I am sitting here watching my guilty pleasure of Shark Tank and watching these two guys just tanking it hard core. They are making money, but failing horribly! They have made millions of dollars but lost a ton of cash. I listen to this, and I think about so many authors out there. Rejections pile up and still they continue to do what they are doing.
I am not sure if writers think that getting rejections is a sign of success, or if it is something they can use to justify something else. Maybe authors feel that this is something they will be able to tell everyone when they make it big... "I was rejected 420 times before I made my first sale..." We have all heard those stories.
But the reality is, if you are getting a ton of rejections, the problem may well be something you are doing. So, what could it be? Here is the list of my common rejections:
- You sent me a project I don't represent.
- You sent me writing that was not ready.
- You are writing something that is not marketable.
- You are still learning to write.
- You don't understand the business.
- You sent a submission package that would be rejected by any employer.
Look, I get this is a tough business. Publishers are simply not buying now, or at least at the level we were once used to. Right now, publishers need to see something amazing.
Still, it is always important to look to yourself first. Is there something you could be doing to fix the problem? Start there.
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