When I read Dean Wesley Smith's May 6 reply to one of the responses to his blog post "Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing: Rejection "--"Always plan for sales. Expect rejection but plan for sales."--I was flabbergasted.
A successful pro who expects rejection? That's the antithesis of my attitude. When I submit a manuscript, I expect acceptance.
Was I being cocky or egotistical? A quick thumb through my files seemed to indicate that I wasn't. Many recent manuscripts were accepted upon first submission, I was receiving twice as many acceptances as rejections, and year-to-date sales were exceeding my goal. The numbers seemed to confirm my expectations.
I shrugged my shoulders and figured to each his own.
But I should known better than to tempt fate.
Since May 6 I've received five acceptances...and 16 rejections. I've received about half my year-to-date rejections within a seven-week period, and year-to-date rejections now outnumber year-to-date acceptances.
Ouch.
Funny how fate has a way of reminding us of our place in the world.
4 comments:
I expect every story I send out to be rejected. Those wahoo moments are great! And it makes the rejections hurt less.
I think his point was that you have to plan for success, since having no plan will kill it faster than anything.
On the other hand, rejection requires no more effort than reading the rejection notice.
Or, as you so eloquently put it on SMFS years ago: Write, submit, write, submit...
I think that's exactly Smith's point, and when I read it I thought it was excellent advice for beginning writers.
Then I tempted fate and realized it was also good advice for the rest of us.
His advice IS very good advice.
Also, expect your computer to die one week AFTER the warranty stuff expires.
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