Friday, December 2, 2011

How not to Let Rejection Hurt and Affect Us

A writer’s most unfavourite word is Rejection. In its nine alphabets the word encapsulates the crashing of a writer’s dream and hard work. It’s a word I fear quite a bit like a cactus. It also a word I personally avoid. I dislike saying that a publisher or an editor rejected my book. I would rather say that my book was turned down or declined. These words are less harsh and hurt less.

Actually even if we use the word rejection, the sting can be removed from it because there are several reasons a manuscript has been rejected or turned down.

An editor friend of mine from one of India’s biggest publishing houses explained to me that when they refuse a book there are several reasons.

  1. Sometimes a book is turned down because the editor is not in love with the story. “I like the story but I am not in love with it.” I have heard of this reason.
  
  1. Sometimes even good books are refused, books which the editorial committee may have approved in stage one of the selection process, may be disapproved in stage two because of  financial constraints. The publishing house just does not have the money to pump into this book at the current time.
  
  1. Several times books are turned down because publishers are unable to think of a marketing strategy for that particular book. Books that cannot be marketed do not sell well. ( A publisher called me and personally told me that they were refusing one of my chapter book because they feared that they would be unable to market it, even though they liked the book a lot). 
  
  1. Very often the publishers have brought out a book similar to the one submitted  some time back and do not want to repeat themes. They prefer to tackle different books. One of my  Short Story Collection  met with this fate. The publisher asked me to wait for 3 years. I thought that was too much.
  
  1. Books that do not follow certain trends: read as books on unusual, bold themes, or archaic themes are refused for fear of them not selling well.
  
  1. Books that need a lot of editing, both structural as well as grammatical translates into a refusal. Editors just do not have the time or energy to devote to such manuscripts. Everyone prefers a polished piece that requires minimum editing. Editors don’t mind corroborating with writers when a manuscript  is outstanding and editorial changes can further enhance it, turning it into literary  magic.
  
  1. Many times even good books are turned down as there is a lacunae, in the style of writing and the theme. The theme may be for older children while the writing style for younger ones, or vice versa.
  
  1. Good books are turned down as  the publishing house’s  publishing programme is full for the next couple of years and there is no room for new manuscripts, unless it’s a part of a series.
  
  1. Several times good books by first time authors are turned down in favour of  not so good books by authors who publishers consider well known or brand names. Brand names according to my editor friend ensures that the First Print Run sells.
There are several reasons for the rejection of a manuscript. There is no need for us (writers ) to  feel insulted or hurt.  A rejection does not mean that a writer is bad, it just means that the story has not resonated with the editor or that they have different visions for it. It’s nothing personal. Do you feel there are any other reasons for rejecting a manuscript?  What does rejection mean to you?Please share with us.

P.S. To spruce up your Book Promotion and Marketing Skills, read this amazing post by Carolyn Howard Johnson on my dear friend, Stephen Tremp's blog.

19 comments:

  1. This is all very true. Former Bantam editor Ruth Harris has written on our blog about other reasons for rejection: it's a genre they've overbought this year. Or the editor is having a bad hair day. Or it's late and she wants to get out of the office for a drink. Never assume that a rejection has to do with the quality of your work.

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  2. A very informative post especially for those aspiring to see their publications in future!

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  3. Good information! We forget many times it isn't always about our writing--they need to make money and sometimes publishers don't need another book like they have:)

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  4. Rejection just means that I'm still a self published author. No worries. I'll try again in a few months. Until then, I just have to accept the fact I'm on my own, but there are many avenues for me to market my books.

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  5. @ Anne...I agree that rejection has less to do with the quality of work and more with other factors that guide the selection process.

    @ Rahul..just wanted to share my thoughts on not letting rejection bog a writer down.

    @ Terri..my editor told me an amusing fact, "you writers are forgetting that publishing is a business for us and at the end of the day we need to make a profit."

    @ Stephen...today self-published writers are more in control of their entire promotion and marketing plans as well as their royalty. And successful self-published writers are lapped up by editors and agents :)

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  6. Wise words to live by, never make assumptions that a rejection has anything at all to do with the writing!

    I like Tremp too. One thing. I do not want to self-publish. It just isn't for me. So I will keep keepin' on. With the world economy the way it is, rejections are more than the norm. They are a big dose of reality. But so is perseverance! Happy weekend, Rachna.

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  7. I have come across being rejected simply because something similar was done recently. I have also experienced rejection because they were too busy with existing projects. (that one pissed me off because I felt they should have been upfront to begin with).

    I went with self publishing and I am more than satisfied with the results.

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  8. Was actually just over at Stephen's; it was a good post. As is this one, Rachna. Great breakdown of things. It's less discouraging when you keep these things in mind.

    Have a wonderful weekend,
    Karen

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  9. Thanks for this post Rachna :)
    There are many writers out there in a similar Rejection Slump and this type of post is very reassuring.
    The biggest hurdle to publication is that there are so many writers submitting work, and so few agents/editors/publishing houses out there. Not to mention the fact that agents and editors actually have lives.
    The key is to remember its not personal. Which is of course a problem when one takes the rejection personally.
    There is strength in perspective and I'm glad you are sharing this with us :)
    xx Tee

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  10. Thanks for this post Rachna :)
    There are many writers out there in a similar Rejection Slump and this type of post is very reassuring.
    The biggest hurdle to publication is that there are so many writers submitting work, and so few agents/editors/publishing houses out there. Not to mention the fact that agents and editors actually have lives.
    The key is to remember its not personal. Which is of course a problem when one takes the rejection personally.
    There is strength in perspective and I'm glad you are sharing this with us :)
    xx Tee

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  11. Oh, I know there are perfectly good reasons. Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt like hell. Especially when you don't (and probably never will) know the reason for the rejection. Sigh.

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  12. This is a good reminder, Rachna. Realistic and concise. Writers need self-confidence to keep going. Rejections are part of our lives.

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  13. This is a great post for all writers to remember. Unfortunately, it's so easy to take rejection personally.

    I once heard a writer call it "subjection" not rejection. I think that says it all!

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  14. I try not to cry when I get rejections - I know it may not be the writing itself. It gets easier to accept rejection of some projects with a couple of successful publications - at least I know I CAN write something that could get published :)

    ......dhole

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  15. Hi, new follower here. This was really good to read, very informative and encouraging. We just have to write the best book we can, and hopefully that will appeal to somebody. If it doesn't, go and write again!

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  16. fabulous list of reason why sometimes our work gets rejected. It's important to remember it's not always about our writing. :)

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  17. It's important to know the reasons behind rejections, because there is still hope. I remember being hurt many times by rejection, but not thinking about all the reasons behind it. Informative post.

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  18. So so true Rachna. As you know I recently had a positive rejection, which took the sting out of the disappointment.

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  19. It’s quite heartening to read this and helps keep the fire alive so that we continue our writing until we succeed.

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