investigating companies that serve self-publishers.

Here’s  what I like about self-publishing…

I will maintain creative control over the story I want to tell
I will have the same level of professional services as anyone who traditionally publishes –editing, graphic designer for the cover, eBook formatting and distribution.

Writing a memoir is hard work, one of the hardest things I’ve ever done due to the emotions and sensitivities involved in telling my story. I want to give this story that has been nagging at me for the past twenty years every chance to make a difference.

Before I decide on a route to publication, I will take another deep dive into the recommended edits.

I trust I will know when it will be ready to make a publishing decision.

Rejection is evidence that I have stepped out of my comfort zone, pushed myself to the limit and put myself out there. (Click to Tweet)

If I view rejection as a necessary set-back where I can look objectively at my manuscript and work on ways to  improve my story, I will be doing my story justice.

There’s no question that rejection stings but it does not mean I have failed. I need to treat myself with compassion. This is a difficult journey and I want to last in the long haul.

Rejection does not define me but if I remain open, I can learn from it.

 

 

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How about you? How do you handle rejection? Do you feel it is a dead end or an opportunity?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.Please join in the conversation below~

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Next Week:

Monday, 2/11/19: 

“You Have a Book Deal-Now What? by Memoirist Linda Strader”

Linda is the author of Summers of Fire: A Memoir of Adventure, Love and Courage, an Arizona to Alaska adventure story that honestly recounts the seven years Strader ventures into the heart of fires that scorch the land, vibrant friendships that fire the soul, and deep love that ends in devastating heartbreak.