“No.”
“Not right for us.”
“Not right at this time.”
“Nope.”
“Nah.”
“Um…”
“There’s no easy way to say this, but…”
“It’s not you, it’s the book.”
“It’s not the book, it’s you.”
“No.”
“No.”
“No.”
Sound familiar?
I mean, I could go on, but you get the point. The truth is, the book business is hard. It will kick you in the teeth. With few exceptions, any writer who hasn’t yet been on the receiving end of multiple rejections in many forms, just hasn’t been in the business long enough. Sad, but true.
And not just at the query stage. Or the submission stage. Or after your first book contract. It can come again and again. It can come when you know it’s coming, and when you least expect it.
No.
No, thanks.
Nope.
You still sweat the same sweat. You’re still the same person they were loving not so long ago. But now they want to see other people. Now they’re not sure that the book that YOU wrote is an “on brand” book. Now they’re not sure that the market is where you’re at.
You think it, they’ve said it.
And what are you supposed to do in face of all of this?
I mean … What would you have me do? Give out, give up, give in?
(I’ve always loved that line from the Lion in Winter delivered to perfection by Katharine Hepburn)
No.
That’s right, I said no.
Do not take no for an answer. [Read more…]
