Books
Writers on Twitter are tweeting stories of their paths to publication using the #ShareYourRejections hashtag, and it's pretty great to read about the hard battles that even the most talented writers have had to weather in order to get their books published. I've got #ShareYourRejections tweets from 25 of your favorite authors to check out below, so you can draw some inspiration from their stories.
I hate to be the first to break it to you — and I sincerely hope I'm not — but rejection is part and parcel to the whole writer gig. I've been told my work was not a good fit for an outlet more times than I can count. I've been encouraged to apply again. I've been ghosted by editors who seemed to like my work before they disappeared into the night. But none of those experiences invalidate me or my work as a writer.
Rejection is almost never personal. Publishing outlets just don't have the space to publish every promising piece of writing that lands on the editor's desk. Sometimes you pitch something too early or too late. Sometimes that magazine or publisher is already tapped out on pieces about your particular subject. And yeah, sometimes your writing isn't up to snuff. None of those things mean that you'll never be published, however, or even that you'll never be published by that journal, magazine, or publisher. You have to let your rejections roll over you like water off a duck's back. Shake them off, and then get back to work.
Here are some #ShareYourRejections stories from 25 of your favorite authors.