Rejection = No Thanks

Today’s post is for anyone who is scared of rejection. That could be you if you’re an author.

It could also be you if you want to ask someone for a date, but you’re scared of NO.

It could also be you if you want something but you don’t ask because you’re scared of being rejected.

What Rejection Means

Don’t overthink this issue. All a rejection means is, “No, thanks.”

It’s that simple.

If you’re an author, that “No thanks” can result from many factors other than: “You’re writing sucks.”

For Editors—and Agents too—a no can mean: “I already have too many similar stories and/or authors  under contract. Or, I don’t have the power to get a book like this approved by the powers that be.” It can even mean, “I just broke up with my boyfriend, and his name is the same as the hero in your book.”

Of course, you won’t get that kind of feedback. More than likely, you get a terse, “No,” scribbled on whatever is handy—if you get any response at all which isn’t uncommon in today’s world.

31 Days of New Thinking: Today’s Thought

January 12 — Never take NO for an answer.

Unless you’ve tried a hundred times and received a negative response every time, then don’t take no for an answer. Persist.

Persist in your pursuit of what you want. I know an author who was rejected 132 times, but he kept trying. On the 133rd time, the editor bought his book.

That was the way it worked in traditional publishing before ebooks came along. In today’s world, that author would probably have indie published the book and found an audience much sooner.

Psychological Support for Persistence

I’m a big believer in wallowing in optimism and positive thoughts. The easiest way to maintain a positive attitude about anything is to think good thoughts. There is power in affirmations. Good quotations can boost your resolve too.

Here are a few of my favorite thoughts.

Persist, Endure, Persevere, Be Resolved

“Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinion of others, for those voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself!” ~ Katherine Mansfield

“Manuscript – something submitted in haste and returned at leisure.” Oliver Herford

“To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone.” ~ Reba McEntire

“It takes the publishing industry so long to produce books—it’s no wonder so many are posthumous.” ~ Teresa Skelton

“You’ve got to think lucky. If you fall into a mudhole, check your back pocket – you might have caught a fish.” ~ Darrell Royal

“Writers must not be tyrannized by their esteem for publishers or literary agents that they assume a rejection of their work is an irrevocable, dooming judgment.” ~ Leonard Bishop

“I was turned down more often than the sheets of a cheap motel.” ~ George Higgins, commenting on the first 14 books he had written which he couldn’t get published.

“The most unfortunate thing that happens to a person who fears failure is that he limits himself by becoming afraid to try anything new.” ~ Anonymous

“Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future.” ~ Robert H. Schuller

Takeaway Truth

Say yes, and act boldly. You never know what may happen until you try.