What to Do when a Publisher Rejects Your Manuscript

You would think with the advent of the internet that getting your book published would be easier than ever. While in many ways this is true, it is still possible to get that dreaded rejection letter, especially if you are only submitting to big name publishers. Still it can happen with small presses too, even e-presses, and that stomach dropping feeling you get when you open the e-mail that you hope will be an acceptance but that turns out to be a rejection never really goes away. Anyone that has ever written a page, typed a word, and completed a manuscript knows that feeling and it never really gets easier no matter how often you submit.

So what do you do when a publisher says, "No thanks." The answer might surprise you!

1. Take a deep breath before you do anything else. Remember, authors get rejections all the time it doesn't mean you're a bad writer, or that your story sucked, or that you'll never be published. It just means this one particular publisher did not want to publish your book, that's it.

2. Keep submitting. Whatever you do, do not allow one publisher's rejection to keep you from submitting. There can be a myriad of reasons that a publisher will reject your book. It can be something as simple as they already have enough books in your genre for example, to their slush pile has gotten so high they've had to start turning away manuscripts without even reading them. Whatever the reason, don't assume that because a publisher has rejected your book that it is unpublishable. I submitted my book Homecoming to one publisher a year and a half ago, and within a couple of days I received a rejection. Rather than allowing this to stop me, I immediately resubmitted to another publisher and was accepted. That book was on my publisher's best seller list for three quarters in a row!

3. Have a few other people who are not close friends or family read your book and give you some feedback. You may have already done this, heck, the publisher may have even told you why your manuscript was rejected. Keep in mind that opinions like anything else whether they come from a publisher or a person that has read your book, are subjective. However, allowing a few other people to read your book may help you discover something you missed the first, second or third time around when you were polishing your book for submission. You just never know and it never hurts to get a few more opinions. Then try resubmitting to other publishers.

4. Don't go go postal. I've seen a few would-be authors take rejection really hard and then post a scathing rebuttal on their blog while naming said publisher that has rejected them. Do not do this! All you are doing if you do this is setting yourself up for further rejection. Trust me, other authors and publishers do read blogs and if one comes across your entry where you've gone postal and named this publisher, you will lose readers, and possibly even the opportunity to be published. Publishers will note possible difficult authors and they may remember your name. So, whatever you do don't use your blog or any other online forum as a sounding board. If you need to vent, call your best friend, or write it down in your paper journal. It will accomplish the same thing of helping you to get out your frustration without possibly having some ill chosen words come back to haunt you.

5. Remember that publishers are people too, they make mistakes. Just because a publisher has rejected your book, doesn't mean their reasons for doing so are right. Publishers are run by people, and people make mistakes. Maybe your rejection notice said that you didn't format your book per their instructions for example. If you go back and double check and find that you did, then you know someone has made a mistake. Even if you can prove they're wrong, don't do so. Wait a few months and try resubmitting if your heart is set on that particular publisher. Sometimes you will get a different person, and in a few rare cases, a contract.

6. Consider smaller presses. It's amazing to me how so many aspiring authors think that the only real way to be published is through a large NY house. There are hundreds if not thousands of smaller presses out there to choose from. I know of at least two different authors who started out with small e-presses and then went on to be picked up by one of the big NY houses. So consider submitting your book to smaller presses, particularly the e-presses. There is a real trend towards e-books these days, and while there will always be those that like the experience of holding a book in their hands, I believe e-books are the wave of the future. If you want to be a successful author then your book should have an e-book version and this is something that even the large NY houses are finding out and providing to readers.

7. Start writing your next book if you haven't already done so. That's right, don't let one rejection keep you from starting and finishing your next book. Even if your first book never gets picked up by a publisher, the more you write, the more likely the odds are that one of your books will be picked up by a publisher. The more you continue to write, the higher the probability that your books will be picked up. It's also important to remember that sometimes it's the second or third book that gets published first, and your first book may then later be picked up. I've seen that happen on more than one occasion.

Having your book rejected by a publisher should not destroy your universe, although I've seen many a beginning author take it way too seriously. As long as you continue to write and continue to submit, the chances of getting your first book contract increase. It is those who become discouraged and stop writing and or submitting because they've allowed the fact that one publisher rejected their book to stop them that truly lose out.