A writer must be multi-faceted in the changing publishing market. It takes more than writing talent. It takes personality, marketing skills, vision, and handling rejection. Rejection is a large part of the submission process, but persistence is the payoff and is probably the most important thing to consider. Ask yourself how many successful writers have been rejected? The answer is every single one of them. If you don’t expect to get rejected, then don’t expect to succeed. One of the very important qualities of a successful writer is persistence.
Think of those whose persistence has paid off: J.K. Rowling, Margaret Mitchell, John Grisham, Mark Twain, Edith Wharton, Suzanne Collins and Dr. Seuss, and of course numerous others—too long of a list to mention.
Think of your favorite author. What would our lives be like without these writers?
It takes more than just knowing how to write a great book or story, it takes being true to who you are and what you produce. Rejection isn’t failing; it’s learning how to be persistent. Risk is also vital in learning how that persistence works. Sometimes what is needed means being different from the norm. A great example is Dr. Seuss. Considering the time period, there was nothing like his books out in the market, and that’s precisely why he got rejected, but it’s also exactly why he got accepted.
Read the other genre you book falls in, read the other work that is getting published and having the gut to take a chance; persistence is key.
Here is one author’s word on rejection that I feel has a great deal of merit: Ellen Jackson.
Happy writing!