Rejection slips are the reality of most writer’s life, for example only one in 10,000 poems gets published therefore 9,999 get rejected. This fact sheet provides simple checklists as to How to get rejected allied to a realists view of what the rejection jargon means and how to learn from it.

Talent is not enough, it is common and there are plenty of people willing to do the work. What wins is willingness to meet publishers and editors' demands, to put oneself in readers' shoes and sticking to your dream.

How to get rejected

Ignore submission guidelines. They are for amateurs and try to tell you how long or short your manuscript should be, when to send it, what format to send it in, and a lot of nonsense such as that.

If you make the mistake of reading guidelines, scan them as fast as you can. If you tend to miss things when reading from a computer screen, do not print the material. It will just slow you down.

Never read a publication before submitting. Might not like what you see!

Limit your reading and research.

Use a limited vocabulary. Do not work to increase it. Close your ears to others if they speak eloquently or come from a different culture or hold different beliefs. Ditto those who read voraciously.

Lean heavily on adjectives. Adverbs ending in 'ly are a hit with everyone.

In your stories and poems - non fiction if you write it -, tell people how you feel, rather than showing them. Better yet, tell them how to feel.

To be sure that you tell rather than show, avoid images that will make readers see, hear, smell, e-t-c. For example, if you are writing about a cold day, say "It was very cold" or "I was about to freeze." Let lesser writers talk about gooseflesh and ice on a doorstep.

Ignore Writer's advice, writers guides, writers groups and books like them.

If researching your market, remember that any old year will do. And expect everything you read to be accurate. Make the mistake of running a market search online, keep it general.

Stay away from libraries!

If an editor writes a note on a rejection slip, write back and complain because your work was rejected. Make sure the editor knows it is personal. If it doesn't go against your principles, curse. Scan the note in case it includes a compliment and ignore any advice that is included.

As soon as you get rejected X number of times, quit.

Be insincere.

Be dishonest. Some people say that stealing copyrighted work is as bad as open theft. Don't listen!!

Write rambling cover letters. Boast about your work. Add a few glowing comments about yourself. They are sure to go over big with an editor who has 500 manuscripts to go through (and today's mail hasn't come!).

Discouraged? Don't be. Competition's tough, but for those of us who write for love, it's the writing not the publishing that counts.

Rejection Jargon

1. The market is too small.

Translation: We don’t know how to make money publishing your book.

Remedies:

  • Add market numbers to your proposal.
  • Add specific marketing suggestions.
  • Try a smaller, niche publisher.

2. It doesn’t fit our list.

Translation: We haven’t published a book in your category, of your format, or for your audience, and aren’t about to try.

Remedy: Try elsewhere.

3. This type of book doesn’t sell.

Translation: Books like this haven’t sold in the past.

Remedies:

  • Research this assertion through Publisher’s magazines.
  • Compare your book to something that has sold.
  • Try a more specialised publisher.

4. It’s not right for us.

Translation: We didn’t like it.

Remedies:

  • Get your proposal reviewed professionally - it may be sloppy or unpersuasive in ways not obvious to you.
  • Keep trying. Tastes differ.

5. It’s too narrowly focused.

Translation: We sell more general books to the general public.

Remedy: Try a more specialised publisher.

6. It’s already been done.

Translation: You didn’t convince us your book differs enough from what’s out there.

Remedies:

  • Re-research your competition.
  • Differentiate your book better in the proposal.
  • More carefully define your readers.
  • Change the angle, audience, approach of the book.

7. It’s an article, not a book.

Translation: You didn’t persuade us that you can fill 150-250 printed pages with meaningful material.

Remedies:

  • Lengthen the book to at least 60,000 words.
  • Write it as an article.
  • Approach publishers specialising in short books.

8. There’s too much competition.

Translation: You didn’t convince us there’s an unfilled niche out there waiting for your book.

Remedies:

  • Do cite market research on the need for your book.
  • Rewrite your proposal’s analysis of competition.
  • Try a publisher without any titles on the topic.

9. It’s too costly to produce.

Translation: We can’t make a profit publishing your book.

Remedies:

  • Reduce requirements for photos, unusual format.
  • Cite evidence that your market will pay more.

10. You’re not an expert in your field.

Translation: We can’t book you credibly on talk shows.

Remedies:

  • Find a co-author with the credentials you lack.
  • Get more credentials.

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