Being rejected by publishers, agents and (it seems) the whole world is actually just another event in the day-to-day life of a writer. In fact, if no rejection letters come in a single week then the writer probably isn’t sending out enough queries. That’s a harsh reality. Learn how to deal with the ramifications of that reality. Learn how to handle it when publishers say no.
Every writer faces a rejection letter at some point. Sometimes these letters are cold, impersonal, typewritten forms that are sent out in bulk - to all the writers who got rejected that day…or even that hour. But, sometimes they are not. Sometimes they’re personalized. Sometimes, they might even be helpful. Every writer also has to learn how to handle it when publishers say no; they have to learn how to handle every type of rejection letter they will get.
When Publishers Say No
Agents, publishers and editors received hundreds - sometimes thousands - of query letters from writers every single month. Professional writers, amateur writers, people who aren’t even sure they really want to be writers are sending out letters and ideas. Ever heard that old adage, everyone has a story to tell? What no one mentions is that the rest of the adage goes something like this: everyone also tries to tell their story, but only a few of them actually succeed in doing so. Publishers say no all the time to writers - both to brilliant and brilliantly bad writers.
Rejected!
Anyone who spends any amount of time writing and sending out queries will soon discover the pain of the rejection letter. Many writers find this so disheartening that they give up altogether - risking neither the pain of the rejection nor the joy of potential opportunity. Learn how to handle rejection letters in a professional manner. Writing is, after all, a business. Every time the mail gets opened, a writer has to check personal feelings at the door. Remember that some of the world’s most celebrated and bestselling books were rejected at some point - think of it almost as a rite of passage.
There are two types of rejection letters: form and personal. Most of the time, writers will receive standard form letter rejections. But there will be those rare times when a more personalized message is sent or a hand-written signature appears at the bottom. In both cases, handle the rejection professionally by doing two things: make a note of the rejection on submission records (which should be kept as a matter of course) and send a thank-you note.
This sounds strange. Why should writers thank someone who rejected them? Because it’s professional, for one, and because it’s that one last chance to remind them of the writer’s name and project. Writers should always get their name out there - any kind of way. Always send a thank-you note, just a few brief words.
When personalized messages come with the rejection letter, pay attention. It’s an incredibly valuable thing to receive advice from those in the publishing world, incredibly important to take these words into consideration. Being rejected isn’t easy, but it isn’t the end of the world. Perhaps it’s simply time to re-vise, re-write, and try again. The best way to handle rejection letters is to make note of them, respond appropriately and move on.
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