How to Deal with Rejection
Receiving rejection from book publishers can be a painful experience for any author. After spending months or even years perfecting your manuscript, receiving a rejection letter can be disheartening. But rejection does not have to be the end of your publishing journey. You can use several strategies to help deal with the disappointment and move forward.
1. Take time to grieve: It can be challenging to embrace that a publisher did not accept your book, but taking a moment to process your feelings is essential. Allow yourself space to be angry, sad, or whatever you feel. It is perfectly normal to feel a sense of loss after the rejection.
2. Seek feedback: Most publishers will provide feedback on why your book was rejected. It can be challenging to hear critiques, but it is essential to consider the feedback provided. This can help you to make changes to your book, which may increase your chances of being accepted by another publisher.
3. Re-evaluate your approach: If you are getting rejected by multiple publishers, it may be time to reconsider your approach. Have you exhausted all of your options? Are you approaching publishers who are a good fit for your book? Again, it is essential to research and ensure you are targeting publishers likely to be interested in your work.
4. Take a break: If you’re feeling discouraged, taking a break from your manuscript can be helpful. It can be difficult to be objective when you’ve been working on something for a long time. Taking a break can help to provide a fresh perspective and can help to re-energize you for the next round of submissions.
5. Submit your book to the Firebird Book Awards. I know this sounds self-serving, but this can work to your advantage in several ways. First, if you are a winner, it will give you confidence and renewed energy to continue. The Firebirds are a quarterly competition, and we accept unpublished manuscripts, so you won’t have to wait a year for potentially positive feedback. Next, publishers look at an award-winning book in a bit of a different light. Yes, I know – it’s not a Pulitzer. But at the very least, it shows you have the guts to put your work out there for criticism and review. Finally, a winning announcement might put you in touch with the right person who knows someone who knows someone. (Just spitballing here.) And if you don’t win an award, well, at least you’ll have made a new friend in us. And we always do whatever we can to help our fellow author friends.
Receiving a rejection from a publisher can be a challenging experience, but it does not have to be the end of your publishing journey.
Let us know if we can help.
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