Rejection isn't always all bad

If you’re a writer, you deal with rejection. I thought I’d post a few of the rejections I’ve received.

Mostly they come from literary journals, agents, and editors. I’ve been trying to submit more pieces to journals lately. I had some success last year. The first chapter of my memoir will appear in the Spring 2007 issue of Bellingham Review (which should be out very soon!) and the third chapter is in the Summer 2007 issue of Blueroad Reader.

So now I feel like a junkie, submitting pieces of my memoir in hopes that I’ll get another bite, another sense of validation. But those success stories are rare. Let’s take a look at a little tally:
Since the beginning of the year, I’ve submitted work to 15 journals/contests/awards. So far, I’ve been rejected on five of them, and I’m still waiting to hear from the other 10.

Late last year, I submitted my memoir proposal to a few agents/editors (18, I think?). I’m a terribly impatient person. I think my query letter is solid, because that received a few responses from people who wanted to see more. However, my manuscript was nowhere near ready to send out to agents/editors. In fact, it’s still not. I’m hoping to have something decent to send out by the end of summer.

But anyway, the response I got last year was encouraging. It did help me to know I was on the right path, even if no one said, “Yes, I must represent you/publish your memoir right now.”
I discovered in the past few months that there can actually be encouraging rejections. Let me share a few:

From an agent:
“We are writing to let you know that we must pass on We’ll be the Last Ones to Let You Down. Because of the amount of client work in our office right now, we must often make hard decisions about what we will represent. You write well and we wish only to encourage you even though we can’t pursue working with you at this time. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to read your work.
We wish you the very best with your writing.”

From an agent:
“Dear Rachael,
Thank you for the opportunity to review the material for your memoir, We'll Be the Last Ones To Let You Down. While your story seems quite compelling, I'm afraid this type of book just simply isn't right for my list. I encourage you to continue with your search, as every agent is looking for something different.
Best of luck in the future and with your writing!”

From an editor:
“Dear Rachael,
I want to thank you for letting us keep the mss. sample a little longer. After careful consideration, it doesn't seem quite right for us, I'm sorry to report. I'm passing along the notes from the Assistant Editor who spent more time with it than I did in case you find them useful. As you know, these opinions are subjective, so it might well be that another publisher will have a very different reaction to your work. My best good wishes as you continue to search for a home for it.”

From an agent:
"This sounds lovely, but too minor and quiet to succeed in today's literary market."

I actually find this one the most encouraging. I'm glad that it sounds lovely; that's better than a manuscript that isn't lovely. But I believe there is a market for quiet and minor books, and that keeps me plugging along.