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3 R's for Rejection

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Contributed by: Chris Richards on 7/27/2006

Have you ever thought of writing the next Great American Novel? Or sending an article to a newspaper?Or writing a book for a child? If you have you are not alone. Many people talk about writing, but like all crafts -- it is not as easy as one might think. And once you've completed your masterpiece comes the hard part -- rejection.

You have finished the book and send a proposal to a publishing house. After waiting several weeks, finally, there is an envelope from the publisher. You know there is a contract inside and they want to publish the book immediately. You open the envelope to find a letter saying any one of a number of reasons they are not interested in your book. Or maybe it's just a slip of paper saying "no thanks." After allowing yourself a short cry, you square your shoulders and say, "It's their bad luck they don't get to the publish my book" and send it to another publisher. And you get another rejection, and another, and another.

Kathleen Y'Barbo, a bestselling novelist with over 350,000 copies of her books in print and publicist for Glass Road Public Relations, says she has only known one author to never be rejected. Speaking at the July 25th meeting of Words for the Journey (WFTJ) Christian Writers Guild, Kathleen shared reasons a book is rejected and gave words of advice.

The writer has control over some of the reasons books are rejected and can correct these problems before sending the manuscript to another publisher. Carefully reviewing the book proposal insuring everything is in the packet and well written is essential. Being a member of a critique group helps with this process because more sets of eyes checking and rechecking helps find any errors.

Rejections due to the publishing house recently buying a similar book are a sample of the need to look elsewhere. Rejection because it is just not your time is the hardest rejection. Writers must have faith that their work will be published at the right time and in the right place if they are writing because God told them to do so.

Kathleen told writers when they are rejected to follow the 3R's. Re-route -- send the proposal to another publishing house by the next day. Re-write -- parts of the proposal or book which need work, especially if these problems are mentioned in the rejection letter. In some cases a publishing will accept a proposal after corrections are made. Re-search -- find new markets or consider a different format.

"The important thing to remember," said Kathleen, "is rejections are a sign you're writing and submitting."

Kathleen Miller Y'Barbo is the author of You Can't Buy Love, Major League Dad, and the Bayou series. For more information about Kathleen and her books go to www.kathleenybarbo.com.

Words for the Journey Christian Writers Guild meeting weekly on Tuesdays except the months of August and December. For more information including meeting times and places go to www.wordsforthejourney.org.

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Chris Richards

Castle Rock , CO

Chris Richards has posted 119 stories and 14 comments since joining on 6/15/2006. Chris Richards 's average story rating is 4.81.

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