On Rejection

As you have probably guessed from the title of this entry, I've heard from the agency. They don't love me. In fact, two agents at two different agencies don't love me. And a magazine doesn't love my short story, either. So all in all, kind of a "You're a loser!" week on the writing front.

But that's okay. Rejection is part of the game. Like they always say, "If you're not getting rejections, you are not submitting." That's true for people who are just starting out. It's true for authors of most calibers. I'm just guessing here, but I'm fairly certain that there are only a few working authors who don't get rejection slips any more, and I'm fairly certain most of them have boxes full of them from early in their careers. Every now and then, a fluke will happen and the stars will all align and a brilliant new sun will blaze in the sky without a single rejection notice, but those moments are rare.

Here's a run-down of the events of the past two weeks:

The agency I really wanted to have represent me--the agency I emailed my query letter to back in December--held a contest, one that they compared to a "speed-dating" event. Hopeful authors had a one-hour window to submit their names, after which entries were closed. From the entrants, one hundred twenty-five names were drawn at random. Those people were invited to submit three pages of their finished novel. I was one of the fortunate few. (I feel like I should insert a smiley face icon here!)

A couple of days later, the field was narrowed to twenty-five, and those people were asked to submit ten pages. Again, I was in the running. (Would another smiling icon be too much?) The following week, the field was narrowed once more, this time to the top fifteen. Again, I was invited to submit, this time the first three chapters. When the next announcement was made, the agency would ask three contestants to submit their completed manuscripts.

This is where the dream ended for me. I got the email that told me that I was not among the three finalists. The gracious note basically said, "You did well, but we're not interested in your project at this time. Feel free to submit something else." So there it was, in black-and-white. They've looked at my book and don't want to see it again.

Not wanting to let any grass grow under my feet, I submitted a query letter to my second-choice agent that same day. Four days later, I had my rejection email from her.

The magazine I submitted to? They have an automatic notification to let you know when they've opened your submission. The rejection notice was time-stamped one minute later.

That's my fortnight in review. Rejection, rejection, rejection. And you know what? With all those rejections, I feel more like a writer!