The Working Writer's Life: Rejection's a Bummer

Rejection is a miserable yet unavoidable part a writer’s life. No matter how often it comes your way, you never get used to a form letter arriving in the mail – electronic or otherwise, informing you your material didn’t quite have the pizzazz or chutzpah or whatever they were looking for. How dare they judge something you slaved and sweated and had sleepless nights over? What did they know anyway? They wouldn’t recognize chutzpah if it farted in their breakfast cereal. That was how I consoled myself as a kid before I crumpled up the rejection letter and threw it as far as my arms would allow. Nowadays, as an adult, I usually tack it onto my wall of rejection to remind me they will be proof of my battle scars when I succeed.

I also take some time out to read what I call my “Top Ten Writer Tribulations” for some encouragement. If they could go through it and come out on top, then so can I although I much prefer if I didn’t have to :). Hmmm, if wishes were horses…

Top Ten Writer Tribulations

Mary Higgins Clark was rejected 40 times before selling her first story.
15 publishers and 30 agents turned down John Grisham’s first novel, A Time to Kill.
JK Rowling survived on welfare while writing the first Harry Potter book.
Louis L’Amour received 350 rejections before he made his first sale.
John Creasy received 774 rejections before selling his first story.
27 publishers rejected Dr Seuss’s first children’s book. It went on to sell more than 6 million copies.
Pearl Buck’s The Good Earth was rejected 14 times and went on to win a Pulitzer Price.
Jack London received 600 rejection slips before he sold his first story.
Alex Haley received a rejection letter once a week for 4 years at the beginning of his writing career.
Over 100 publishers rejected the first Chicken Soup for the Soul book because it was too nicey-nice. The series has since sold more than 53 million copies.