Rejection never feels good. And it can throw our entire identity as a writer into doubt.
The question is…
How do you get your confidence back? So that you can get back to work?
Today we’re going to cover why books get rejected by publishers, that have nothing to do with the quality of the work. And why you, as a debut unknown author, has an advantage. And then we’re going to go over some strategies to get you back on track after a rejection.
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Episode at a glance:
[4:22] Rejection happens to be best of us
Even some of the best books in print, weathered multiple rejections before hitting the shelves. There’s no such thing as an instant, wild success. You’ll hear about a few masterpieces that were rejected tens, dozens of times, and more.
Rejection throws our identity as a writer into doubt. But again, it happens to the best of us. The pros just know how to navigate it. Learn how to re-frame rejection so you can bounce back sooner rather than later.
[5:45] Why Even Good Books Get Rejected
Get an inside view into the business of publishing. You’ll learn three reasons even good books get rejected that have nothing to do with qaulity. You’ll also learn why you as an unknown author has an advantage.
[10:10] The Necessity of Rest
Rejection never feels good. So take a little time to process your disappointment. Just don’t take too much time. I mean, don’t live there. Rest is productive, so don’t skip this if you’re feeling self doubt.
[11:09] The Power of Redirection
Flood your mind with why you’re called to write. And why you’re called to write this story. Don’t limit yourself to one why. Make a list. If you want to publish, how will that change your life?
[12:01] Acknowledge Your Achievement
You wrote and finished a book. Or a story. That’s a huge achievement. And more than 97% of other hopeful writers. So celebrate that. Because you can’t build on success that you don’t yourself acknowledge.
[13:42] Focus on Craft
Most new books are rejected simply because they aren’t ready yet. You can always be improving your craft. There’s no end point to that. Learn how small improvements result in big leaps. The success of your book is the natural outcome of many small improvements accumulating over time. And these are improvements that don’t just pile up, they compound over the long term.