Staying positive

There’s a song that says, “The longer the waiting, the sweeter the kiss.”  I hope that it holds true for publishing as well.

I received another rejection yesterday.  This time it really hurt, as the rejection came from someone who had requested my full manuscript.  I knew I shouldn’t get my hopes up and I did my best not to, but it still stung.  I understand that they can’t take on every project – it’s a small press, and it’s not the easiest of times out there.  You really have to love a project to take it on.

There was a bright spot in the midst of the gloom, though.  They encouraged me to keep trying, keep pushing for others to publish my work or even self-publish it, and that encouragement really meant a lot to me.  I’ve been receiving lots of other query rejections, so that tiny little bit of encouragement was very gratefully received.  I am sorry, though, that I won’t get the chance to work with that publisher.  I love the books they put out.

And then tonight, my friend Tricia posted a video on her blog that she’d seen on Facebook.  You can check out her post entitled “Never Give Up,” here.  Watch the video.  I promise you won’t be sorry.  And that message, never give up, was exactly the message I needed to hear tonight.  It really is amazing what you can do if you put your mind to it.

So that’s what I’m going to do.  I’m going to put my mind to it.  I’m going to send out another batch of queries, I’m going to get my Pitch Wars emails sent off tomorrow, and I’m going to keep working on my sequel.  I will be published someday.  I will beat the odds.

I can do anything I set my mind to.  And so can you.

(c) 2012.  All rights reserved.

Related articles

Published by Kay Kauffman

A geek to the core, I reside in the midst of an Iowa cornfield with my husband and four children. When I'm not chasing the kids every which way but loose, you can find me penning fantastical tales of great heroism and twue wuv...and possibly procrastinating online.

25 thoughts on “Staying positive”

  3. *tara says:
    Reply

    I’m really sorry about that rejection. There’s no other word for it– it sucks.

    But definitely keep trying. To quote the immortal Win a Date with Tad Hamilton, your odds go up when you file an application. 🙂

    Like

    • Kay Kauffman says:
      Reply

      Thanks. It sucks muy mucho.

      Oh, Tad Hamilton. I haven’t watched that movie in forever! Perhaps a nice chick flick-fest is called for this weekend. Or better yet, another rewatch of The Princess Bride. Yes, that will do nicely. 🙂

      Like

    • Kay Kauffman says:
      Reply

      Oh, I know it’s tough out there. I expect rejection. And if someone I’ve queried feels they are unable to help me in my quest to become a published author, I would much rather have them tell me up front by rejecting my query than have them accept it and spend a lot of time on my project before they tell me they feel that it’s not a good fit for them. That’s a waste of everyone’s time and resources. But it still hurts.

      I watch a lot of Shark Tank and it’s been a good show for me to watch, I think. I’ve learned a lot about pitching ideas to investors, which is basically what a query is. And I’ve learned that if an investor you’re pitching is interested but doesn’t have the tools to help you, all the interest in the world sometimes won’t convince them to take on your project. But I’m determined and stubborn and I’m going to keep learning and keep trying and one day, I’ll get there.

      The longer the waiting, the sweeter the kiss. It’s better my darlin’, I promise you this. -Josh Turner, “The Longer the Waiting (The Sweeter the Kiss)”

      Like

Thoughts: You got 'em, I want 'em!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.