J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer Reading, writing, and
fighting–the three joys of life! - See more at: http://jc-martin.com/fighterwriter/2012/12/claire-fletcher-persevering-rejections/#sthash.WPbTo7ul.dpuf
Now I know that it took many, many attempts before finally
finding an agent, Jeanie Loiacono, Loiacono Literary Agency, (for a small
sample of her rejection letters, see her post here), and even after that, it took a year and a half
before Finding Claire Fletcher found a publisher. So, I asked her how
she managed to keep plugging away in the face of so many rejections.
“Persevering in the
Face of Multiple Rejections” by Lisa Regan
It took me two books, four and a half years and 238
rejections before I landed my agent. Then I was on submissions for eighteen
months. More rejections. Lots of them.
Rejection is hard. After almost six years it became somewhat
routine but still, it wasn’t all that fun.
Rejection: painful, but almost all writers have to face it.
When I first researched the road to publication, everything
I read indicated that I should expect multiple rejections. At every level.
Everywhere I turned there were notices, disclaimers, signs, warnings, cautions
saying: YOU WILL BE REJECTED. EXPECT REJECTION. REJECTION LIES AHEAD. It was
almost comical. Once I started, it felt a lot like trying to get into a
building that has 1,000 doors and only one of them is unlocked. You just keep
trying doors until you get to the one that’s not locked.
So what have I learned about rejection? First and foremost:
YOU WILL BE REJECTED. EXPECT REJECTION. REJECTION LIES AHEAD. Get ready for it.
Your dream is not going to come true overnight. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
I hope you’re the exception, but if you’re not, prepare for rejection.
And when it comes, keep going.
My father has this piece of advice that he repeats all the
time: LET THEM TELL YOU NO.
In other words, try. Put yourself out there. No matter how
many rejections you get, no matter how many things go wrong, you never really
know what’s going to happen. Never assume that you’re going to be told no, never
assume that you’re going to fail. Get out there and try and see what happens.
There was a time during my agent search that I was ready to
give up altogether. But I looked at my daughter and realized that I don’t want
to set that kind of example for her. I don’t want her to grow up and look at me
and see an almost. I don’t want to be someone who almost did something with my
writing. Someone who almost pursued my dream.
I don’t want to be an almost.
If you’ve stolen enough time from your hectic life and
worked hard enough to write a good book, if you’ve honored the unspoiled part
of yourself that still believes in having a dream, then this part of the
journey — the agent search, submissions, the rejections — all your hard work
will be worth it the day that something amazing happens. Because amazing
things can and do happen. You just have to be committed enough and maybe
even crazy enough to keep going.
So just keep doing it. And keep writing because you get
better the more you write. Keep honing your craft. Keep putting yourself out
there.
A marathon. Not a sprint. Let ‘em tell you no.
Lisa Regan www.lisaregan.com
Represented by Loiacono Literary Agency www.loiaconoliteraryagency.com
Published by Sapphire Star Publishing www.sapphirestarpublishing.com
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