Rejection is something that all authors have to deal with at one point or another, but for a new author struggling to get their work recognised it can be so deflating, so demoralising. We can cope with perhaps one or two by just brushing them aside, but three or four - twenty? It is so hard not to think 'oh what's the point?' and give up.
So, can there possibly be anything positive to take from the many rejections? I believe there is.
Firstly, anything that comes too easily to us is never appreciated in quite the same way as something we have had to struggle and strive for. It's hard at the time of the struggling and striving, but when you finally get there - well that feeling just needs to be bottled! Remember as a kid learning to swim? Ride a bike? Watching all the other kids doing with ease what you're finding so difficult to grasp?
It's the same with anything we desperately want we've got to be prepared to face the obstacles and keep on trying to overcome them: persistence is the key.
Also, remember that you are not alone; others are going through exactly the same struggle, so find some way to connect with them and share their experiences. Social media is great for this and if you are a self publisher use the forums provided.
But, the biggest way to deal with rejection is to look at all those best selling authors who were at one point in exactly the same position as you. J. K. Rowling didn't give up and accept the rejections!
Publishers and Agents are like any other business - they need to be able to make money. It doesn't matter how good your book is, how well written, if they don't feel there is a market for it you're hit with the rejection stamp without a second thought! It's not always that your work is rubbish, not worthy of print, a lot of the time it's because it's different. It's not what is trending at the time. This is good! Be original! Don't try to be the next J.K. Rowling because you never will. For me the biggest part of the charm of the Harry Potter books was their originality. They were just so different from anything else that was about at the time. Their uniqueness unfortunately earned them many a rejection, but in the end that same uniqueness helped them sell in their millions.
Another obstacle to your success as far as publishers are concerned is that you're not already 'famous'. You don't have a name that will sell. How many books out there that are written by already 'famous' people would have avoided the rejection stamp if they had been written by you or I? This may not appear to be a positive, but it is. It means there is hope. If you read a book and think, genuinely mine is as good as that,then that is a positive.
And finally, always always always counter any rejection with any positive reviews for your work. At the end of the day it's what the reader thinks not the businessman/publisher! If you have a small audience that love your work that audience will inevitably grow. They will talk. They will recommend. They will sell your book better than anyone else!
Keep positive!
Kim
No comments:
Post a Comment