Welp. I received a rejection letter for my children's book. I was expecting it because, honestly, what are the odds of my very first manuscript being picked up on my very first query?!? I am a realist.
Still, I was a bit deflated.
The rejection came in the evening, just as we were starting the kids’ school-night routine, and seriously seconds after my husband yelled down to inform me that the cat had peed on our bed.
I was having a great day. Was. Now I just wanted a hot shower and a chocolate milkshake. I didn’t get the milkshake. All I could do was sleep it off – once our bed was all clean and put back together, that is. Whose idea was it to get a cat, anyway? (Hint: It was mine.)
I woke up with resolve.
I expected this rejection. I have a whole list of publishers I think would be a good match for my children’s book. So, I set to the task of drafting more query letters. I submitted to four publishers that allow simultaneous submissions. Though I hardly dare to imagine it being accepted on this second round, I started feeling better once I got it back out there for consideration.
Then, a wonderful thing happened. A friend in my writers’ group reminded me that many aspiring authors never even get to this point. And, I actually began to feel a bit proud of my rejection letter. It is proof that I am putting in the effort. I am doing it.
As Sylvia Plath said, “I love my rejection slips. They show me I try.”
