Don’t Sweat the Rejections by Judy Press

Over the years I’ve pitched dozens of manuscripts to agents and children’s book editors. And I’ve received tons of rejection letters. Now don’t get me wrong, some of the rejections I received were encouraging: “Dear Ms. Press, I enjoyed reading your work, and think you have a great voice for the middle great market, and it is clear you really understand a kid's world and what would appeal to young readers.”  But then there’s the dreaded: “I’m sorry that we are unable to offer you representation at this time.” Or, “We regret that your manuscript does not fit our publication needs at this time.” And sometimes there’s a few helpful words: “the “doodle” approach to this sort of illustrated kid’s book is really clever—I almost felt like it could be more of a centerpiece, could drive the story forward more, where the doodles are part and parcel of the plot, etc.” But O.K. so why am I still toiling away at this business of writing? It’s simple: I get great satisfaction from putting into words the ideas that float around in my head. So maybe it’s really all about the creative process that drives me. Sure, I’d like to get published, but if it’s not in the cards today, then maybe it’ll happen tomorrow. So, file away those rejections dear writers, along with your self-doubt, and keep on writing!