Rejection Isn't Personal

Blogathon, day 13. 

Today's topic is about something no writer likes to experience--rejection. I often tell new freelancers not to fear rejection, and in fact to expect it. Knowing you will be rejected (and we all are) helps take the sting away. 

A rejection of a query or pitch is not a rejection of you, even if it feels that way. It just means that it wasn't the right idea for the right editor at the right market at the right time. Your editor may not have thought the idea worked for her market, or she may already have something similar in the works, or she simply didn't think you had the experience or writing ability to pull off the story. (This is why a well-written query is so important--it's almost always the first writing sample the editor sees. More about that in a future post.) 

So don't take rejection personally. Find another market for your idea; tweak the pitch to fit that market; and resubmit, or "resub" your idea as soon as possible. (This is part of the 24-hour rule). Your pitch may not have been right for the first market you contacted, but it may be perfect for the second, or third, or fourth. 

Your assignment: when you receive a rejection, resubmit the idea to another market within a day or two. 


**Want more advice about everything from interviews to pitching new markets to making money as a freelancer? Check out Dollars and Deadlines: Make Money Writing Articles for Print and Online Markets is aimed at brand-new freelancers in search of their first clips. Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer's Guide to Making More Money, Second Edition is a freelancing classic that helps both new and experienced writers boost their bottom line. And my latest book,Goodbye Byline, Hello Big Bucks: Make Money Ghostwriting Books, Articles, Blogs and More, Second Edition, shows how to break into the ghostwriting/content marketing field.