Introduction
Every writer knows how it feels to receive a rejection letter. It hurts and can even cause one to become discouraged about their writing. However, rejection can be a valuable experience in a writer’s life. Literary rejection is painful, but it often serves to shape stronger work, sharper voices, and better writers. With that in mind, let’s discuss what one can learn from literary rejection.
The Reality of Rejection in Publishing
It is important to start off by examining the reality of rejection in publishing. Publishing houses, magazines, and literary journals all have high rejection rates. This is simply part of the reality of publishing.
As such, it is fair to state that rejection is the norm rather than the exception for writers. Because of this, viewing rejection with the proper mindset is crucial. Rejection doesn’t mean that one’s work is poorly written or worthless. There are many reasons why publishing houses, magazines, etc. might reject a work.
Perhaps the work doesn’t fit the style of that particular publication. For example, one’s work might be whimsical and a literary journal could reject it because they typically publish more serious work. On the other hand, a magazine that publishes light-hearted work is likely to reject work with a dark tone or certain themes.
This is why doing thorough research is essential before submitting work. Submitting work to publications with a track record of publishing similar work is often the best use of one’s time. Many famous authors have experienced multiple rejections, such as J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, and others. Obviously, they went on to be extremely successful and that shows rejection is never the end.
Now, let’s move on to another vital part of this discussion: reframing the literary ‘no’.
Reframing the Literary ‘No’
It is also a good idea to reframe the literary ‘no’ to interpret it in the proper way. Receiving a rejection doesn’t mean that a writer has no talent or that they should pursue a different career. Obviously, rejections are discouraging, but it is vital not to think of them as a judgment on one’s literary talent.
Instead, one should consider the various factors behind the rejection. The work might not fit the publication or it might not suit the editor’s particular taste. Additionally, the work might not fit the market trends at the moment.
Timing is also a crucial factor behind rejections. Sometimes, rejections happen because the timing isn’t quite right. Perhaps a publication has recently published multiple similar works and is looking for something different. Naturally, finding the right time to publish a certain work to a certain publication can be challenging.
As a result, it is critical to consider the role timing plays in literary rejections. Given all these factors, one should recognize that getting a literary work accepted and published is far from straightforward. This is why one should not view rejection as any kind of personal failure. Instead, writers should view literary rejection as simply part of the publishing ecosystem.
Rejection can also provide writers with valuable editorial clarity.
The Gift of Editorial Clarity
There is also another benefit one receives from literary rejection: editorial clarity. A writer might struggle to figure out where their work belongs. This can mean finding the right audience and the right venue. However, rejection provides writers with editorial clarity.
In other words, writers learn where their work belongs because they receive rejections from publications where it doesn’t belong. That is one reason why rejections can actually be quite helpful. Rejections help a writer narrow down where they should submit their work and this aids writers in submitting their work more efficiently.
There is one more lesson that a writer can learn from this editorial clarity. That lesson is the importance of doing thorough research. Researching which publications fit one’s work is vital to increasing the chances of a successful submission. Writers should know what genre the publication publishes, if the publication has published similar work, and what types of work each publication publishes.
This kind of thorough research can be time-consuming and sometimes difficult. However, performing research prior to submitting work is worth it because it allows a writer to strategically target submissions. Strategically targeting submissions is simpler than it may sound. Essentially, it means that a writer specifically submits their work to publications that seem to be a good fit. Doing so saves time and improves the chance that a publication will accept the work.
Rejection can also benefit a writer because it can help them develop their skills.
Skill Development Through Rejection
Rejection can prove beneficial to writers because it can aid their skill development. When editors provide feedback, writers can use that feedback as invaluable learning tools. Writers might learn how to write stronger characters, tighter plotlines, or more impactful scenes. These are just a few examples of how writers can learn from editorial feedback when it’s included alongside a rejection.
Also, form rejections can be helpful to a writer. Even form rejections cause a writer to build persistence and discipline. Discipline and persistence are two of the most critical qualities a successful writer must have. Persistence allows a writer to continue writing and submitting their work despite any setbacks.
This is key given the fact that setbacks are a regular part of a writing career. Additionally, discipline helps a writer form positive writing habits such as writing every day or editing weak areas of their work after identifying them. Resubmitting, revising, and rewriting are critical parts of developing one’s writing skill.
Conclusion
Each ‘no’ is part of the process that builds stronger writers. Rejection is not the end of a literary career, but one part of a writer’s journey. Writers should consider the many factors behind a literary rejection instead of being discouraged or feeling their work is worthless.
Stephen King famously received many rejections prior to publishing his first work. A rejection letter is not a closed door for one’s work. Instead, rejection letters serve as guideposts that point toward the right path for a writer’s voice.
