Are you a writer? Then get ready for a life of rejection. I don’t mean to sound discouraging, but rejection is a big part of the writing life. Believe me, I know from experience! A rejection letter comes from a publisher saying they aren’t going to buy your work. It can happen for a number of reasons. Some common reasons for rejection include:

• they don’t publish the type of manuscript/genre you’ve submitted
• they have another manuscript they’re already publishing that’s similar to yours
• overused idea
• you didn’t follow their writer’s guidelines
• poor writing

So how can a writer best handle those pesky rejection letters from publishers and agents? Here are a few tips.

1. Accept it. Rejection letters are more a part of the writing business than acceptance letters. There isn’t a published writer out there who hasn’t received at least one rejection letter. If they’ve written for years, they’ve probably received hundreds of them. No sweat. It just proves you’re a real writer.
2. Study the market. Make sure you’re sending your manuscript to places that publish your type of writing. Nothing screams, ‘amateur’ louder than sending your children’s book to a publisher that doesn’t publish children’s books. Or a fiction book to one that doesn’t publish fiction. Look at the publisher’s webpage and learn what they want and what they don’t want. Then send only to those who publish what you write.
3. Rename them. The name “rejection letters” sound so dreary. I know of writing groups that have renamed these dreaded letters more positive things like “pre-acceptance letters” and “badges of courage” (because they were brave enough to write something and submit it) or simply “free wallpaper.”  What will you call yours?
4. Don’t give up. Do you believe in your work? Does it need to be re-written? Is it a message you are passionate about? Do whatever is needed to make it your best work, but don’t give up unless you’re sure God is telling you to. One publisher’s opinion isn’t necessarily the next one’s opinion. Just because it wasn’t right for this one, doesn’t mean the next one won’t love it. Keep at it.
5. Don’t take it personally. Remember the letter is only rejecting your work, not you personally. You’re still a beloved child of God who doesn’t need a publisher’s approval to have value. Read the letter thoroughly and be grateful you heard something back, because often you won’t. Remind yourself that the letter just puts you one step closer to publication.
6. Let it call you to action. So you got a rejection. Now what? Decide where you’ll send it next and do it right away. Or better yet, make a list of places you’ll send it before you submit it the first time. If the publisher was kind enough to tell you exactly why they rejected your manuscript, you may need to polish it or do some rewriting first. But don’t delay resubmitting by sitting around licking your wounds. Get your manuscript right back out there once you are sure it’s your best work.
7. Learn from your rejections. If you keep getting rejections saying the same thing, you may need to make some changes. Take it as constructive criticism and do the work to make your manuscript more marketable. Don’t be so hard-headed that you become your own worst enemy.

Currently, I have written as many books that remain unpublished as I have published books, and not for lack of trying. 🙂 I’ll keep submitting them and praying God leads me to just the right publisher at just the right time. But I won’t let the rejection letters, no matter how many, deter me from the message God’s put in my heart. And neither should you.

How do you handle rejection letters? Any words of wisdom you can share to make the rejection sting less?