Handling the Crickets

auditoriumHandling rejection

It is inevitable that you will have a project or business or interest that is much more important to you than to the rest of the world.  It takes a bit of mature reflection to understand that just because you put your heart and soul into it, the people around you don’t have to.

Many writing books talk about rejection.  If you want to get published, you will have to deal with your work being judged and found wanting over and over again, until you finally find someone who will accept it.  This is true for many endeavors.  I find the worst kind of rejection is crickets.  No response whatsoever.  You laid your work in front of someone and get silence.

This is almost becoming industry standard.  Agents write that they will contact you if they are interested.  Which means they do nothing if they don’t like the proposal you spend weeks on.  A publisher I just submitted to has the same policy.  I’ve even seen a few small online magazines state the same thing.  Which leave the writer in an awkward position.  At least with a form letter, the writer can move on to the next market.  With no response at all, the writer has to guess if it has been sufficient time.  Being a writer, she of course comes up  with reasons why the silence is not a real rejection.  The recipient is out sick, or never got it, or is holding on to the piece because it grabbed his interest but he’s not sure how to sell it to others.  There’s no closure!

My friend is launching her cake business and is bringing her web page live.  She’s thrown her heart and soul into it.  She’s talented, savvy and professional.  If the world were fair, as soon as she announced she was selling cakes, people would start pounding on her door.  Instead, she will have to deal with crickets to some degree.

What can we do about it?  Go out in search of feedback from someone you know will respond.  Remind yourself to keep on going, and give yourself plenty of praise and encouragement even if the world doesn’t care.  You care.  Be the friend you want your friends to be and pay attention to their own endeavors.  One friend launched an Etsy store, another is creating a One Direction quilt, another is applying for a professorship.  Be a listener to get listened to.

Then, just like with any rejection, get up, dust yourself off, and keep on going.

(By the way, feel free to write a review for my ebook, that would be swell!) 

 

2 Comments

  1. carpelibris said:

    I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t submit to markets that don’t respond. I understand that they’re busy, but so are plenty of other markets that do respond. MM

    April 21, 2013
  2. Wayne said:

    Makes me wonder if you shouldn’t send out your work to several companies and let the ones who like it fight over it and ignore the ones that never get back to you. If they snooze, they loose.

    April 21, 2013

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