“Sorry, not interested”: Handling rejection

Getting your book published by a major company is a competitive process.

Publishers are becoming much more careful about the projects they publish

and how resources are allocated. Unless you’re a celebrity, a well-known busi-

ness leader, a juror in a high-profile trial, or a recognized expert in your field

and there’s a potentially large market for your book, capturing the attention

of a publisher, especially a large publisher, is going to be difficult.

With that said, though, being able to submit a self-published copy of your

book with your proposal when contacting a publisher certainly gives you

some added credibility. But remember that no matter how good your self-

published book really is and how professional your proposal comes across,

not all publishers jump at what you’re offering. So, expect some rejection

when you submit your proposal to publishers.

With rejection comes perseverance (that’s perseverance on your part).

Submit your proposal to multiple publishers you believe might be interested

in your project, and never take rejection personally. In most cases, you either

never hear back from the publisher (implying that they’re not interested) or

you receive a short rejection letter. Don’t give up!

If you happen to speak with an acquisitions editor who ultimately rejects your

book, ask her why she made the decision and what could be done to improve

the proposal or book. Use whatever feedback you can get constructively, keep-

ing in mind that the rejection is based upon someone’s opinion. However, you

probably don’t want to make a follow-up call to the editor after you receive a

rejection. This could make you look unprofessional or desperate. One alterna-

tive is to write a short, friendly e-mail to the editor. You’re better off having

your agent call on your behalf if you’re looking for constructive feedback

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