Everyone in the writing community knows that rejection is part of the business and that if you can’t handle it you might as well start looking for a new career. Maybe that’s why rejection stories are traded so frequently among writers. We’ve all heard about how an impoverished, single mom (JK Rowlings) worked away on her first Harry Potter manuscript which was rejected no less than nine times before going viral. I’ll bet some of the larger publishing houses are still kicking themselves over that one!
But, here’s one I hadn’t heard. According to a guest post by D.L. Orton over at Pimp my Novel,
Stephen King received 30 rejections for his novel Carrie before throwing it in the trash. His wife retrieved it, and convinced him to keep trying. The editor from Doubleday who finally bought the book had to send King a telegram because his phone had been disconnected.
Even though I’m not a huge Stephen King fan (his stuff is just too scary for my taste), you gotta love hearing that a whole lot of publishers missed the boat.
Remember that it only takes one publisher to fall in love with your manuscript and even the best have been rejected so you’re in good company. Keep revising. Keep sending it out. And, if you hit your rejection saturation point, toss it in a drawer instead of the trash (or in this day and age, the recycling box) and get on with your next project! Orton’s website title sums it up: Just Write.
Sheryl McFarlane 