Dealing with Rejection: Tips from Authors

Thursday, October 13, 2016
One of the many benefits of being a Blog Tour Manager with WOW! Women on Writing is the opportunity to work with and interview a wide variety of authors. I have compiled a list of some of the best tips they've given us on dealing with rejection. For your reading enjoyment...drum roll please...

Betty's Child by Donald Dempsey
"Don’t be afraid to let it rip." ~ Donald Dempsey during the tour of his memoir Betty's Child

"Rejection is part of the process. I’ve been rejected a zillion times!" ~ David W. Berner during the tour of There's a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets



"I feel if my book helps just one family get through what my family has been through it will be a success. That motivation is much stronger than my fear of having my raw and painful experience out there for everyone to read." ~ Madeline Sharples during the tour of her memoir Leaving the Hall Light On


"I think they are inevitable and we need develop a tough skin and be open to ways we can improve. So much depends upon how the rejection/negative review is delivered. If it is a personal attack with no substantive constructive feedback, it needs to be ignored. If it spells out area of weakness and ways of improvement, it can be a gift." ~ Kathleen Pooler during the tour of her memoir Ever Faithful to His Lead: My Journey Away from Emotional Abuse


Toni Piccinini The Goodbye Year
"Worry, dread, and pessimism are powerless positions and they are without faith. I talk a bit about faith in the December chapter and I always get back to a sentiment that makes me feel better: "If you're gonna pray, don't worry. If you're gonna worry, don't bother praying!" ~ Toni Piccininni during the tour of The Goodbye Year


"I deal with rejection and negative reviews by first getting depressed and discouraged. But that’s an unhappy, unpleasant state, so I have to work through it and get over it. I’ll pick myself up, make cookies and then if it’s rejection, I’ll find another way—an open door instead of a closed one. For negative reviews, I remind myself at least someone read my work and felt strongly enough to write a review. If I get too down about it, I’ll go read all the negative reviews on well-known, best-selling authors I admire. That always makes me feel better. Everyone gets negative reviews, even the best books and the best writers." ~ Karen Jones Gowen during the tour of Afraid of Everything

Eric Trant Wink
"Rejection is not a sign to quit—it is a sign to grow." ~ Eric Trant during the tour of his thriller Wink


What has been your best advice? 
Who did it come from? What advice do you have for others?


Please leave a comment - we would love to hear from you!






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Crystal is a church musician, babywearing mama (aka crunchy mama), business owner, active journaler, writer and blogger, Blog Tour Manager with WOW! Women on Writing, Publicist with Dream of Things Publishing, as well as a dairy farmer. She lives in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin with her husband, four young children (Carmen 9, Andre 8, Breccan 3, and Delphine 1), two dogs, two rabbits, four little piggies, a handful of cats and kittens, and over 230 Holsteins.

You can find Crystal riding unicorns, taking the ordinary and giving it a little extra (making it extraordinary), blogging and reviewing books, baby carriers, cloth diapers, and all sorts of other stuff at:http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/ and http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/




6 comments:

Sioux Roslawski said...

Crystal--I think some of the best advice I got was from Lisa Ricard Claro. She's the author of a three-novel series, Love to Win, Love to Believe, and Love Built to Last. Her advice: If you're rejected, it means you succeeded. You succeeded in getting your work out there. You succeeded in having the courage to submit your work.

Crystal Otto said...

that's awesome advice Sioux - absolutely awesome! Thanks for sharing.

kathleen pooler said...

Thank you, Crystal. I'm honored to be mentioned among so many authors I admire.

madeline40 said...

Thanks Crystal for the mention in your article. I feel very honored. Also, I'd like to emphasize the importance of perseverance when faced with rejection. I sent out 68 queries before I found my publisher for Leaving the Hall Light On. It's so important to keep moving on. All best, Madeline

Margo Dill said...

What a great idea for a post! I think it helps to hear how successful people deal with the negative--because we see they have overcome it. Love this!

Theresa Boedeker said...

How I deal with rejection. Sometimes I just tell myself the editor had heartburn from lunch when he read my query, or she was having a bad day, or they had just accepted a piece like mine earlier. And then I usually see if maybe the piece or idea needs more work and work on getting it out again.

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