Rejection– Questions Week
Whether or not you’ve self published or tried to go the ‘traditional route’ we’ve all experienced rejection at some point in our lives. For those readers who follow me who may be newer authors, I feel that it’s important to discuss the topic of rejection because it can honestly be one of the most challenging experiences of being a writer, especially when you first start out.
For me, I always mention that my first ‘official’ experience with rejection was when I was about eleven. I had just completed what I thought was a full length novel, and what I thought was solid gold. I knew nothing of the publishing process or even editing, and I had basically attempted to format the book myself, it was fifty pages, I think probably double spaced, and most of the font was in 14 pt. I had included a few random clip-art pictures from WordPerfect and I sent it off to the only publisher who’s existence I knew about without even so much as a query letter as far as I remember. I feel like I must have emailed them something but for the life of me I can’t remember what.
I never heard back from them, and though the experience was a bit devastating, it taught me that if I was going to have any hope of actually being successful in publishing my novel I was going to have to learn what the process was to go about it. I found Lulu that same year and for a brief moment I even had my book available. At the time, my mother was concerned that this was a free service, and thought I should take it down, I did, and I ended up shelving the project. While this was one of my earliest experiences with a rejection of sorts, my first actual rejection came about a year or so later, when I had actually learned enough to start writing query letters and querying agents. It was an immensely emotional experience for me, and one that I will never forget. But each time has been a learning lesson, and the desire to do better, and to write a book that was better has always been my driving force.
What was your first experience with rejection like and what gave you the courage to keep going?
