“Go out there and get rejected!”

My co-leader’s advice seemed quite unorthodox. And depressing. Rejection is the worst thing a writer can experience. Why go looking for it?

We were leading a “Publishing 101” workshop to aspiring writers, and my co-leader shared her story of 721 rejections.

Yes … seven HUNDRED and twenty-one.

I think I would have given up after the first seven!

But her advice struck a chord with these eager writers who were ready to dive into the world of publishing. They left the workshop feeling charged, chanting “Rejection! Rejection!”

Why get rejected? Why get a slap in the face that says you’re not good enough? We don’t want you. Your writing doesn’t cut it.

Because the lessons you learn along the journey to publishing are what’s going to make you into a superb writer.

Getting rejected means:

• You are trying.
• You are not giving up.
• You are learning the market, the industry, the standards.
• You are discovering new publications to submit to.
• You are following different writer guidelines.
• You are learning how to write emails, query letters, proposals.
• You are becoming a better writer.
• You are figuring out which genre you fit in.
• You are deciding what agents and publishing houses would be a good fit for you.
• You are honing your craft.
• You are marketing yourself.
• You are meeting people in the industry.
• You are shadowing those who are successful.
• You are connecting with fellow writers.
• You are gaining a platform.
• You are mastering social media.
• You are on your unique journey to publication.

No writer gets by without rejection. Some of the best writers of all time suffered rejections.

• Stephen King’s first published novel Carrie was rejected 30 times before selling 350 million copies worldwide.
• Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind was rejected 38 times before winning her the Pulitzer Prize in 1937 and becoming one of the most classic movies of all time.
• J.K. Rowling was rejected by over a dozen publishers.
• Louisa May Alcott was rejected and told to stop trying to be a writer.
• Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen were rejected 140 times for Chicken Soup for the Soul, which has turned into a series of over 100 books selling over 100 million copies.
• Beatrix Potter had to self publish The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
• John Grisham’s A Time to Kill was rejected by 16 publishers.
• James Patterson was rejected by more than a dozen publishers.
• Judy Blume received rejections for two years.

If you are a writer and you’re not being rejected, you’re not putting yourself out there, you’re not learning the craft, the industry, and you’re not traveling the journey to publishing.

So what should you do?

Go get REJECTED!

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