I Was Rejected
Ugh, does it ever get easier?
Last year, I submitted a horror novella to an indie press. It was a story that I had started ages ago, something that kind of never went anywhere, until I suddenly knew exactly where to take it.
I had heard about the indie press for a while by then, read some of the stuff they put out and been very fascinated with what they did. I knew I wanted to get my foot inside the door with them, and I knew exactly which story I wanted to go for it with. That old horror novella I never finished.
It went from not having any proper structure or plot to all falling into place, over night. When I found myself knowing who I was submitting it to, I somehow knew exactly what needed to happen. I revised the whole thing. Rewrote the ending 3 or 4 times. Sent it off to one of my most trusted beta readers. When I was ready, I hit send on that submission.
And it worked.
It took them a little while, but I’m sure they’re a bunch of overworked creatives who spend all their free time trying to put some of gorgeous art into the world, so I didn’t mind waiting.
Then I received the email I had hoped for:
“We’ve enjoyed reading your pitch for REDACTED and would love to see your full manuscript.“
They enjoyed it! And they would love to read more!
I was ecstatic. Of course I always am when someone loves what I do, but there was something particularly satisfying about getting that message from a publisher I had targeted so directly. This book was meant just for them! Usually, when I have a manuscript that’s ready to go, I’ll have a list of people I plan to send it to and I’ll tick them off one by one. But this was just for them, this was special.
I think I uploaded the full manuscript the next day. Then I waited.
And waited.
About 4 months later, I had another email. This one.. Well, it wasn’t what I hoped for:
“We’re very grateful for the opportunity to read REDACTED, but it isn’t the right fit for us at this time.”
Another story rejected.
Let me pose the question I opened with again: Does it ever get easier?
The short answer is yes. The long answer is also yes.
It does get easier. I know it’s rough to be denied, to put a lot of effort into something and to fling it into the world, only to have it be flung right back at you. It’s perhaps especially difficult with writing, because that’s a thing that owes a lot of its value to people enjoying it. I play music – guitar and I sing – and with that, I can happily be proud of a great song I’ve written, even if no one has heard it yet. It’s difficult to do that with writing, because the story needs a host to live in, for the lack of a better word. Stories are like parasites. They thrive in the minds of others and much prefer to dwell there than on the shelves of their creators.
But being rejected does get easier, I promise. It’s not always going to sting as much. Because you’ll learn from it. Not just to write better, but to put yourself out there again. To dare try again, to dare risk being rejected again. And if you do that enough, eventually you’ll find a place for your beautiful little parasite of a story.
And also – very occasionally – you’ll be rejected by a magnificent indie press that will leave you with feedback like this, and you’ll love your stories a little more for it:
“Personal note: this really is a great read. Moody, big, gorgeous settings vividly described, genuinely haunting moments. An unfortunate business pass, not one that has anything to do with the quality of the story.”
As usual – I’d love it you checked out my books. You can find all my thrillers and short stories right here. Thanks for your support.
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