Rejections!

[Lily]

I found this interesting and unusual blog today. I wasn't quite sure which board to post it in, but since rejections are such an integral part of publishing, decided that the Publishing board would be the most appropriate one.

literaryrejectionsondisplay.blogspot.com/

[Richard]

Rejections, who cares!

Some publishers ask that you only contact them, wait for their months long to make decision, then contact others. Yeah, right.

There are services which you can purchase to contact hundreds of publishers, and agents, at one emailing. Or, you can use some of the resources posted on this forum to make a list of agents and publishers which accept email (if that is how you want to do it) solicitations to make you own mass mailing.

The more you get rejected, the easier it should be if you do it this way. It is not personal, it is just a way to expose yourself to as many options as possible.

If an agent or publisher does accept, make sure you check out their reputation before you agree.

Patience and willingness to shelf a project for a period of time will help ease the effects of rejection. Remember, your work is personal to you, but it is a business to those you are attempting to interest.

[Lily]

Mass mailing is definitely the key. It's a numbers game. Send it out to yourself, and list the recipients -- the more the merrier -- in the bcc option. That way they don't know who you've sent it to.

This is what it was like before email took over from regular mail:

I'm returning your rejection slip
I don't need any more,
I've already papered all my walls
And covered all my floors.

No wonder so many authors are self-publishing. The downside to that is -- speaking for myself -- the books I've self-published aren't doing as well as those that are placed with even the smallest publishers. Promotion is the key, and I have to admit I haven't been doing much of that.