We’ve all been rejected a time or two in life. We don’t get that coveted job or that job promotion for whatever reason. That person we like didn’t ask us out or maybe he/she flat-out told us no.
Well, an agent rejected my book proposal the other day. My first real rejection. I’ve heard about them, read about them in other writers’ blog sites, read about how to deal with rejection; but never had experienced it. And, really, it wasn’t that bad. That’s right. Not too horrible. Oh, don’t get me wrong. I didn’t like being rejected, but because the agent was so nice in the rejection letter, it softened the blow.
There was a glimmer of hope in that letter. There is always hope in rejection.
Hope that:
- It’s not the right time
- Fix [whatever it is] and ask for a resubmit
- God has something bigger and better
I may have been rejected, but I’m not staying down, feeling discouraged over just one rejection. True, the novel I had submitted has been an 18-year process, and I had submitted the entire novel to a book editor right after graduating with a master’s, worked on the first fifty pages after getting it back from the book editor, and crafted the book proposal all in six months, and was dog tired, then went to a writer’s conference to share my proposal with agents, still dog tired. There was every reason I should have been sad.
But I refuse to believe that rejection brings sorrow. Do you?
If you’re struggling with rejection letters, take comfort in the links below, written by agents and writers in this wonderful book industry.
The Unhelpful Rejection Letter
How to Thrive Through Rejection
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Professional Book Editor | Historical Fiction Author 