Reasons for Rejections

by Leslie Blanchard

Rejections are numerous for every writer. Be they playwright, poet,
novelist, or cook-book author. We all know the emotional risk, the
gamble of the publishing world. We all wish to avoid rejection - here
are some ways to do so.

1. KNOW YOUR MARKET

Or hire someone who does, or find an agent who does. Don't send haiku
to a market which only wants experimental poetry. Don't send a
non-fiction how-to article to a literary fiction journal. Get sample
copies of the publications you are considering submitting to. Many of
our clients have attempted publication on their own. Their approach
to this amazes me everyday. They act as if they are planting
wildflowers - scattering their submissions to the wind and hoping
that by luck of Mother Nature - one seed will take root and grow into
a by-line.

2. NO FOLLOW-THROUGH -

Just like the ball player that suddenly goes into a slump, many
writers fail to have any follow through in their swing. In your last
rejection you had an editor tell you to send more of your work, or
they told you that this particular piece was "close but no cigar",
have you followed through? I doubt it. If an editor takes time out of
her extremely busy schedule to write you a note that says "Please Try
Again" - then by all means, that is what you need to do - and ASAP.
Find some of your work that is a little better suited for her
publication and SEND IT ! They may still reject your work, but they
may remember you and ask you to submit again, or they may accept the
work, or even make suggestions as to how they feel it could be
improved. Don't let a wounded ego, hurt feelings, or false pride
stand between you and being published.

3. ALL YOU'RE REALLY SEEKING IS TO SAY THAT YOU HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED -

Let's face it - you don't really like all the hard work that writers
must do. The revisions, the outlines, the synopsis, the query letters
- all you want is to see your name in print. You are a dreamer, a pie
in the sky kinda guy. You never realized that writing requires
effort. If you actually do see a project through its first draft -
you submit it, and then blame the editor for being so stupid in not
seeing your talent.

4. YOU KNOW NOTHING OF CRAFT AND DON'T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME TO LEARN IT -

You can turn a good phrase. Your friends tell you you have a way with
words. Writing is easy - everyone loves your letters. You're widely
read and can recognize poor writing when you find it. But yet, you
have no idea of the technique needed to avoid the mistakes that you
find in other's writing. Developing characters, building suspense,
constructing a plot are all things you think will come naturally.
Well, they won't. You need to read magazines, and books on how to
write. You need to attend workshops and lectures detailing the fine
points of the craft of writing.

5. YOU DON'T READ -

If you want to write poetry you must read poetry. Romance is what you
want to write - then reading comic books isn't going to help you
much. You need to be a voracious reader to become an accomplished
author. Hemingway read 3 hours a day, everyday. Read whatever you can
get your hands on and then read more . Study your chosen genre.

6. YOU GIVE UP TO EASILY -

One or two rejection slips has you brooding around the house for
weeks. Many manuscripts take up to 50 or 60 rejections before they
are published. In fact, the works of Thoreau or Emerson may never
have been read if they had given up as easily as you. After receiving
countless numbers of rejections these great authors self-published
their works. Zelda Fitzgerald told F.Scott she would not marry him
until he became a published author. F.Scott literally wall-papered
his room with rejection slips before he and Zelda actually wed. Most
magazines in today's market only publish about 2 % of the material
sent to them, and many of our current best sellers would have never
been published if the writer had given up after a dozen rejections.

7. YOU WRITE POOR QUERY LETTERS -

A good strong query letter is a great way to better your chances of
selling your work. Many well-written, potentially publishable
manuscripts are rejected because of a bad query letter. Many authors
hate to write query letters, some don't even bother to find out if
the publisher they are submitting to prefers a query. Writing, and
more specifically - publishing is a business - you must learn, to
sell yourself and your product.

8. YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN REWRITTING OR REVISON -

If you submit the first draft of your work to a publisher, then you
deserve the rejection that will inevitably follow. Many top selling
authors go through as many as 20 drafts and revisions.



There are many more reasons why our work gets rejected, to list them
all would require a book in itself. The reasons listed above are the
most common ones that I see personally with my clients. The best way
to succeed as an author is to know your market, learn how to handle
rejection and criticism, be persistent, study your craft, and be
willing to revise. If you falter or stumble in any of these areas -
you drastically reduce your chances of ever being published.