Dealing with rejection in the publishing industry

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Rejection. A horrible word that nobody wants to face, but one which those of us in the publishing industry encounter regularly.

At times, rejections will float into your inbox in a quiet email, often disguised in polite words, but that doesn’t stop the sting; at other times, they’ll be lost in radio silence.

Both kinds damage your confidence and leave you questioning everything, but since this industry is so subjective, and much of it is also based on timing and luck, I’ve learned that rejection isn’t a reflection of a writer’s work.

In today’s blog post, I wanted to talk about rejection in all its forms in the publishing industry, what I’ve learned from it, and how to keep going in the face of rejection.

Rejection in the publishing industry is inevitable

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Now, unfortunately, rejection in publishing simply goes with the territory. If you stick around in this industry, you will be rebuffed repeatedly, but that in itself is evidence that you’ve been brave enough to put your work out there.

Even the best writers have experienced rejection at some point in their careers.

It’s not personal; it’s just part and parcel of publishing. The sooner you accept this reality, the better for your mental health.

Different kinds of rejections writers face

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Let’s start with what rejection looks like for writers. It comes at various stages and in varying guises.

The first, and most obvious one, is a query rejection from a literary agent. This can take the shape of a personalised rejection (I’d say rare at the querying stage, more common in a rejection on a full manuscript request), a form rejection (common), or simply no response (sadly, also quite frequent, and the most frustrating).

Rejections can also be delivered from publishers when an author is on submission with a literary agent, and these can often hurt more because you’ve already found someone (an agent) who believes in your work, so why wouldn’t others believe in it too?

You might be offered a chance to do revisions on your manuscript, and it may still end in a no. This can feel particularly brutal, as you’ve put in extra work and it still ends up in a refusal.

Then there are quieter kinds of rejection: from readers once your book is published, in the form of poor reviews, or low sales. Or watching similar books to yours succeed while yours doesn’t can taste like it’s own kind of rejection and sow seeds of doubt.

However it comes, there’s no easy way to mask the disappointment that accompanies rejection.

The rejections agents experience

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Literary agents also experience rejection (yes, really).

For starters, an agent can fall in love with a project, offer representation, and then watch that author receive offers from other agents and ultimately choose someone else.

If they do sign a client, the project may not sell to a publishing house. Those editor passes can hurt, not only because it’s a project the agent feels passionate about, but because they know they then have to communicate those rejections to the author. It can sometimes hit harder than a personal rejection, because they feel responsible for that author’s career too.

Rejecting work as a literary agent

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Now, as an author who is also a literary agent, I’ve experienced rejection from both sides of the fence mentioned above. However, I also have to deal with sending out my own rejections. This is the part I really don’t enjoy about agenting, as I know each person who sends me a query has worked SO hard to write their novel and prepare their materials.

It hurts that I say no far more regularly than I say yes. That said, it’s not necessarily a reflection on the writer’s work.

Often it’s about timing (what’s hot in the industry right now versus what’s not) or personal taste (sometimes you just don’t click with a story or a person’s writing style, but another agent might love it), which can be infuriating for the writer, but that’s the nature of this industry. Just like a reader may love one book and another may hate it (honestly, look up your favourite book on Goodreads, or Amazon, or another review site, and you’ll see five-star reviews all the way down to one-star reviews).

Rejection never gets easier

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No matter how many rejections you receive (or give) in this industry, it never gets easier. That’s because you don’t stop caring. And you shouldn’t.

Just because one project has been rejected and shelved, doesn’t mean the next one will follow the same path. By writing more, you can only develop your craft and continue to improve.

I’ve learned in this industry “resilience” is the key word. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t feel down about the rejections you receive, or immune to them; it just means you should keep going despite them. Knock on those doors. Keep trying.

How to build resilience in the face of rejection

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Following on from what I mentioned before about resilience, the first thing I did when I started querying was I wrote myself a motivational quote and taped it to my computer screen:

It only takes one yes.

Then, when I was looking to begin my agenting journey, I did the same:

If you don’t try, you don’t get.

For me, resilience is all about letting yourself feel the rejection: accept it, analyse it, then ask yourself, What can I do about it? Sometimes it’s as simple as “move on”.

That’s because I think it’s key to focus on the things you can control. As a writer, that’s your writing. Focus on writing the next book, attending that craft class, sending the next query letter. There’s so much in publishing that you cannot control, so try not to get caught up in those aspects.

It’s also important to know when to take a break for your mental health. If too much rejection is getting you down, step back for a while.

Rest.

Recharge.

Then remember what it was the got you excited about writing in the first place.

Some rejections can be useful, if they come with feedback that helps you revise your manuscript, but remember, rejection doesn’t define you.

Choosing to stay anyway

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Ultimately, every rejection you rack up is also a choice: do you decide to walk away, or do you decide to keep going?

Rejection is a part of the publishing industry. It always has been, and it always has been. If you’re receiving rejections, that simply means you’re brave enough to get involved.

I think it comes down to your desire to see your stories out in the world. If you had to stop writing tomorrow, could you do it and be content? Would your stories burn you from the inside, desperate to be told? Are they worth the struggle?

I think they are.

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