Has Your Writing Been Rejected? At Least Your Hand Didn’t Get Chopped Off! By B J Bassett

Has Your Writing Been Rejected? At Least Your Hand Didn’t Get Chopped Off! By B J Bassett

Jack London collected 600 rejections before his first story sold.

I visited The House of Happy Walls museum at the Jack London State Historic Park in Glen Ellen, California, and peered into the display case, which entombed his rejections. I scanned the rejections and, to my amazement, discovered that some of them were from the same publishers who rejected my submissions. The experience inspired me to persevere.

Although not a writer, Babe Ruth experienced rejection. He struck out 1,330 times, but he also hit 714 home runs.

Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen were rejected 140 times before the first copy of their popular Chicken Soup for the Soul books was accepted.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter was rejected so many times she originally self-published it.

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks received rejections from 24 literary agencies.

A rejection is only one person’s opinion. An editor, who turned down The Diary of Anne Frank, wrote: “The girl doesn’t, it seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift that book above the ‘curiosity’ level.”

One of my manuscripts received 22 rejections before it was published the first time. I didn’t give up. I continued to submit it. To date, the personal experience piece has been rejected a total of 45 times, yet it’s also sold again and again as a reprint over a dozen times. What if I’d given up after 10 rejections? Or 20?. It would have never been published, nor read, nor helped others.

A story from Streams in the Desert may help you get back on the horse. “…I fixed my eyes on an ant that was carrying a grain of corn larger than itself up a high wall. I numbered the efforts it made to accomplish this object. The grain fell sixty-nine times to the ground; but the insect persevered, and the seventieth time it reached the top. This sight gave me courage at the moment, and I never forgot the lesson.”

Now, when you receive a rejection, remember the ant. Take courage and persevere.

During the time of Julius Caesar, when he disliked a book, he ordered the author’s writing hand chopped off. How fortunate we are in our generation. We need not concern ourselves with losing a hand.

Writing isn’t for wimps, or for those who are sensitive or thin skinned. It’s for writers who believe in themselves and their work, and realize that rejection is part of the business. Even with a thick skin, rejection hurts. Writers labor over their creations, and rewrite, trying to find that perfect word. Our manuscripts are like our babies. We send them out into the world, only to be rejected. Anyone who puts pen to paper knows the sting of rejection. It goes with the territory.

When a manuscript is rejected, give yourself a minute, a day, or more to grieve. Then, brush yourself off, and get back on the horse, so to speak.

Those who have gone before us were in our shoes at one time, amassing rejections, yet they were not deterred. They persevered. They honed the craft, wrote and rewrote, studied the market and submitted their stories until they were accepted!

Jack London was one of those who persevered. If you ever have the opportunity to visit The House of Happy Walls museum in Glen Ellen, California, be sure to check out the display case. You may recognize names of some of the publishers’ rejections and you’ll realize you’re in good company.

RELATED:

12 Ways To Get Quickly Rejected By An Editor

When Editors Make Themselves Look Like Jerks

When an Editor Shelves Your Article…Before They Pay You

Deadbeat Editor Giving You The Run-Around

When Freelance Writers are Toxic, Unstable, and Abusive to Editors

B. J. Bassett’s books include a historical novel Lily; A Touch of Grace—The G.R.A.C.E. Ministries Story, and coauthor of My Time with God which sold 55,000 copies while in print. Her recently released contemporary romance, Gillian’s Heart, is now available. Visit her at https://www.bjbassett.com.



7.625 STRATEGIES IN EVERY BEST-SELLER - Revised and Expanded Edition


At this moment, thousands of would-be authors are slaving away on their keyboards, dreaming of literary success. But their efforts won’t count for much. Of all those manuscripts, trade book editors will sign up only a slim fraction.

And of those titles--ones that that editors paid thousands of dollars to contract, print and publicize--an unhealthy percentage never sell enough copies to earn back their advances. Two years later, most will be out of print!

Acquisition Editor Tam Mossman shares seven essentials every book needs to stay in print, and sell!



Read more here:


https://writersweekly.com/books/5635.html







It's A Dirty Job...Writing Porn For Fun And Profit! Includes Paying Markets!

Fact is, writing porn is fun! It's also one of the easier markets to crack and make money at while you're still honing your skills. "It's A Dirty Job..." is one of the only resources that can teach you everything you need to know to create your stories and target your markets.



Read more here:


It's a Dirty Job



Fall 2023 24 Hour Short Story Contest


4 Responses to "Has Your Writing Been Rejected? At Least Your Hand Didn’t Get Chopped Off! By B J Bassett"

  1. Kelly Freestone  September 6, 2016 at 11:25 am

    I just experienced rejection, and I have to say, I was pretty bummed out. It didn’t just make me stronger, it made me want to try again, because I know I did a good job (mistakes don’t make me a bad writer), but I learned, I CAN do better! So I’m GOING to do better!
    It bolstered my drive, and for that, I’m very thankful for the rejection.
    If I look at it differently, what if I would have been accepted. I would have just assumed I’d done the best I could and never tried to grow. Now, I’m reaching farther than I ever thought I could! And the next rejection will do the same. ;D

    • Humphrey  September 8, 2016 at 7:50 am

      Thanks Kelly for inspiring me to success

  2. pamelaallegretto  September 3, 2016 at 2:32 pm

    Lovely, uplifting article!

  3. pamelaallegretto  September 1, 2016 at 1:31 pm

    Thank you for the inspiring article!