5 Ways to Cope if Your First Book Gets Rejected

Writing is one of those careers requiring unfailing commitment and lots of struggles and failures down the path. And when you pen down your first book pouring all your heart and soul into it, and it gets rejected by a publisher, then you will surely be devastated. But you can’t just give up.

Here are 5 ways to hold yourself together when this happens.

Don’t take it to heart:

Myriad manuscripts are pouring in at a publisher’s desk every day. And before they make it there, they are randomly selected from the online domain. So don’t be disheartened. You didn’t write a bad book; it just couldn’t make it to the editor’s desk.

Be Vocal:

Don’t hide into oblivion when your books fail to make the cut. That would make you more depressed. Talk about it, and you will feel much lighter.

The more you keep it to yourself, the more unresolved emotions it will cause. Please speak to your friends, your good wishes, and your mentors, so you get their empathy and can push to try again, harder.

Take it in your stride:

You can’t let one rejection get the better of you. Many people just quit writing after their first book gets rejected.

Your efforts need to be consistent, and you need to wait for the right time and the right person to notice your work. Rome was not built in a day.

Celebrate your failure:

When you celebrate your failure, you aren’t glorifying it, but you’re rewarding yourself for that effort you made. And you deserve it.

You don’t have to give up. Accept your defeat with stoicism and try much harder next time. Many successful writers have rejected their work, so you’re not the only one.

Take it as a lesson:

When your manuscript gets rejected, take a cue from it. Review it to see where it was lacking. Read about the struggle stories of successful writers. They made it through despite tonnes of rejections. So you should too.

Gather yourself again:

You can’t just get stagnant due to one rejection. You have to make a choice, either to take your manuscript to another publisher if you have the conviction and belief in your work or look into the flaws and alter your manuscript. Either way, don’t give up.

You might fail today, but you will succeed one day, so keep trying.