Last week I talked about Dr. Seuss's 27 rejections on his first book. Rejection isn't something we want to receive, but it is part of the publishing world. With easier ways to submit a work, editor are overwhelmed. Did you know that magazine can receive up 1000 submissions a month? Wow. Some publishers even charge 'reading fees', which means YOU have to pay THEM just to read your work. To say that you paid to have your work read and then rejected can be disappointing is an understatement. It can be down right crushing.
My book Eliza Jane was rejected 13 times before it was picked up by Dorrance Publishing. Here are some great authors that also had their work rejected:
Stephen King's Carrie was rejected 30x for it's graphic nature. Once picked up by Doubleday publishing it became a best seller.
J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was rejected 12 times for being 'too long and too weird'. Picked up by UK's Bloomsbury publishing, became a best seller.
Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol was rejected so many times that Dicken's decided to self-publish the book which instantly became a best seller and a classic.
When the time, work, thoughts and effort put into writing a story, whether it be a short story, a novella, or novel, is completed, you feel elated and cannot wait for the world to read it and then, boom, just like that, it's a no from publishers. Believing in my story kept me going. Believing people would love my book kept me going. The support I got from home kept me going. It is extremely rare that a story is picked up on the first go. And that is what all writers MUST have is belief in their talent for story telling. Don't let the "R" word scare you. Keep writing. Always.
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