Dealing with rejection

The stories of multiple rejection letters abound so much that it has become a stereotype that this is the norm for the publishing industry.

It really doesn’t have to be the case. Certainly for non-fiction, if you research your publisher, there is no reason you can’t submit one manuscript and get one “Yes”.

If you are really canny, you can even get the publisher to ask you to work with them or to find you in the first place – I teach the principle of how to do this on my workshops and in my 1-2-1 mentoring.

Learning to deal with rejection is one of the many types of karmic challenges that authors have to embrace on their journey. And it is something that comes up time and time again AFTER your manuscript has been accepted so worth getting used to handling.

Here’s just a few examples:

1. The Edit: you get your 1st draft back and there are more Tracked Changes than your original content. You’ve now got a deadline to deal with to get it back to the publisher … yet you are deflated with yet another mountain to climb.

2. The Title: your publisher changes the title which you’ve been working with for the last 12 months and telling all your friends about. And for the international version, it changes again.

3. The Front Cover: it was nothing like you envisaged. How could they do that to your book. You check the contract again and find that you have signed the rights away.

4. The Kindle & iPad version: you want your book on the latest platform but you find they have a backlog. You are scheduled for at least 9 months away but even this is based on the sales of the other books.

5. Reviews: your first reviews on Amazon were all 5 star – some friends & family admittedly but others from people you’ve never met. You are flying. That is until a 1 or 2 star review comes in … and worse still you have no right of reply and are unable to delete it FOREVER !!

I hope not as the benefits of publishing a book far outweigh these minor hurdles. What’s more, the potential for personal growth is also immense.

Imagine this:

1. That your editor actually has created a better version of your book.

2. The new title actually works better in territories you had never considered.

3. The new front cover works better on monochrome ereaders and on the small screen of an iPhone.

4. When your book eventually comes out, there are 10 million iPads – i.e. more sales potential for your PR campaign

5. That review told you something about your writing you hadn’t considered which you embrace and integrate into your next book.

So rejection is to be cherished, embraced and utitlised. Everything that happens is for a rhyme or a reason.